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Students press Regents to divest from defense contractors; campus tensions over antisemitism raised
Summary
Multiple public commenters urged the Regents to divest UC investments in firms tied to weapons manufacturing and criticized holdings in BlackRock, Blackstone, Lockheed Martin and Elbit Systems; other speakers urged stronger enforcement of campus policies to protect Jewish students and adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
Speakers during the public-comment period urged the University of California to divest retirement- and endowment-related holdings in firms they said are complicit in humanitarian harm. One commenter cited holdings of approximately $163 million in BlackRock and substantial investments in Blackstone, and named Lockheed Martin and Elbit Systems as examples of companies the university should divest from.
Adam Failey and other student speakers framed divestment as a moral and mission-driven imperative, saying investments stand in contrast with UC’s stated sustainability and human-rights commitments. Another student speaker cited reporting on carbon emissions tied to recent conflict and argued those environmental and humanitarian costs should shape investment decisions.
At the same time, some speakers called on the Regents to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and to enforce time, place and manner rules in a viewpoint-neutral way. Shahar Lee of Stand With Us asked the board to protect Jewish students, enforce encampment and protest policies evenly and expand anti-discrimination training as called for in AB 2925.
The public comments showed polarized campus views: several speakers urged divestment and criticized university investments, while others emphasized the need to protect students from antisemitic harassment and called for clear enforcement of campus rules. The Regents did not engage in back-and-forth during the public-comment period.
