On May 1st, 2024, the UCLA Palestine Solidarity Encampment–consisting of nonviolent protests with participants from across numerous racial and religious backgrounds–was attacked. Masked outsiders set off fireworks, toxic sprays, and attacked students with weapons. Less than 48 hours later, UCLA leadership dismantled the encampment and over 200 students and staff members were arrested.
In response to these events, UCLA students and faculty members have filed a lawsuit against UC Regents for the unlawful arresting of protestors and a violation of free speech and expression.
To better understand Blair vs. Regents of the University of California Case, I had the opportunity of speaking with a Students Justice for Palestine representative and the interview is transcribed below.
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Maham: Could you provide context to the lawsuit as well as what your goals are?
SJP Representative:
Two students and two faculty sued the UC Regents over what we allege are unlawful arrests on May 2, the day the Gaza Solidarity Encampment was closed by police. We are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and the private law firm Walkup, Melodia, Kelly and Schoenberger.
UCLA declared the Encampment an unlawful assembly around 6pm on May 1. Early the next morning, the police arrested over 200 people, including the two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, for failure to disperse after the unlawful assembly order. In fact, there were no unlawful activities happening at that time, and so the declaration itself and the arrests that followed were illegal.
Our goal is to change UCLA policy so that it cannot continue to use this tactic of declaring constitutionally-protected speech unlawful and then arresting people. We also want UCLA to wipe the slate clean for those illegally arrested in terms of campus discipline.
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Maham: What would success mean to the UCLA community as a whole?
SJP representative:
UCLA is, according to US News and World Report, the top public university in the country. In this role, UCLA should be a center for public debate on the most important issues in the world, not one of the most visible examples of campus police repression of protests.
If we are successful at challenging this illegal practice of shutting down speech, we think this will be one important step to establishing UCLA as a space where students can speak out- and learn–about the world even when what they are saying is upsetting to some people.
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Maham: How can students interested in learning more or becoming part of the cause become involved?
SJP Representative:
Every form of solidarity with the Palestinian liberation movement in any context mirrors the growth of our local community in Hope and dedication to liberating the Palestinian people. This ranges anywhere from helping within fundraising efforts, being involved in the cultural movement to allow our stories to never cease to exist, being involved within the advocacy nature of organizing and planning whether that is within SJP, PCRF, MSA, etc. also, a simple show of solidarity including wearing ribbons of solidarity or wearing clothing with the Palestinian flag or any form of symbol that tells the world and your fellow peers that you stand against genocide. Education is our greatest asset and those that seek it are certainly welcome in any situation to be a part of the hands-on efforts to escalate for Palestine or in any case to simply educate themselves and others to pose less of a risk to themselves.
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Maham: Before we conclude the interview, could you please share to readers the overarching goals of the Students Justice for Palestine Organization?
SJP Representative:
In a broader context, the overarching goals of students for justice in Palestine at UCLA will simply always be the freedom and full autonomy of the Palestinian people and the mass return of all displaced Palestinians including those in diaspora, in the West Bank, in Gaza, and all descendants of Palestinian refugees worldwide to their rightful land. at a smaller scale, we aim to bring mass awareness and attention to our unique position and privileged resources as students in the number one public university in the United States and utilize those resources to push for the mass disclosure of the university to where it’s funds e.g. our tuition dollars are truly being funded and to furthermore, digest accordingly against all ties to the Zionist state and to provide actual acknowledgment of the ongoing oppression and genocide in Palestine which began long before October 7. We furthermore stand in solidarity with all oppressed people worldwide and understand that we must look towards the abolishment of bodies on campus who are designed not to protect us but to protect the profit of the UC system as well as repress student expression. Lastly, we tie all of these demands and goals into the amalgamation of the BDS movement which in the context of UCLA would mean that all universities under the UC system would withdraw all assets and all funding from companies supporting military grade oppression worldwide as well as withdrawing all funding and tuition dollars from study abroad programs directly contributing to the Zionist entity such as those in Israel. On an even more specific scale, we intend to bring reverence and education to our communities at UCLA by bringing them into the movement, educating them on policy, history, culture, and more.