When the pro-Palestinian protests became so violent at UCLA they were making national headlines, students stayed informed by watching the livestreams coming from helicopters hovering overhead, annoying and loud enough to interrupt meetings. I, on the other hand, decided on the Daily Bruin for my news which turned out to be much more than just a good “ear to the ground” from a school paper—a team of reporters were working tirelessly to provide detailed, 24/7 coverage as events unfolded. As I followed their stories, it wasn’t long before some of the reports began to concern me,
“Lavie Levi, a fourth-year mathematics of computation student who is Jewish, said he felt uncomfortable and threatened by the encampment, adding that he believes some of the imagery used by the protesters – such as the red triangle and Chancellor Gene Block with horns on his head – is antisemitic. ‘I feel very uncomfortable,’ he said. ‘I might skip my classes today and go home because of the clear signs of antisemitism that I see that are not being reprimanded on campus.’”
With continued interest, I sought other sources that were “raw” like the livestreams, but offered more context in an attempt to find unfiltered truths. Sifting through Reddit I noticed conversations that gladly took ownership of certain “identities” associated with the pro-Palestinian movement and the campus climate that was becoming a product of it. To further understand who bore these identities and why, I read Instagram (IG) posts directly from the individuals driving the movement and those otherwise involved (by choice or by circumstance). Here I discovered voices from all sides of the issue, and distilling the alarming elements—those contributing to the bullying, harassment, or civil rights infringements of other students as well as those who were victims of it.
Why have these voices been allowed to continue for so long unchecked and unnoticed? Through aggregate “data” from Twitter, UCLA webpages, and other open source materials I found that administrative apathy—or perhaps complacency or even “negligence”—together with student misconduct have become, in my opinion, the lifeblood of civil rights infringements and dangerous incidents that continue to occur at UCLA.
Organizational messaging following Oct 7th was a warning sign
The main organizational contributors to the pro-Palestinian movement at UCLA are Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP at UCLA), the UC Divest Coalition, Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP), and the Cultural Affairs Commission (CAC).
The Cultural Affairs Commission is tuition funded
The Cultural Affairs Commission in particular has shown questionable behavior in their support for the pro-Palestinian movement. The org’s messaging on their UCLA hosted webpage is shown in the image below. As one of the first Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC) organizations founded at UCLA, the CAC has been active for more than 50 years with support from tuition paid by every student.
In 2018 the serving commissioner observed a “problematic culture that exists at the University, which inadvertently oppresses [marginalized] individuals on the basis of race, gender, religion, etc.” These views indicate a level of distrust in UCLA’s ability to maintain an inclusive and fair environment on campus. Whether this distrust escalated into creating a potentially toxic culture within the org itself, and for how long, is unknown.
On October 9th, 2023 CAC posted the above message on its IG profile. The political message clearly shows the CAC’s position on the events of Oct 7th. Considering timing, and with mention of “Palestinians on the frontlines” and “From the River to The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” the post indicates they are siding with Hamas; implying the Hamas-led attacks on civilians were necessary to “liberate from Isreal.” While First Amendment rights protect these views, the post calls into question the use of student tuition funds to support this messaging.
Students for Justice in Palestine harbor “extreme” political views
SJP’s first post after the events of Oct 7th, dated Oct 9th, announces a teach-in held by two professors to offer “more clarity, information, and perspectives on recent escalations in Palestine.”
On Oct 9th UCLA Chancellor Gene Block shared a letter regarding the attacks on Oct 7th, posted there is also a letter from the UC Regents. Block also posted a follow-up letter on Oct 13th.
The below are posts from the UC-wide SJP organization in response to the UC Regents, dated Oct 17th, regarding rhetoric surrounding the Gaza conflict. In their message SJP stays focused on the victimhood of an occupied Palestine and the danger to students of a UC rhetoric that does not recognize the conflict from the Palestinian viewpoint. Here they write what will eventually become the protest demands for the pro-Palestinian movement at UCLA.
