A South Coast university has joined the list of campuses across the country that are the scenes of protests over the crisis in the Mideast.
About 200 students and staff members took part in a march across part of the UC Santa Barbara campus Wednesday afternoon. Many carried signs calling for an end to the violence in Gaza, and for the UC system to divest financial interests in Israel.
The march ended in a grassy parkway between some buildings, where about 150 people had set up a protest camp.
Demonstrator Erica Bradley said she’s hoping what they are doing will increase awareness in the community about what’s happening in Gaza. She thinks the media has been misrepresenting the conflict, and is also painting an inaccurate picture of protestors as being violent.
Bradley said the hope is to convince the UC system to divest investments which are Israeli-related.
The demonstrations at UCSB were peaceful, with no issues reported.