Peaceful Sit-In for Palestine
Editors’ Note: this article will be updated throughout the day as events unfold.
Last updated: Tuesday, April 30
10:00am:
According to an Instagram post by @caltechsjp, Caltech students plan to hold a peaceful protest about the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict to take place Monday April 29th 10:30am–12:00pm. The protest is taking the form of a silent sit-in on the lawn of the Center for Student Services (CSS) building on Holliston Avenue.
According to the undergraduate students who organized the silent sit-in, the main goal is to “start a meaningful conversation about Caltech’s affiliation with the military industrial complex and its reaching impacts in Gaza.” Protesters will cover their mouths with tape “in solidarity with Palestinians being silenced.”
“This peaceful protest is for undergraduate and graduate students. I have invited a National Lawyer Guild Legal Observer to protect students’ safety and legal rights,” the organizers told the Tech in an email.
The sit-in was organized in response to many similar protests on other college campuses and the lack of protests at Caltech.
“I saw the protests going around multiple campuses around our nation. [It] inspired me to bring this human rights issue to the front of Caltech students’ consciousness. No undergraduate had organized a demonstration so I decided to take action,” the undergraduate student organizers’ email continued.
The sit-in has been publicized through various social media channels including an Instagram post by Caltech Students for Justice in Palestine (@caltechsjp).
Update, 10:15am
The termly “Deans and Donuts” event, planned for today at 11am also on the CSS lawn, was postponed to next Monday. This was announced in an email to undergraduates at 10:15am with no explanation.
Update, 11:30am
The silent protest sat outside the CSS building peacefully until around 11:20. There were about 30 people present, a mix of undergraduates, graduates, and other members of the Caltech community.
Pictures taken by Julia Ehlert
The protest garnered the attention of NBC 4 Los Angeles, who briefly featured the protest in their story about similar protests on college campuses.
At 11:20 the group moved to the lawn outside the exit of the Red Door cafe where they grew in number to around 60 people total.
The legal observer from the National Lawyer guild was present but was not able to talk to the press.
Pictures taken by Julia Ehlert and Ling-Yi Wu
Update, 12:00pm
People are leaving one by one (event was originally set to end at this time) but still about 40 people are left.
Update, 12:30pm
The group has largely dispersed. A handful of people are left (about 5 or 6) but the silent protest outside Red Door seems to have ended.