On Wednesday, January 24th, student-led organization SWANASA Advocates dropped three banners from up top Butte College’s Campus Center. The protest occurred as part of a sequence of week-long events organized by the group in support of Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda’s recent call for a global strike.
The hand-painted banners each displayed messages regarding the ongoing violence in Palestine. They read “Let Gaza Live,” “Your Tax Dollars Are Funding a Genocide,” and “Look Up The Nakba.” The postings remained on display for over two hours, until eventually removed by campus police.
SWANASA founder Shaheera spoke of the motives behind the protest, “A genocide is being documented live on our phones yet too many people are either unaware or simply do not care. Our biggest priorities are to consistently raise awareness and foster a culture in Butte County that strongly values empathy and compassion, especially towards our Muslim and Arab communities.”
The group will be holding a vigil this Friday, January 26th. This event, led by Butte students Shaheera and Jack Abdulaziz, is open to all students and members of the community coming in good faith to honor the 25000+ Palestinians who have been martyred over the last 3 months.
The vigil will be at Chico State from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., more information can be found at the SWANASA Advocates Instagram @swanasaadvocates, or through their email [email protected].
