Faces of the CSUF Students have been pixelated to protect them.

One year after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the Israeli response that sparked the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, CSUF students held a demonstration in support of the Palestinian people on Monday, October 7.

The event was hosted by the CSUF chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Dozens gathered at 2:15pm to hear organizers’ speeches in the University’s central Quad. Attendees then participated in a sign-making session until 4pm, when SJP members led a march up Nutwood Avenue and past the University’s Titan Student Union. Marchers chanted pro-Palestinian phrases, such as “From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.”

In an Instagram post from October 3, CSUF SJP wrote that the demonstration’s purpose was to “demand justice and full liberation” for the Palestinian people.

“We [want to] showcase what’s been happening and bring awareness that it is still happening right now as we speak,” explained an event organizer who wished to remain anonymous. “We have not forgotten that Gaza is still being bombed.”

In the last year, CSUF SJP has held over a dozen demonstrations, many of which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine. According to the latest U.N. statements, 40,000 Palestinian lives have been lost in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, the majority being women and children. Additionally, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, a non-governmental organization that tracks population information, has reported that 83% of the territory’s population was displaced as of December 31, less than three months after the conflict began.

“It’s frustrating. It’s literally heartbreaking,” said the organizer when speaking of the crisis. “As SJP, it’s our duty to say, ‘Listen, there are people who don’t have a voice, but we are their voice on campus.'”

The event featured speeches from members of multiple student organizations, including CSUF’s Lebanese Student Association (LSA) and Black Student Union (BSU). Among the speakers was Sabri, a Palestinian student from the Gaza Strip.

“I’ve had to deal with over 300 family members passing in the past year, and 50 this week alone from one of the more recent bombings in Gaza,” he told attendees. “You have no idea how annoying and [angering] it is when I see uneducated and ignorant individuals supporting this genocide.”

On college campuses across Orange County, pro-Palestinian demonstrations have faced challenges from university administrations and law enforcement. On April 29, a multi-organizational encampment demanding university divestment from companies financially supporting Israel launched on UC Irvine’s campus. The encampment was held until May 15, when law enforcement officers from 22 police departments across the county arrived in riot gear and ordered the over 200 participants to disperse. To date, the Orange County District Attorney’s office has charged 49 people for failing to follow the officers’ dispersal orders. Despite these challenges, organizers of the October 7 demonstration emphasized the importance of continuing to fight for Palestinian liberation on college campuses.

“We gather today to remind the world that it is us, the people, who will make a difference,” said SJP member Abdul, in a speech at the event. “The voice of the youth has the ability to scream the loudest, and it is the voice that we will be using today, tomorrow, and perhaps even next October 7.”

Responding to the Observer’s request for comment, CSUF Vice President of Student Affairs David Forgues affirmed that CSUF’s Student Life and Leadership Office (SLL) approved the demonstration before it took place. Additionally, CSUF Police Department Captain Scot Wiley wrote that, to his knowledge, the demonstration was conducted in accordance with the University’s protest policies.