Editor’s Note: In the interest of personal privacy and safety, some individuals in this story have chosen to remain anonymous or be referred to by pseudonyms.
“A year ago, most Americans were apathetic to the occupation of Palestine; now many Americans have been awakened to the noble struggle of the Palestinian people to live free of occupation,” said a speaker from Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the October 7th One Year of Genocide Walk Out for Palestine. “As the genocide has raged on in Gaza, the students have struggled in solidarity with Palestinians to affirm their right to live free of occupation, their right of return, right of self-determination, and the right to exist.”
The event marked a year since Hamas’ attack on Israel, and Israel’s subsequent brutal offensive on Gaza. The rally, led by organizers Santa Cruz Revolutionary Student Organization (RSO), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Jews Against White Supremacy (JAWS), drew over 150 people to the Quarry Plaza.
In addition to the 12 p.m. rally on campus, two more events were scheduled throughout the day: A mutual aid and education event at the Mission Plaza in the afternoon and a vigil at the Clocktower on Mission Street that night.
The events were on the anniversary of the Hamas-led raid across the Israel-Gaza border, referred to as Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, in which the group killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and took over 250 more as hostages. It also marks the beginning of Israel’s year-long bombing and military action that has killed over 42,000 Palestinians.
Jaguar, a member of JAWS and a speaker at the event who chose to identify themselves by a pseudonym, said that he felt it was important for JAWS to be there to support SJP.
“We want to platform anti-Zionist Jewish voices to take power away from Zionism and to show people that the actions of the state of Israel are not only not representative of all Jews, but [that] there are Jews actively condemning the state of Israel,” Jaguar said. 
Photo by Kyle James Allemand.
Following the speeches, the organizers facilitated smaller group discussions in which they referenced literature on the subject of October 7th. Included in the documents that were discussed was a piece from the Hamas Media Office titled “Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” and an essay from Adi Callai titled “The Gaza Ghetto Uprising.”
“My approach with this [“Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”] was humanizing resistance, humanizing Hamas, showing that they are human beings who have their own words, their own voice,” a representative of the organizers said in an interview with City on a Hill Press. “This other piece [“The Gaza Ghetto Uprising”], which is an Israeli author saying the same things that are in alignment with the liberation of the Palestinian people, shows that even people who are directly affected … are capable of taking a step back and not just falling into reaction but actually understanding.”
Nathaniel Deutsch, a history professor and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies, explained that reading the documents distributed by Hamas or the Israeli government is important to get context for differing views and to read them through a critical lens.
“In both cases, the Israeli government and Hamas do all sorts of things that are not reflected in their public announcements and in their platforms, and one should apply the same investigative and analytical approach, which is to say you should be skeptical of both of those things wherever they’re coming from,” Deutsch said. “And I think the university, what we should be doing is actually encouraging people to look at the range of sources and then to come to their own decisions.”
UCPD Sets Precedent for Code of Conduct Violations
After the campus rally began to disperse around 2:30 p.m., one of the speakers at the event was approached by several UCPD police officers. In a bystander’s video recording of the interaction obtained by City on a Hill Press, the officers informed them that their use of a “bullhorn” violated the “code of conduct” and “campus policy,” and demanded the speaker remove their masks and identify themselves. The student was told that if they did not follow the officer’s directions, they would “go to the station.”
Students gather outside Santa Cruz County Jail where the arrested student was taken. Deputies from the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office address the gathered crowd but had no new information to offer on the arrest. Photo by Reggie Sasaki.
The student was placed under arrest after refusing to comply, with several officers forcibly pushing them against a patrol car, handcuffing them, and placing them into the vehicle. In a discussion with the arrestee, they stated that their charges, as written on their arrest documents, were impeding a police officer, and battery of a police officer.
When contacted, university officials did not address City on a Hill Press’s questions about if further action will be taken against the individual.
An email sent on Friday, Oct. 4, from Garrett Naiman, the associate vice chancellor & dean of students, highlighted recently updated university policies that now prohibit “masking to conceal identity.” The changes were made to reflect policy directives sent from the UC Office of the President over the summer.
While the email listed several other key regulations, the restriction on the use of megaphones without previous authorization was not included. In a document shared along with the Dean’s email, the Quarry Plaza was indicated as a “Use Area Designated for Public Forums.”
The Student Handbook expands on the policy, which states the Quarry Plaza is “open to the public generally for expressive activity” with no permit being required for its use. However, it also specifies that authorization is needed from the Bay Tree Bookstore for the use of a “sound amplification device” such as a megaphone in the plaza.
Organizers did not obtain a permit to use megaphones or inform any campus office of their intention to use them. A representative from the organizers stated they understood the Quarry Plaza to be a “free speech zone,” so they believed it was not required.
When asked for comment on the university’s megaphone policy and how it was communicated, UCSC’s assistant vice chancellor of communications and marketing Scott Hernandez-Jason stated in a written response to City on a Hill Press that the policies “are available online and have been circulated to the entire campus community when the fall quarter began. All members of our campus community are responsible for following university policies as well as state and federal laws at all times, including when engaged in expressive activities.”
After Monday’s events, it is unclear how organizers will plan for future rallies and protests in light of the restrictive guidelines — as is how the university will respond to “expressive activities.”
“This is week two of the entire school year, and who’s to say what else they think that they can get away with? Because this is a complete infringement on our First Amendment rights,” said a witness to the arrest. “The fact that the school thinks that they can give us a ‘right way to protest’ completely undermines the whole point of protesting.”
