More than a hundred students from several Butte County schools protested the Israel-Hamas conflict by walking out of classes last week (Thursday, Nov. 9).
The protest was held in front of Kendall Hall on Chico State’s campus and included students from the university, Butte College and Chico High School.
It was one of many demonstrations in support of Gaza and Palestinians that have taken place in Chico in the past few weeks.
More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. That’s after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which killed 1,400 Israelis.
The protest was led by SWANASA Advocates In Chico. The group represents South Western Asian, North African and South Asian Communities in Butte County.
Organizer Shaheera Abbasi wants Chico State to acknowledge the severity of the humanitarian crisis.
“Their neutrality is completely complicit in something that is impacting a lot of their students every single day,” Abbasi said.
In addition to calling for a ceasefire, students also called on their schools’ leaderships to show more support for Muslim, Arab and Palestinian youth.
Some participants also showed up to last week’s Chico City Council meeting to urge the council to adopt a resolution formally calling for a ceasefire, which some California cities have done in recent weeks.
Other demonstrations have included a vigil and protest in the Chico City Plaza.
