Organizers and attendees protested the detention of Mahmoud Kahil, Gary May’s involvement in Leidos and Kovet University’s involvement in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
By KHADEEJAH KHAN, JORDAN POLTORAK, JESSICA YUNG & RIVERS STOUT — campus@theaggie.org
Davis for Palestine, a loose coalition of undergraduate students, graduate students and community members, held several sit-ins across the UC Davis campus the week of April 27. Protesters gathered at the UC Davis School of Law, the School of Veterinary Medicine and at the Memorial Union Coffee House (CoHo).
Protesters demand reinstatement of UC Davis’ Law Student Association, which was suspended after passing a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolution and an end to UC Davis’ exchange program with the Hebrew University for its role in Israeli occupation in Palestine, among other grievances.
Day 1
On Tuesday, April 29, some 40 protesters participated in a sit-in at King Hall, home to the UC Davis School of Law, in solidarity with Palestine and to demand the reinstatement of the Law Student Association (LSA). Demonstrators read letters and statements sharing their experiences with repression at Davis as well as creating chalk art in front of King Hall.
“We want to talk about repression both at the law school and nationwide,” an anonymous organizer said, referring to the UC Davis’ suspension of the LSA alongside the nationwide repression of pro-Palestinian activists.
The sit-in also included a teach-in where organizers spoke on the symbolism of the school’s naming after Martin Luther King Jr., and the detainment of pro-Palestine student activists, such as Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk. Organizers called on attendees to read “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by King and “Letter from a Palestinian Political Prisoner in Louisiana” by Khalil.
As of the time of the sit-in, the university has not updated their stance on the suspension of the law school since March 24, according to a UC Davis spokesperson.
Protesters put a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf, on the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. inside King Hall to symbolize the parallels between both of the letters and movements.
“Listen up Dean [Jessica] Berg, Palestine is here to stay,” protesters said in a chant. “UC Davis, you can’t hide, our movement is going UC-wide.”
In addition to the suspension of the LSA, organizers referenced UC Davis’ interference with student petitions, targeting of Arab and Muslim students and mischaracterization of student activism in UC Davis communications as acts of repression by the university.
“When Palestine is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back,” protesters said in a chant. “When people are occupied, resistance is justified.”
Organizers also protested Chancellor Gary May’s position on the board of Leidos, a defense contractor that has supplied surveillance, biometric and screening systems to airports and to Israel. Organizers highlighted shared struggles with surveillance and screening systems both in Palestine and around the world.
“From Palestine to Mexico, these border walls have got to go,” protesters said in a chant. “From Palestine to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine. From Kashmir to Palestine, occupation is a crime. From South Africa to Palestine, apartheid is a crime.”
Protesters marched inside King Hall and its courtyard, making their way outside King Hall’s entrance where protesters created chalk art in front of the building.
Day 2
On Wednesday, April 30, nearly 30 protesters participated in a sit-in at Valley Hall, the educational center for the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), over its exchange program with the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine at the Hebrew University and alleged acts of repression.
“Koret School of Veterinary Medicine at the Hebrew University was constructed on stolen land and is used to actively cooperate with Israeli occupation forces,” an organizer said. “The exchange program normalizes collaboration with apartheid Israel and contributes to a hostile, anti-Palestinian atmosphere at the veterinary school.”
Protesters sat in groups to read and discuss articles about decolonizing medicine, including one written by UC San Francisco Professor of Medicine Rupa Marya, M.D., who had been placed on leave for her advocacy for Palestine.
“How can medical institutions, like the SVM, better teach students about oppressive systems in the field of medicine and foster an environment where we radically imagine these systems of health care?” an organizer said to attendees.
Organizers then read statements about the SVM’s repression of pro-Palestine students, stating that Palestine has become the exception to the school’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. In November 2023, veterinary students held a vigil to honor Palestinians killed by Israeli Occupation Forces — faculty objected to the vigil, claiming it was antisemitic.
