On Sunday, June 2nd a group of protesters advocating for peace in Palestine gathered at the Starbucks in UVic’s bookstore to protest the University’s reluctance to embrace divestment from Israel.
The protest was put on by a group who have established an encampment on the campus called People’s Park UVic.
During the protest, dozens of protesters showed up with sheets covered in fake blood.
The protesters entered the establishment chanting and laid down with the bloodied sheets covering their bodies in an effort for people to recognize the amount of death that has been suffered by the Palestinian people living in Gaza.
“We are here to stay until our demands are met,” said the protesters as they occupied the Starbucks.
“There’s no business as usual on campus until our demands are met. There is a genocide happening [and] UVic is directly funding that genocide.”
Related:
- Protest camp grows on UVic quad as students seek peace for Palestine
- UVic Palestinian solidarity encampment continues after seven days of protesting
Soon after the protesters entered the Starbucks, customers cleared out and the business made the decision to shut down for the day.
Starbucks claims neutrality in the conflict in Gaza, however some people have chosen to boycott the business because, following October 7th, the Starbucks Workers United union posted support for Palestine on X and Starbucks sued them over the use of their name and logo.
Currently, Starbucks is not a part of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS), according to Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) .
On Monday, June 3rd, the protesters returned to the Starbucks and once again caused the business to shut down for the day.
