Several hundred people gathered at noon at UCI at the beginning of “Israeli Apartheid Week,” a yearly event at UC Irvine held by students to bring awareness to the Palestinian point of view in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The week-long event has been labeled “Hate Week” by detractors, some of whom counter-demonstrate and feel the event encourages hate speech and antisemitism.
While several hundred gathered on the steps near the administration building for speeches, the audience members seemed split across several political viewpoints. Some signs read “Stop Bringing Hate To Our Community” while Muslim Student Union shirts included a quote from Desmond Tutu, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor,” while still other counter-demonstrators wore shirts stating “Pro-Israel, Pro-Palestine, Pro-Peace.”
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