On Monday, protesters occupied and barricaded themselves inside of Givertz Hall at UC Santa Barbara and said they don’t plan to leave until the university acknowledges the war between Israel and Palestine as a genocide of the Palestinian people. 

The protesters claim to be an “autonomous group of students, workers and community members” and refer to themselves as Say Genocide. 

They remained there on Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning, police responded to clear the building of protesters. No students were arrested.

The UCSB administration on Monday sent a message to the campus community saying that they couldn’t tolerate activity that interferes with access to buildings. 

“This morning, a small group of unidentified individuals entered Givertz Hall, intimidated custodial staff and ordered them to leave, restricted access to classrooms, and prevented final exams scheduled for that building from taking place,” Chancellor Henry Yang wrote to the campus community. 

Unidentified members of Say Genocide told Noozhawk that they didn’t intimidate custodial staff but did explain the situation and asked them to leave. However, they said there was a language barrier between the protesters and custodial staff that caused some confusion. 

“We cannot tolerate activity that interferes with access to buildings, and students’ ability to complete their courses, fulfill their requirements, and graduate. Students, faculty, and staff must have full access to the campus and all facilities,” Yang wrote. 

He went on to write that university officials are working to relocate final exams that were scheduled to take place in Givertz Hall this week.

At Givertz Hall on Tuesday, doors were barricaded and locked, windows were covered with blinds or brown paper, and the second floor was inaccessible as a large stack of desks could be seen blocking access from the stairway onto the second floor. 

On the ground floor, blinds were open for one classroom, revealing a torn apart classroom with rubble throughout the room, desks knocked down and scattered throughout, fake dead bodies, red paint on the floor and walls, and “Say Genocide” written in large letters on the blackboard. 

Outside The Arbor was a similar scene. Among the tables were mutilated fake dead bodies covered in red paint, children’s toys and dolls, and rubble. Above the scene was a sign hanging over the building that reads, “You can take your finals. They never will.”

In an Instagram post by the account @saygenocideucsb, protesters revealed their demands, which include the university releasing a statement recognizing the conflict in Palestine as a genocide, apologize for not recognizing the conflict as a genocide in past communications, and that the university continue to recognize the conflict as a genocide is all further communication concerning Palestine. 

“We demand you do not delay this statement with false complications, because the genocide is not complicated,” the statement read. 

Another Instagram post from the same account claimed that they received communication from Margaret Klawunn, vice chancellor of student affairs, saying that they are already engaging in conversations with students from the encampment but that they’d be willing to include Say Genocide’s demands in those conversations if they immediately vacated the building.

Protesters responded on Instagram, calling it “a cowardly move by the administration.” The Say Genocide collective added that they want Yang to agree with the International Court of Justice ruling labeling the conflict as a genocide, and that the administration grant full legal and academic amnesty for those participating in the occupation. 

Another post claimed that protesters were attacked Monday night after two masked individuals tried to remove two flags placed by protesters on the roof of The Arbor. The post claims that one of the masked individuals struck a protester in the temple with a pole hard enough to leave a “lasting but non-life-threatening injury.”

Outside Givertz Hall, campus life was continuing as normal Tuesday as students walked past the building to get to their final exams and eat lunch near the display of fake dead bodies outside The Arbor.