In contrast, the below reddit post taken from IG, dated Oct 19th, is more “extreme.” Rather than focus on Palestinians as unrecognized victims, it asserts that the Chancellor conflated acts of resistance with acts of “terrorism.” The alleged SJP post (it does not appear on their profile and could have been deleted) is also shown referring to the events of Oct 7th as the “Al-Aqsa” flood.
In contrast to CAC, SJP is a non-USAC affiliated Palestinian political organization and their activity is protected by the First Ammendment. Their activity becomes questionable when they use their propoganda system to repeatedly subject other members of the UCLA community to phrases such as “Palestine will one day be free, from the river to the sea,” etc.
Jewish Voices for Peace take an “anti-Zionist” position
On their UCLA webpage, JVP states that they “organize for a just and lasting peace in historic Palestine and build strong, resilient Jewish community beyond Zionism.”
The above post aligns with their overall messaging regarding a “free Palestine.”
There seems to be a divergence in rhetoric between SJP and JVP when it comes to the definition of a “free Palestine.” To reiterate, SJP promotes the phrasing “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free.” JVP takes what looks like a settlement “anti-expansionist” into “historic Palestine” position (cannot be explicitly confirmed).
Hillel and Chabad House support the Jewish and Israeli student community
Jewish organizations with the largest presence at UCLA are Hillel at UCLA and Chabad House at UCLA.
How do these main players “interact?”
CAC tags SJP when they incorporate antisemitic imagery into their posts (more on this later). Because SJP allows CAC to tag them, they are partially responsible and should be recognized as sharing these views.
Even if CAC were to stop their antisemitic activity, if SJP sides with Hamas and views a civilian massacre as an “Al-Aqsa flood,” this violates the mandated CAC mission of inclusivity based on the student tuition funding they receive. Even phrasing such as “From the River to the Sea…” used by both orgs violates ethics restrictions on CAC activity. Thus unless there is a change in rhetoric from SJP, there should be no collaborations between the groups.
In regards to non-USAC orgs such as JVP, despite differing views on a “free Palestine,” their Instagram content, where they have been tagged by SJP (and FJP the faculty branch at UCLA) and vice versa, shows they stand in solidarity with SJP. They collaborate in protest efforts, symbolic gatherings, and also support the boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement.
CAC on the other hand, has not shown any evidence (via IG tagging, “@” mentions, or Daily Bruin articles) of working with JVP, despite a shared interest in the pro-Palestinian movement.
Hillel and Chabad House are cultural, religious, and political in their messaging. Their relevant messaging centers around the Jewish experience within the campus community— largely made up of grievances and discomfort—on campus after the events of Oct 7th.
Official statements with regards to Israel can be found here
The administration didn’t want to face the problem
David Myers wrote an op-ed entitled Antisemitic imagery at UC Regents meeting protest threatens campus discourse where he addressed the tense political climate at UCLA, “Since Oct. 7, our campus – like so many across the country – has been the site of intense and often tense discourse and action. The divide between those who support the cause of Palestinian liberation and those who support Israel’s right to exist has deepened more than at any point in my 32 years at UCLA, creating a seemingly unbridgeable gulf between the two sides.
It has also created, at various points in time, a sense of unsafety among many members of the university community, especially students. This too tracks larger national trends, according to a 2024 report that shows that 56% of Jewish university students polled after Oct. 7 felt in personal danger, and 52% of Muslim students felt in personal danger.”
October
The Instagram post below is referring to the previously mentioned professor led teach-in occurring on Oct 11th. The video shows people, referred to as “Zionists” in the post, waiting for attendees to harass and blockade them from entering a classroom. A video of the encounter can be found on the 5th page of the post. This behavior shows clear student misconduct due to the intimidation tactics and discriminatory harassment taking place; especially with the use of language such as “terrorist” and preventing access to a classroom using physical aggression with racist intent.
Non-affiliates were a problem from Day 1
There was no statement made by Chancellor Block in reference to the above incident.
On Oct 25th when people gathered in Bruin Plaza to demonstrate in support of Palestine, a statement was made by a UCLA spokesperson in regards to the above incident. They stated that,
“members of the student affairs team intervened in response…[and] added that the university is still investigating the incident with an eye to holding individuals in violation of university rules and the law accountable.
