Activists demand UC Berkeley send archive to Gaza or set it on fire
The University of California, Berkeley’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) called on the school’s Bancroft Library to either destroy or transfer its 'Free Palestine Encampment collection.'
'We reject the museumification of the Palestinian struggle,' SJP said in a statement.
The University of California, Berkeley’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) called on the school’s Bancroft Library to either destroy or transfer its “Free Palestine Encampment collection.”
“We reject the museumification of the Palestinian struggle,” SJP said in a statement, according to The Daily Californian. “Whatever its intentions, the political function of this archive is to render Palestine as past, burying a living movement for justice even while our demands remain unmet. But we will not be contained by their glass display cases.”
The collection, donated in July 2024 by a Middle Eastern studies librarian, includes posters, flyers, and artwork gathered “from the protest site and directly from students and faculty with their approval,” according to an archive website.
“The Donor collected this material from the protest site and directly from students and faculty with their approval,” the website continues. “Material includes posters, artwork, buttons, writings, stickers, zines, web archives, and a fabric banner.”
“The collection also includes a web archive primarily of University of California and University of California, Berkeley communications about these activities,” the description continues.
Bancroft Library director Kate Donovan said the library is “in conversation with representatives from the student organization” about its demands. Donovan added that the archive contains no identifying information.
SJP urged the school administration to transfer the materials to Birzeit University in Palestine or have the collection “burned in solidarity with the archives, universities and people of Gaza, whose destruction did not merit UC Berkeley’s concern.”
UC Berkeley spent $8 million responding to campus occupations and security concerns during last spring’s anti-Israel protests, according to a University of California report. The figure was part of the UC system’s $29 million in total protest-related expenses.
In a statement, the UC system said the demonstrations were “disruptive and destructive,” emphasizing that while free speech is protected, students must “respect one another” and follow campus safety policies.
Following the spring 2024 semester, the UC system prohibited encampments on its campuses to avert future destruction from anti-Israel activists.
After the Free Palestine Encampment, pro-Palestine protesters claimed responsibility for burning a UC Berkeley police car on June 1, 2024. According to the organization Palestine Action US, an incendiary device was placed under the vehicle to retaliate against UC’s actions and express solidarity with Palestinians.
In April, the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into UC Berkeley for allegedly failing to disclose foreign funding sources. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the probe will examine Berkeley’s reporting practices, including ties to a Chinese university.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of California, Berkeley and the Bancroft Library for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
