Sacramento State students protest at UC Davis over Gaza war, blocking bus terminal

Vincent Medina
·2 min read
12

Demonstrators from Sacramento State protested on UC Davis’ campus Monday demanding the university divest from investments that support Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The protesters, who were not affiliated with UC Davis’ encampment, blocked off the Silo Terminal & Center Island stop on Hutchison Drive in front of Haring Hall. This prevented multiple Unitrans buses originating at UC Davis from starting their routes and collecting students during the university’s finals week.

In May, Sacramento State officials said they had decided to review the school’s investment policies, none of which supported Israel. University President Luke Wood said the school would review more than $100 million of Sac State’s investments, which prompted protesters on the East Sacramento campus to shut down their encampment. Now, protesters aimed to encourage UC Davis and Bay Area universities to follow suit.

Raeda Zarzour, who graduated from Sacramento State, explained the importance of supporting the pro-Palestine encampment at UC Davis, which began on May 6, and getting the UC system to financially divest from any support of Israel and its military.

UC Davis graduating senior Taven Cunningham, left, speaks with pro-Palestinian protester and media liaison Raeda Zarzour on Monday, June 10, 2024, along Hutchison Drive at UC Davis. “I fundamentally disagree with how they’re going about it,” said Cunningham, who noted how this demonstration could hinder students’ ability to come to campus for their final exams. “I think there are more effective means.”

“Davis specifically has deep connections and ties to Israel through their agricultural program, but they also have a student exchange program with Israel,” Zarzour said.

While the protesters from Sacramento State and the UC Davis pro-Palestine encampment are not connected, they aim to draw attention to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has lasted nearly 250 days and has killed 35,000 people, mostly civilians, after Hamas rebels launched an attack Oct. 7, killing more 1,200 Israelis. More than 120 people remain captive by Hamas, including five Americans, according to The New York Times.

“We wanted to bring attention to the fact that there is no graduating class of 2024 in Gaza, because all of the universities have been bombed,” Zarzour said. “The ideal outcome is that we get a couple (of) people’s attention, which we have.

“Part of us is a little sad that we did it this way because it does take away the buses from the community.”

A barricade erected by pro-Palestinian protesters blocks the road in front of a Unitrans bus terminal along Hutchison Drive at UC Davis on Monday. While this terminal was not able to operate, other Unitrans buses were active on the campus.
A barricade erected by pro-Palestinian protesters blocks the road in front of a Unitrans bus terminal along Hutchison Drive at UC Davis on Monday. While this terminal was not able to operate, other Unitrans buses were active on the campus.