“In a profession that has been referred to as the whitest job in America, UC Davis claims that it stands above the rest in vet med as a space for students of different racial, ethnic groups and religious groups to flourish,” an organizer said. “Unfortunately, at UC Davis SVM, diversity, equity and inclusion begin and end with recruiting a diverse student body. When it comes to allowing Arab and Muslim students to host events, providing space for processing collective trauma, or protecting [Black, Indigenous and People of Color] (BIPOC) students from the violent harassment of tenured faculty members and community members, the SVM has fallen pathetically short.”
In an emailed statement to The California Aggie, a UC Davis spokesperson said these limitations were protected under the university’s time, place and manner policy.
Following statements by veterinary students in solidarity with Palestine, another organizer read testimonials from doctors in Gaza, which were met with many tears from attendees.
“I have to live with the decision of which children I left to bleed to death and which I try to save,” one student said from a testimonial. “These are the decisions you have to make in Gaza every day.”
A Palestinian student also shared their experiences visiting family in the West Bank under Israeli occupation. They spoke about the lack of electricity, food and water, all while not being able to travel freely due Israeli checkpoints. As of the week prior, Israeli forces demolished the village in which their family lived.
“That [village] was the home I had sleepovers with my cousins in,” the student said. “That was the home that my grandma would make me sandwiches in. That was where all of my relatives would hang out, laughing and drinking tea until three in the morning. Is this not enough for people to realize their complicity?”
Day 3
On Friday, May 2, around 50 protesters participated in a sit-in at ASUCD’s Coffee House, calling on the University of California to divest from weapons manufacturers and UC Davis’ repression of pro-Palestine activists.
Organizers also criticized acts of repression across other university campuses in California; On April 30 at UC Los Angeles, three students were arrested by the UC Police Department for attending a film screening of “The Encampments.”
Organizers again called for May to step down from his membership in Leidos.
“Despite their continuous human rights violations, our Chancellor Gary May, whose pockets are lined with our tuition money, claims he is disheartened by the situation,” an anonymous organizer said. “Yet every time he receives a paycheck from Leidos, Gazan men, women and children die. If you are so sympathetic, Gary May, step down from your position on the board of Leidos.”
In addition to protesting administrative complicity amid Israel’s genocide in Palestine, as described by both Amnesty International and the United Nations. Organizers called out the ways students can be complicit, both within student organizations and individually.
“I see student organizations who have expressed their support to us privately, but pack up their tables and run when they see people protesting or gathering for Palestine,” the same organizer said. “You should be boycotting, you should be showing up to any event that you can, and you should be advocating in any way that you can. This doesn’t just go for Palestine. Any movement requires commitment to action, like we are demonstrating today.”
Organizers then read from a website, gazamonologues.com, where Gazans have written about their experiences.
“The war against us is a genocide,” one organizer said when reading from a monologue. “It is a merciless war that kills every one of us, and it doesn’t differentiate between anyone. Our house was bombed. We moved to another house and that house was bombed, too, and then we lived in a tent. Can you imagine how one could live under the threat of death 24 hours a day?”
As monologues were being read, one organizer was physically attacked as they attempted to block a recording of the sit-in by a member of the Davis October 7th Coalition, a local Christian organization composed of both university and Davis community members.
“[UC Davis] admin were just sitting and talking,” the organizer said as this occurred.
Several members of the university administration approached organizers multiple times throughout the sit-in. During one of these encounters, Associate Vice Chancellor Cheri Atksinon said to organizers, “If you don’t identify yourself, that’ll be another violation.”
A protester responded, “Don’t you feel ashamed?”
Soon after, the administrators ceased attempts to speak to organizers.
In a statement to The Aggie, UC Davis spokesperson James Nash said university policy requires protesters to have a permit for using amplified sound and restricts protesters from concealing their identity.
“I would reiterate that UC Davis is committed to supporting free expression and open dialogue on our campus,” Nash said. “But acts of violence against anyone are unacceptable and will be met with the appropriate response.”
After a series of chants, organizers then provided attendees materials for tatreez, a traditional form of Palestinian embroidery.
“Within the last year, especially the last three months, we have seen an extreme uptick in repression of students by institutions like […] UC Davis for fighting for Palestinian liberation and divestment,” an anonymous organizer said.
Written By: Khadeejah Khan, Jordan Poltorak, Jessica Yung, & Rivers Stout — campus@theaggie.org
