Correction: This article was updated at 7:10 p.m. to remove identifying information that was not able to be confirmed in its entirety, in addition to clarifying territories referred to in the story.
Correction: This article was updated at 11:52 p.m. to correct the misspelling of yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region’s name.
Editor’s Note: Mustang News is referring to the ongoing conflict as the Israel-Hamas war based on the Associated Press Stylebook recommendations for the conflict.
On Saturday, a crowd gathered at Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in Downtown SLO to march in honor of the Palestinian civilian lives lost during the Israel-Hamas war. Cal Poly students were among those in attendance.
The march, advertised by Abolitionist Action Central Coast/SLO (AACCS) and Cal Poly Students for Quality Education (Cal Poly SQE), started at 3:30 p.m. and lasted about three hours. Participants walked in a loop as they chanted down Monterey Street, Osos Street and Higuera Street before heading back to the mission.
Before marching, speakers opened with a land acknowledgment, saying that colonization of yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region’s land mirrored the Palestinian peoples’ expulsion from their ancestral land.
Ashraf Tubeileh, one of the organizers of the march and a Palestinian from the West Bank, agreed with the comparison. Tubeileh immigrated to the U.S. in 2015 after Israel’s border control prohibited his Syrian wife from entering the country.
“[Palestinian peoples’] land is being taken away,” Tubeileh said. “Their resources are being taken away. Colonial settlers from all over the world are coming and building homes on their land and killing the children or killing everyone who would dare to say no. So yeah, the analogy here is very clear.”
Tubeileh was quoted in an article from KSBY saying that more than 500 people marched on Saturday.
The Israel-Hamas war was officially declared by Israel on Oct. 7, after the armed wing of Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel.
The Israeli government responded to the attack with multiple airstrikes along the Gaza Strip, warning Palestinians to move towards southern Gaza prior to further retaliation, according to an update by ABC News.
More than 5,000 lives have been lost since the initial attack with over 350,000 people being displaced from their homes on the Gaza Strip, according to ABC.
Organizers emphasized the importance of background research and pushing against polarization around the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling for a ceasefire in Israel.
“I think that there’s so much wrong with us thinking that we are doing what’s right when in reality, we’re not,” a Cal Poly ethnic studies and communications senior, who wished to remain anonymous, said. “We’re not supporting a democracy. This is not a democracy. Please redefine what you’ve learned and I hope that we can find a new perspective on what peace in the Middle East looks like without U.S. military intervention.”
Marchers also warned the crowd about misinformation surrounding the conflict. False information spread by media outlets and on social media remains a large topic since the beginning of the war, according to an article by the Associated Press.
“It’s very, very important that people understand that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people,” environmental management and protection freshman Kieran Groves said. “And it’s very, very important to know that the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] does not represent the Israeli people.”
Groves encourages the San Luis Obispo community to consider every side of the conflict.
“I think [Muslims and Jews] have way more in common than the media and certain people in politics lead us to believe,” Cal Poly alumni Sabeen Ali said. “My hope for today is for people to understand that we have a shared humanity and that together we have a responsibility to take care of people that are oppressed.”