Efren Diaz
Overview
Efren Diaz has demonized Israel, expressed support for an anti-Israel agitator and spread hatred of pro-Israel students at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).Diaz participated at an anti-Israel rally organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UC Davis.
On August 29, 2012, Diaz, still in high school at the time, tweeted: “@iwishiwasconnor @jesusbarajas12 Stupid jew u cant wear beanies in a oven.”
Diaz’s Facebook indicated that he was a studentat UC Davis, majoring in Chicana/o Studies and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, scheduled to graduate in 2019. His Linkedin also listed him as scheduled to graduate in 2019 but indicated that he was majoring in Community & Regional Development.
Demonizing Israel
Diaz retweeted an April 25, 2018 tweet that said:”Israel continues to kill journalists with total impunity––#AhmedAbuHussein is the 2nd journalist killed by Israeli sniper fire since #GreatMarchReturn protests began & at least 12 other journalists have been injured.”Ahmed Abu Hussein was a member of the terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and a reporter for the PFLP-affiliated Voice of the People Radio in Gaza City. The PFLP’s military wing, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, issued an official death notice for him and PFLP flags were carried at his funeral.
On April 28, 2018, the PFLP held a formal memorial service for Hussein in Gaza. The stage was decorated with a large banner of Hussein with the PFLP logo next to a banner of movement Secretary General Ahmed Sa’adat and former Secretary General Abu Ali Mustafa.
Diaz retweeted an April 20, 2018 tweet claiming that the demonstrations on the Israel Gaza border were “peaceful” The tweet said: “Actress Natalie Portman has pulled out of a major award ceremony in Israel, citing her ‘distress’ at recent events in the country. Over the past 3 weeks, at least 30 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military during peaceful demonstrations in the Gaza Strip.”
Diaz retweeted an April 13, 2018 tweet that said: “Over 500 Palestinians were injured on the Israel-Gaza border today, many by gun fire and gas inhalation, say Gaza officials. This is the third week of protests along the border. At least 30 Palestinians have died.”
On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The March of Return was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests along Israel’s border to spotlight the demand of Palestinians to “return” to Israel.
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Participants also attempted to breach the border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire.
Agitators threw Molotov cocktails, firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks under the cover of smoke from burning tires.
On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during a May 14 protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.
Diaz retweeted a March 7, 2017 tweet that said: “teacher: so ur saying Israel has no right to and shouldn’t exist
me: yes
teacher: so by ur logic, the U.S. shouldn’t exist either
me: yes”
Spreading Hatred of Zionist ASUCD President
On March 3, 2018, Diaz posted a graphic to Facebook featuring the text “ASUCD DOES NOT REPRESENT ME.”The graphic referred to newly elected and incoming president of the Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD), Michael Gofman, who was criticized for his connection to the pro-Israel group at UC Davis, Aggies for Israel.
Anti-Israel Activism
On March 6, 2018, Diaz indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an event held during Palestine Awareness Week called “Borders are Obsolete: Relations Beyond ‘Borderlands’ of Palestine and US-Mexico.”On March 7, 2018, Diaz posed in two photos in front of SJP’s mock apartheid wall as part of Palestine Awareness Week (PAW).
Palestine Awareness Week (PAW) is a re-branding for American audiences of Israel Apartheid Week (IAW), originally presented as “an international series of events that seek to raise awareness of Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system over the Palestinian people” and build support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
On February 15, 2018, Diaz indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an event that featured SJP founder Hatem Bazian.
SJP UC Davis - Supporting Terrorists
On May 23, 2017, SJP UC Davis held a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinian inmates hunger-striking in Israeli prisons. Activists taped their mouths and sat in the middle of the campus quad, in “solidarity with 1600 Palestinian political prisoners.”On May 10, 2017, SJP at UC Davis posted a Facebook video of its activists participating in the “#SaltWaterChallenge.”
