Pro-Palestinian supporters rally at Bay Area universities

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A day after the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack in Israel, pro-Palestinian protests were held on Bay Area college campuses. Protesters at Cal and San Jose State say the war in Gaza has gone on long enough and their support for the Palestinian people will continue.

"We are commemorating a year of genocide but also a year of resistance to genocide," said Brian Yan, Spokesperson for Students for Gaza. 

Hundreds of people protesting the war in Gaza gathered at UC Berkeley on Tuesday afternoon, just a day after people in the Jewish community remembered those killed in the Hamas attack last October. Someone carrying an Israeli flag also appeared in the crowd as they marched. Another group of supporters gathered on campus hours later, saying they wanted to continue fighting for the Palestinian people, calling this week the "Week of Rage".

"We hope to tell the elected leaders in the Bay Area, California and all across the country, that students, workers, the community here in the Bay, we won’t stand for genocide," Yan said. 

Nearly 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the last year. At San Jose State University, Students for Justice in Palestine have posted on social media about planned events throughout the week, including a class walk out and a vigil on Wednesday.

"We have like the biggest voice out of everybody in the community. I feel the Palestinians have been treated pretty unfairly, and they’re just trying to protest on campus," said Michael Montero, a student at San Jose State Univ.

Another student at San Jose State talked about the importance of making your voice heard on important issues like the war in Gaza, even if you’re still a college student.

"We’ve been through so much. We’ve been through a pandemic and because of that, we have a lot to say. We also live in a generation and environment now where our voices aren’t silenced," said Nicolas Perry, a Business student at San Jose State Univ.

Students for Justice for Palestine have a vigil planned here at San Jose State on Wednesday at 6 p.m.