Police again attack UCLA Free Palestine protest, arrest 25 students
Around 25 Free Palestine protesters were arrested at UCLA and ordered to remain away from campus for 14 days.
This was after protests on Monday commemorating the more than 37,000 Palestinians Israel has killed in its war on Gaza since October.
Over 100 demonstrators set up peace camps in Dickson Plaza, Kerckhoff Patio and Shapiro Courtyard Monday afternoon.
The protests follow two previous peace camps organized by the UC Divest Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine or SJP at UCLA to demand the university divest from companies associated with the Israeli military.
At 2 p.m., protesters gathered in Bruin Plaza and marched through South Campus, carrying a coffin-shaped object and objects painted to resemble bloodied body parts.
Meanwhile, they read the names of Palestinians killed in Gaza by the Israeli military.
A member of SJP who organized the event said the protesters would not leave until each “martyr” was honored and their demands were met.
SJP also demanded an end to campus policing and the targeted repression of pro-Palestine advocacy on campus.
It also demanded severing all ties with the LAPD, and granting amnesty to students, faculty and staff punished for their Free Palestine activism.
Crowds remained on campus as of 11:56 p.m. as protesters waited for all detainees to be released, chanting “No justice, no peace, no racist police.”
At 12:01 a.m., police fired pepper bullets at a crowd between Bunche Hall and Perloff Hall, dispersing the crowds.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