The “Saltwater Challenge” was held in solidarity with Palestinian inmates hunger-striking in Israeli prisons.
The strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings and shooting attacks that killed five Israelis during the second intifada. Barghouti led the the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Barghouti also financed the guitar-case bomb used in the Sbarro Cafe massacre, where 15 civilians were killed and 130 injured. More than 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners participated in the hunger strike — most of whom were also convicted for acts of terrorism.
According to CNN, the “Saltwater Challenge” appears to have been started by Aarab Barghouti, son of Marwan Barghouti.
On March 6, 2017, SJP UC Davis posted a Facebook post in support of Basel Al Araj — referring to him as “Another innocent Palestinian extrajudicially executed by the Israeli state.”
Basel Al Araj was killed in a shoot-out with Israeli troops during an arrest raid. He had been suspected of belonging to a terror cell planning to carry out attacks on Israeli targets. Two M-16 assault rifles and an improvised Carlo-style submachine gun were found inside his home.
On January, 7, 2017, SJP UC Davis directed members to visit Addameer’s website, referring to Addameer as a “great prison activist group in occupied Palestine.”
Addameer advocates on behalf of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, including many terrorists such as Mohammad Allan — a recruiter for Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Addammer is reportedly an “affiliate” of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization.
SJP UC Davis hosted Addameer’s director, Sahar Francis, in November 2014 at the final event of the group’s “Palestine Solidarity Week.” In February 2015, Francis addressed the opening plenary of Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and alleged that Israel harvests organs from Palestinians.
SJP UC Davis - Promoting Incitement
On July 25, 2017, SJP UC Davis promoted on Facebook an event called: “Emergency Protest Against Israel’s Aggression on Jerusalem.” SJP UC Davis claimed Israel imposed security measures on Palestinians entering the Al Aqsa compound as part of “plans to seize control of the mosque.”Terrorists murdered two Israeli police officers on July 14, 2017, outside the entrance to the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Israel responded by installing metal detectors and security checks at the entrance to the holy site.
The terrorists reportedly feared that “Al Aqsa is in danger,” which has long been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the State of Israel’s existence. Following rioting and further violence, the Israeli government removed the metal detectors on July 25, 2017.
SJP UC Davis - Hosting Anti-Israel Events
On February 15, 2018, SJP and MSA co-hosted SJP founder Hatem Bazian at an event called “Discussing Post-Colonialism with Dr. Hatem Bazian.” During the event, Bazian denied [01:09:28] the national-historical connection of the Jewish people to Israel, alleged [00:49:55] that Jesus of Nazareth was “Palestinian” and claimed [01:25:02] that “investing in peace” with Israel is “supporting apartheid.”SJP UC Davis has co-hosted events with the Palestinian Youth Movement, Bay Area (PYM) .
SJP UC Davis also promoted an event that was organized by American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) . The event’s Facebook description said it was open to “all who seek justice in Palestine and agree to the following principles: 1) Israel's occupation must end 2) The right of return for Palestinian refugees 3) Equal Rights for all Palestinians 4) Supporting the Call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions.”
SJP UC Davis - Demonizing Israel
On March 5, 2018, SJP at UC Davis erected a mock-apartheid wall, a representation of Israel’s security barrier, on the campus quad.Text on one red panel on the wall implied that Israel deliberately targeted United Nations buildings in Gaza and misleadingly cited the terrorist group Hamas’ propaganda figures concerning the number of Gazan children killed during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE).
Israel commenced Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
Following OPE, it was reported that Hamas had used UNRWA schools and other densely populated civilian areas to fire rockets from and had threatened UNRWA workers at gunpoint to hide weapons in the schools. Hamas rocket attacks were often based in civilian areas.
Another panel on the mock-apartheid wall depicted an Israeli flag with bloody handprints and the words “Stop US Aid to Israel.”
SJP UC Davis held a protest in front of the barrier in which 40 to 50 students participated. One protester held a sign that said: “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.”
