On April 11th, 2006, in spite of the pouring rain and administrative attempts to stifle students’ free speech, Students Against War (SAW) organized over 150 students to march from the center of campus to the job fair, where they nonviolently prevented access to military recruiters through sit-ins and other measures. After about an hour and a half of negotiations and students’ refusal to back down, military recruiters left the job fair.

The students’ first victory appeared early in the day, as administrators separated military recruiters from other employers, allowing the protesters to block access to the military, while the remainder of the job fair continued...

The successful protest was also significant in light of the fact that University administrators hired, at great cost to the school, a number of police from other UC campuses. These police, local officers, and a top local official, physically assaulted multiple students without provocation and repeatedly refused to provide identification when requested. Students were pushed, punched, choked, and a student’s hand was slammed in a door. One student, acting as a legal observer, was pushed and arrested for documenting police surveillance, but was released after an immediate display of student support...

In the face of administrative and police repression the students remained remarkably peaceful... Read More

Photos: Military Recruiters Evicted From UCSC Job Fair, Again! || Military Recruiters Out At UCSC After SAW's Third Strike || A11 SAW Action - One Student's Perspective
Videos: The moment of departure || April 11th Student Action to Kick Military Recruiters Off of UCSC || Interview w/ Arrested Student
Audio: Interview with David from SAW || Recruiters Out Remix || Interview with Mara from SAW

See also: Military Recruiters Abandon Post at UCSC Career Fair || Far-Right Threats Fail to Distract from Santa Cruz Protest Successes

Previous coverage: SAW to protest Military Recruiters on April 11 || UCSC anti-war group SAW makes demands of administration concerning career fair|| UC Students Demand Answers about Spying Scandal || Students Denounce Pentagon Surveillance of Counter-Recruitment Activities || Rally, Queer Kiss-in Greet Military Recruiters at UCSC || UCSC Students Kick Military Recruiters Off Campus