SAN MARCOS, Calif. (KGTV) — Every day, Raghad fears for the safety of her family in Gaza.
"Our only thing we can help with is with us spreading our voices and being there for them," Raghad said.
On Thursday, she protested alongside dozens of her classmates at CSU San Marcos, demanding that their school divest from Israel.
"I feel very honored that I'm trying my best to show up for my people and for my family over there. Telling them they're not alone."
Students for Justice in Palestine, also known as SJP, helped organize the protest. SJP exists at other universities and only recently formed at CSU San Marcos.
Palestinian students told ABC 10News they were inspired by protests at other universities, such as UCSD and SDSU, and wanted to make their voices heard.
"Stop the killing, stop funding them," said George, a Palestinian protester. "We need to immediately stop; that's all we're saying."
There were also counter-protesters at the campus.
"I feel it's just disgraceful that Jewish students aren't being represented on campus," said Brandon Raik, one Jewish student. "There's five of us here and 100 of them. We're the ones being restricted."
The demonstrations remained peaceful.
"We're going to be as civil as we can and keep on showing up and delivering the message to the world," Raghad said.
CSU's Chancellor's Office has said it does not plan to divest, specifically stating that changing its investments could impact university funds and revenues. CSU San Marcos said it supports students' right to free speech and peaceful assembly.