Protesters also promoted BDS with a sign that read “Divest, Resist, Liberate.”
On November 2, 2017, SJP UC Davis members tabled on campus to promote itself and to “teach more about the Balfour Declaration.”
SJP UC Davis posted on Facebook, urging readers to visit its tableand implied that the Balfour Declaration “led to the expulsion, killing and dispossession of Palestinians.” The post went on to accuse Israel of apartheid and called Gaza an “open prison.”
On March 20, 2017, SJP UC Davis shared to Facebook an AJ+ video called: “UN Removes Report Accusing Israel of ‘Apartheid’”
In March 2017, a UN commission composed of 18 Arab states produced a report claiming Israel established an “apartheid regime.” Anti-Israel professor Richard Falk co-authored the report. Soon after the report’s release, UN Secretary General Antonió Guterres ordered it withdrawn, claiming the report was published without consultation with Guterres’s office and it did not reflect the UN secretariat’s views.
SJP UC Davis - Supporting Anti-Israel Agitators
On March 17, 2017, SJP UC Davis posted a photo of Rachel Corrie writing “Rest in Power Rachel Corrie.”International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist Rachel Corrie was accidentally killed while interfering with an Israeli military operation in 2003. A wrongful death suit brought by Corrie’s family in Israel was dismissed when the judge ruled that Corrie had unreasonably chosen to put her own life in danger.
ISM has been accused of supporting terrorism and has encouraged its foreign volunteers to act “as human shields in cities, towns and refugee camps.” ISM has also encouraged activists to break curfew and disregard Israeli directives prohibiting access to closed military zones.
On March 19, 2017, SJP UC Davis promoted a petition on Facebook in support of Issa Amro.
SJP UC Davis’ post claimed Amro was “undergoing a military trial for his non-violent activism” and called on “the Isreali [sic] government to drop the politically motivated charges against him.”
SJP UC Davis’s post also reported that the group hosted Amro in the fall of 2016.
Anti-Israel agitator Issa Amro is known for vandalism and attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. Amro heads the Youth Against Settlements (YAS) movement, an anti-Israel organization based in Hebron that promotes anti-Semitism, rock-throwing and violence against Israelis.
On February 15, 2018, SJP UC Davis shared an AJ+ video claiming Ahed Tamimi is Wonder Woman. SJP UC Davis has supported Tamimi since December 19, 2017, when the group shared an article to Facebook claiming Israeli soldiers “snatched” her.
Ahed Tamimi has a long history of physically attacking Israeli soldiers. Tamimi is the daughter of Bassem Tamimi, who is known for exploiting young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers.
On March 5, 2018, anti-Israel activists at UC Davis held a sign in solidarity with Tamimi at a protest during Palestine Awareness Week. The sign said: “Solidarity with our Detained Youth” and also appeared in SJP photos at its mock apartheid wall.
SJP UC Davis - Promoting BDS
On March 31, 2018, SJP UC Davis promoted BDS on Facebook by sharing an Al Jazeera English video titled “How is BDS affecting Israel?” SJP UC Davis commented: “Why BDS is important.”On March 14, 2018, the day renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died, SJP UC Davis shared a post on Facebook applauding him for boycotting a conference held in Israel. The post featured a graphic of Hawking knocking down a concrete segment of Israel’s security barrier while wearing a shirt that said “BDS.”
On the same day, SJP activists arrived at a UC Regents Board meeting in Los Angeles uninvited to announce their new statewide #UCDivest campaign and deliver their demands directly to the UC Regents. SJP Activists marched and held signs that said “UC Divest from Apartheid #UCDivest” and a banner with the #UCDivest. They chanted “The people united will never be divided.”
On March 13, 2018, SJP UC Davis promoted UC Divest’s Facebook page. UC Divest is a California, statewide Divestment campaign launched in March, 2014, by SJP West, a coalition of West Coast SJP chapters.
