Protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza are intensifying at universities in the Bay Area and across the nation.
For a third night in a row, protesters were camped out at Stanford University. About 18 tents were set up despite a warning from the university that they could be expelled.
This happened during admit weekend at Stanford, where visiting high school students found an encampment of protesters in the middle of White Plaza.
Protesters said they are demanding that Stanford separates itself from any companies or organizations advancing military efforts in the Israel-Hamas war.
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“Understanding that students are putting their lives on the line, their bodies on the line, their futures on the line. For something that can make a better place for Palestinians, a better place, a better world,” said Stanford student Carlos Enrique Ramirez.
At Cal Poly Humboldt, protesters left the buildings they barricaded since Monday after spray painting messages in classrooms.
“It’s important for us to be here, for us to disrupt the system that is carrying out funding for these atrocities," said Apricot, a Cal Poly Humboldt student.
In response to the protests, Cal Poly Humboldt announced it is shutting down the campus the remainder of the semester and switching to online learning.
Sonoma State students are also calling for an end to deadly violence in Gaza as they camp in tents on campus.
Students were also sleeping in tents on the steps of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley as part of a Gaza solidarity encampment at university campuses across the country. The question is will the groundswell of campus protests make a difference?
“Protests are really good at elevating an issue into the national dialogue and we are seeing that right now. That these protests have put the issues of the Israel-Hamas war and kind of suffering in Gaza on the map. Whether they will change investment polices in the universities seems unlikely in the short run,” said Omar Wasow, UC Berkeley Assistant Professor of Political Science.
At Stanford, the university gave letters to some protesters saying if they continue to camp out here past 8 pm, and stay overnight, they may be suspended. The students NBC Bay Area talked with on Saturday that it’s a risk they are willing to take to fight for change.
