Cal Poly Humboldt was only one of the many, many universities across the world that saw students protest the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Often, as in Humboldt, the students would occupy university buildings. Student demands included an end to US aid to Israel, a cessation of the attacks by Israel, and the divestment of pro-Israel investments by the universities. And just as often, university boards would call in heavy-handed responses from their local police forces.
The police response at Humboldt saw at least thirty-five arrests, and even members of the local municipal council thought that it went too far. One particularly memorable image from the police clearance of the buildings was students fighting back with improvised weapons, including an 5-litre water bottle, which was used to hit officers over the head. Given that the bottle was empty, and the police all wore helmets, this had little effect, but the image was a striking one.