On March 7, 2018, SJP UC Davis encouraged its members to attend the UC Regents Board Meeting.
On September 28, 2017, SJP scheduled “a phone banking session” to urge California Governor Jerry Brown to veto anti-BDS bill AB2844.
SJP called on “ALL SJPS, ALLIES AND PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE TO JOIN US!” and claimed that the bill “violates our 1st Amendment right to free speech.”
However, the bill passed before the scheduled phone banking session. Upon learning that the bill had passed prior to their telethon, SJP changed the purpose of its session — asking people to voice disappointment at Brown’s decision to sign the bill.
In 2015, the UC Davis student senate passed anti-Israel divestment resolutions in January and in May. The 2015 resolutions were introduced after a student senate divestment resolution at UC Davis failed in May 2014.
On May 28, 2015, SJP introduced a revised resolution, that alleged "enabling Israel’s occupation of Palestine compromises the integrity of students’ education." The resolution also claimed divesting funds from companies described as “furthering human rights violations and systematic discrimination” would “create a climate of tolerance and open channels of dialogue between different campus communities.”
The UC Davis student senate passed the resolution 10-0-2.
On January 29, 2015, the UC Davis senate passed an anti-Israel divestment resolution. However, the university’s Court of Associated Studentsoverturned the resolution as unconstitutional because it was "primarily a political document" and did not include explicit language describing how it tangibly impacted student welfare.
Anti-Semitism at UC Davis
On January 31, 2015, less than 48 hours after a divestment resolution passed at UC Davis, unidentified vandals spray-painted two large swastikas on the wall and entrance of the UC Davis Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) Jewish fraternity house.On January 22, 2015, a week before the scheduled divestment resolution vote, the words “grout out the Jews” were etched into the wall of a bathroom stall at the UC Davis Hillel House.
On March 25, 2016, an anti-semitic flier was distributed to networked printers and fax machines on campus. The flier included swastikas and said “White Man are you Sick and Tired of the Jews Destroying Your Country through Mass Immigration and Degeneracy? Join Us in the Struggle for Global White Supremacy at the Daily Stormer.”
On October 10, 2015, vandals carved swastikas and “F**k Jews” into two cars and slashed the tires of eight cars parked on the UC Davis campus.
Disruption of George Deek
On March 7, 2016, a group of around 30 protesters from a group calling itself "Pro-Palestine Supporters and Community” disrupted an event titled “The Art of Middle East Diplomacy,”organized by a pro-Israel group at UC Davis.The event featured Israeli diplomat George Deek, an Arab Christian born in Jaffa. The disruption was videotaped.
The protesters obscured [00:00:33] Deek from the audience’s view, with an enormous banner across the front of the room that read “1948=1492” and disrupted Deek’s talk, repeatedly chanting [00:00:05, 00:00:31 and 00:02:17] “Long live the Intifada” and [00:00:10, 00:00:38 and 00:01:17] “Intifada, Intifada!”
The protestors also demonized [00:00:13] Israel, calling it “an Apartheid state” and claiming [00:01:21] “Israel is anti-Black.”
As the protesters shouted, Deek wrote [00:01:39] on a chalkboard behind them that he had come to have a conversation. However, the activists then exited the room, yelling [00:02:32] “Allahu Akbar!”
A post-walkout statement from the protesters claimed that they organized based on “shared principles of anti-colonialism in general and anti-zionism in particular,” to reject Deek’s “settler-colonial agenda that is xenophobic, Islamophobic and anti-Black.
The statement condemned Deek, “a self-identified Israeli born to a Palestinian family,” as a“colonial collaborator,” announcing its authors would “not tolerate or allow for such people to have a platform to speak on [their] campus.
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/100001793301429Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChicanoDel209
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/efren-diaz-18621011a/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicanodel209/
- Status:
- Student
- University:
- California-Davis
- Organizations:
- SJP
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 05/04/2026
Photos & Screenshots
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