MID-EAST REALITIES c - www.MiddleEast.Org -
STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE, UC BERKELEY, OCCUPY UNIV BUILDING
Group Demands Divestment from Israel
By Will Youmans
BERKELEY, CA - 24 April: Wheeler Hall is an ordinary University building. Full of classrooms and students adorned with stuffed backpacks, it can be especially busy during the end of the semester. Berkeley's semester is now coming to a close, but activism here is far from resting.
Today, Wheeler Hall was transformed to "Muhammad Al-Durra Hall." A banner announcing the new name flew from the second floor of the building.
Around noon, the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), took action as two groups: the insiders and the outsiders. The outsiders began the heavily advertised rally near the center of campus, with an initial group of roughly 50 students. The insiders proceeded to enter the designated hall, and chained the doors shut, except for one that was used to evacuate students from inside. After receiving word, the rally proceeded to the front of the building.
With a picket line outside, and numerous banners, signs, petitioners, and literature distributors, the crowd swelled. Chants, such as "D-I-V-E-S-T, divestment spells equality," attracted on-lookers. Speakers, such as Richard Becker of the International Action Center, Alison Weir, a freelance journalist who recently returned from the West Bank and Gaza, Elias Rishmawi, of ADC-Sacramento, and Hatem Bazian, of the Al-Qalam Institute, gave stirring and supportive speeches.
A marginal band of Israel supporters armed with banners and flags stood at the side, chanting as well.
Clearing out all the students from inside proved difficult as was limiting their entrance at the turn of the hour. Swarms of them forced their way in, and some instructors called the event disruptive. Speakers responded that many Palestinian students are closed off from the schools and students have been shot on their way to school.
The police made an early appearance, but did not take action against the occupiers until around 5 pm, when roughly 35 people were issued citations and photographed on the spot. By 6 pm, when the event was over, nearly 100 people remained. It is estimated that almost 300 people participated throughout the course of the day.
SJP issued a proposal to the UC Regents on April 12th. It demanded divestment by April 22nd. The Regents did not respond at all despite the immediacy of the acceleration of Israel's war on the Palestinian people. Like most human rights situations, the need for action is immediate.
SJP organized a follow-up forum for the next day, Wednesday. It is set for 7pm on the fourth floor of the MLK Student Union.