What happened last night was nothing short of a travesty.
Last night, a group of pro-Israeli agitators arrived on UCLA campus and violently attacked student protestors demonstrating at the Dickson Court Solidarity Encampment spearheaded by Students for Justice in Palestine. The assailants were seen covering their faces with white masks to conceal their identities as they used pepper spray, tear gas, bear mace, fireworks, and bludgeons to afflict burns, cuts, and other severe injuries.
Make no mistake about this: the Zionist demonstrators came with the clear and express purpose of enacting physical and emotional harm on students speaking out against UCLA’s ongoing complicity regarding the current genocide in Gaza. These actions directly contravene UC regulations governing conduct of non-affiliates on campus grounds as promulgated by the California Education Code section 92440.5. More specifically, Section 100013 of these regulations expressly prohibits non-affiliates from “knowingly and willfully” interfering with the peaceful conduct of any UCLA student or affiliate by intimidation, harassment, or obstruction.
And make no further mistake about this: this was not a clash. This was a direct incitement of violence by a group emboldened by a political atmosphere that empowers Zionist ideals to the detriment of pro-Palestinians advocating for a humanitarian response.
The attacks coincided only hours after UCLA administrators declared the encampment protests unlawful and required students to begin clearing the area. The statement declared that law enforcement would be readily available to “protect and keep safe demonstrators, counter-demonstrators, students, faculty, staff,” and other individuals of the campus community.
But what we saw last night were empty promises. Students at the protest reported seeing UCPD and security personnel standing aside from the perimeter as Zionist agitators continued to rally fireworks and unleash physical harm to the pro-Palestinian demonstrators. LAPD officers were reported by students to have arrived in an untimely fashion and were seen in surrounding campus buildings surveilling the violence unfold.
But what’s even more alarming is that several student protestors and representatives of SJP, in spite of the brutality, asked onlookers not to contact the LAPD – likely out of fear that these authorities would detain pro-Palestinian protestors and place the encampment’s continuation in dire jeopardy. These seemingly contradictory details, upon further inspection, entail a crucial disconnect between the protestors and those sworn to protect and serve the community. On two fronts, pro-Palestinians cannot trust law enforcement to protect their constitutionally protected right to free assembly nor provide much-needed protection from aggressive Zionist sympathizers. Already, faith in law enforcement has dwindled among racial minorities and Muslim-Americans in the last few years. With the events that transpired last night, however, any remaining shred of trust in the university and law enforcement has been effectively dissolved.
The tragedies that occurred last night speak volumes about the state of political discourse at the university. What began as a peaceful demonstration led by students and faculty devolved into chaos due to the university’s crippling inability to provide equal protections for pro-Palestinian protestors. The attacks must be investigated immediately by law enforcement, and the individuals responsible for the violence must be brought to justice.
Last night’s travesties ultimately illustrate a brazen dichotomy in UCLA’s treatment of Palestinian protests. UCLA’s administrative response has thus far been disproportionately more punitive towards students and university affiliates who had – prior to the Zionist counter protestors mobilizing last weekend – had been described as peaceful by security personnel. Students and faculty who chose to defy UCLA’s order to clear the protest are said to face severe disciplinary actions, including suspension and dismissal from the university. However, the administration has not made any explicit comments about the extent of violence perpetrated by Zionist demonstrators – making a mere tepid remark about said issue in Chancellor Block’s statement calling for an affirmation of the university’s values.
But with such an incompetent response to last night’s attacks, one is left to wonder: what values is the university affirming?
And what’s more, the administration has shown just how out-of-touch they are with regards to ensuring safety for Palestinian demonstrators. Rather than secure anonymity for protestors, UCLA administrators now require students and faculty participating in the encampment to identify themselves upon request by security. But such stipulation places demonstrators at an elevated risk of doxxing and reputational harm, as has been the case at Harvard, Columbia, and other universities. No specifics have yet been offered on how they plan to punish – if at all – Zionist counter-violence on our campus.
The evidence is clear. Put most generously, UCLA administrators have been neglectful of student and faculty rights to free expression and assembly while empowering Zionist demonstrators to harm students and staff with limited recourse. The university has shown they have one clear interest in mind: to resume with business as usual and to continue in their disregard for Palestinian lives in Gaza and on-campus. Let the record show that this was not a two-sided affair – a “conflict” of sorts. UCLA failed to protect students bravely making a call for justice and humanity. Academic institutions have a cherished history of standing to injustice – the Vietnam War and South African apartheid are clear examples. But yesterday, UCLA administrators have made history, but in the most brutally grotesque way imaginable.
Our hearts at Al-Talib Newsmagazine and the Muslim Public Affairs Council go towards the students and staff at the encampment and commend them for their unwavering commitment to Palestinian lives. Al-Talib Newsmagazine and the Muslim Public Affairs Council also jointly condemn the violence that occurred at the hands of Zionist demonstrators last night and the neglect of UCLA officials to protect students and their constitutional right to free assembly. This abject failure to diligently secure pro-Palestinian voices speaks volumes to the the university’s complicity in enabling Zionist sympathizers to harm UCLA students with limited recourse.
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