Protesters disrupt congressman’s town hall in SLO County, demanding ceasefire in Gaza
Pro-Palestine protesters disrupted a town hall led by Congressman Salud Carbajal in Arroyo Grande on Monday, demanding he call for a ceasefire.
“What do we want? Ceasefire! When do we want it? Now,” the group chanted while waving the Palestinian flag outside the Arroyo Grande City Council Chambers as people filed into the building on East Branch Street.
Carbajal, who represents the southern half of San Luis Obispo County in the House of Representatives, acknowledged the protest in his opening statement.
“This is democracy in action,” he said. “Not everybody always agrees with you.”
He also recognized those suffering because of the war. Hamas killed more than 1,400 people when it attacked Israeli towns along the northern border of the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, and Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 25,105 people in Gaza since. As of Friday, Hamas still held 136 people hostage.
“My thoughts are still with the families of those loved ones that are being held hostage by Hamas, as well as those who have lost family in the conflict since — both in Israel and in the Gaza Strip,” Carbajal said. “This conflict has also triggered a devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and I’m working with Congress to address that deepening toll.”
The interruption came a day before pro-Palestine protesters clashed with police outside a career fair at the Cal Poly Rec Center on Tuesday, resulting in eight arrests.
Goleta resident Omar Figueredo soon interrupted Carbajal’s opening statement.
“How many more dead, Salud? How many more dead?” he shouted across the room. “How many more innocent Palestinian civilians will you allow to be killed by Israel?”
Protesters applauded and waived picket signs at the back of the room, while other people asked Figueredo to stop talking and sit down. A handful of people left the town hall altogether.
Carbajal asked Figueredo multiple times to allow the town hall to continue.
“This is really not constructive,” Carbajal said.
“A genocide is not constructive,” Figueredo fired back. “Calling for a ceasefire is constructive. If you want humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, you have to stop arming Israel.”
After about a four-minute standoff, police officers entered the room and Figueredo left the building.
After the event, Figueredo told the Tribune that he attended the town hall to demand a ceasefire.
“How many more universities need to be destroyed. How many more children need to be killed before we call for a ceasefire?” he told the Tribune. “I am not Palestinian, I am not Israeli, but I have a heart.”
Carbajal continued the town hall after the disruption, answering community questions about immigration reform, health care and renewable energy. Meanwhile, protesters lined up outside of the building, pressing their signs into the window while chanting “vote him out” and singing “viva viva Palestina.”
Carbajal is running to keep his seat in the March primary election.
Carbajal denies genocide in Gaza
One town hall attendee asked Carbajal about his position on South Africa’s case against Israel in the United Nations’ International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of committing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
While “all loss of life is concerning,” Carbajal said he does not think Israel’s attacks on Gaza qualifies as genocide, which the Geneva Convention defines as a “crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part.”
The crowd erupted — disagreeing with him. A man who identified himself as a Gaza native shouted, “if this is not a genocide, what is it?”
After the town hall, Carbajal told The Tribune that he does not believe Israel is targeting civilians.
“I think Israel has been reckless, but I don’t think their intention is to kill civilians,” he told The Tribune.
Still, he called for Israel to “abide by the rules of war” and said he will continue to monitor the situation.
“If the same reckless loss of life continues, it would get my attention,” Carbajal said.
Will Carbajal call for a ceasefire?
On Dec. 19, Carbajal joined a resolution calling for the renewal of “humanitarian pauses” in fighting in Israel and Gaza, along with the “safe, timely and sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip,” the resolution said.
Carbajal did not, however, join an October resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine.
At the town hall, Carbajal said a few things would need to happen before a permanent ceasefire, including the release of Hamas’ remaining hostages.
“I think we all want to get to a ceasefire,” Carbajal said. “The Biden Administration is working hard with its diplomacy to try to achieve that.”
Additionally, Carbajal supports sending funding and weapons to Israel if “the resources that we provide are used appropriately,” he said during the town hall.
This is consistent with Carbajal’s actions in Congress.
On Dec. 5, Carbajal and 12 other Congress members signed a letter urging Biden to support the continued delivery of weapons and funding to Israel, while also pushing the country to “use precise targeting” and “reduce civilian harm” when attacking Gaza.
After the town hall, children played outside among the protesters — all chatting with each other under the soft glow of string lights on East Branch Street.
Cal Poly plant sciences professor Ashraf Tubeileh told The Tribune that Carbajal “failed miserably” to explain how Israel’s offensive in Gaza doesn’t meet the qualifications for genocide. He called for Carbajal to stop approving the delivery of funding and weapons to Israel to prevent the country from killing more civilians.
“They’re dead by U.S. weapons and U.S. money with no strings attached,” Tubeileh told The Tribune.
Carbajal said he appreciated his constituents’ input at the town hall.
“It’s important to be here even when people disagree with you, and it’s important to listen. I will continue to listen,” Carbajal said during his closing statement. “I believe that sometimes certain issues are fluid and you need to monitor them every day and see if things have changed in a way that changes your position on issues.”
