Jewish students at the University of California, Berkeley, are planning a rally to protest against antisemitism
Jewish students at UC Berkeley are organizing a protest against what they perceive as the school’s inaction to protect its students. The protest, scheduled for Monday, follows a chaotic incident on campus in late February and coincides with a sit-in protest by a professor.
The students plan to march in what they are calling a “liberate the gate” protest, referring to a gate on campus currently blocked by a student-led group. They aim to highlight what they see as the university’s failure to ensure the physical safety and free speech of Jewish students on campus.
Professor Ron Hassner, the chair of Israel studies at Berkeley, began his sit-in protest on March 7. He has committed to teaching, eating, and sleeping in his office, which will be open at all hours to students who feel unsafe or who have experienced antisemitic abuse.
Hassner’s protest follows a disruptive incident in late February when pro-Palestinian students disrupted a private event hosted by an Israeli speaker at Zellerbach Playhouse, leading to its cancellation due to security concerns. The university later condemned the incident and vowed to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The march is set to begin at noon, followed by a rally at 12:15 p.m. at California Hall. Organizers hope to pressure the administration to temporarily suspend student groups under investigation for their involvement in the February event.