“While we don’t believe the individuals who caused the incident are students or affiliated with our campus, we strongly encourage all community members to engage in thoughtful debate and treat everyone with respect,” they said in the statement.”
Chants
The same article highlights chants that were heard, “Participants at the walkout, many of whom wore face masks to conceal their identities, chanted phrases such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” “There is only one solution, intifada revolution” – a term historically referring to uprisings in Palestinian territories – and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.””
On Oct 9th, the CAC stated in their IG post (above in Sec. Organizational Messaging…), “We are here to support Students for Justice in Palestine and the larger Palestinian community. We also stand on the grounds that decolonization is not a metaphor. Thus, we honor the Palestinians on the frontlines taking their land and sovereignty back! From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free.”
CAC’s position mirrors the rhetorical message of these chants. We should assume that “honoring Palestinians on the frontlines” and “resistance is justified when people are occupied” means that these students are siding with Hamas.
We should also assume that SJP supports these chants, and given their alleged IG post referring to the “Al-Aqsa Flood”, they too are siding with Hamas. The propaganda document Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood where Hamas details their viewpoints on the events of Oct 7th would validate this assumption.
In “A Document of General Principles & Policies,” dated May 2017, Hamas outlined their core policies and position on Israel. In Position 18 they state, “The following are considered null and void: the Balfour Declaration, the British Mandate Document, the UN Palestine Partition Resolution, and whatever resolutions and measures that derive from them or are similar to them. The establishment of “Israel” is entirely illegal and contravenes the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people…”
The document goes on to say in Position 20, “Hamas believes that no part of the land of Palestine shall be compromised or conceded, irrespective of the causes, the circumstances and the pressures and no matter how long the occupation lasts. Hamas rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.”
The document also refers to Israel as a “Zionist project” with any mention of “Zionists” implying those who inhabit Israel which in their view rightfully belongs to the Palestinians.
Tuition funded CAC is once again taking a political position
“Alicia Verdugo, the Cultural Affairs commissioner for the Undergraduate Students Association Council, was one of the speakers at the walkout. Verdugo, who is also a third-year education and social transformation and sociology student, said in their speech that they felt it was important to advocate for Palestine, even if it put them at risk of hate and harassment.
“No matter how high the stakes are, we are stronger together,” she said. “We will never be afraid when we’re together. We will never be ashamed when we’re together.””
Non-affiliates schedule protests at the university
According to a Daily Bruin article, “Events held by non-university groups must be booked through the UCLA Events Office, which has the right to dictate the timing, location and manner of the protest…One recent protest in support of Israel on Oct. 30 was not hosted by organizations affiliated with the university.”
The above image is a photo of a non-affiliate protester on UCLA campus presumably on Oct 30th.
Stratl03-“I saw this guy in particular as the protest went by. He was causing so many problems, yelling at people as he went by. The organizers had to keep moving him along. It drives me crazy that he was making the face of their movement a face of anger, when everyone else looked so nice. I would have had him removed from the movement, because it’s like he was trying to pick fights, which is super detrimental to the cause.”
https://dailybruin.com/2023/10/30/ucla-community-members-host-protest-to-show-support-for-jewish-students
November
Myers depiction of this “unbridgeable gulf” has been corroborated by the Daily Bruin, where one article titled Students voice worries over Islamophobia on UCLA campus, dated November 19th, details several concerning statements made by students.
“‘I’ve been spit in the face. I’ve been directly pushed. I’ve been called a terrorist on multiple occasions,’ said Mohammad, a student who was granted partial anonymity for safety reasons. ‘I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, I’m getting mean looks and people looking at me, just eyeing me down. I know they have the intention to make it some kind of form of harassment if they have a chance.’”
“A Palestinian student, who was granted anonymity for safety reasons, said they have heard numerous accounts of people yelling hateful comments at those wearing keffiyehs. While they said they have only heard accounts of physical violence perpetrated by non-students, they added that they have seen students spreading hate speech on campus about Arab students – such as calling them terrorists and Nazis and saying they deserve to be raped and killed.”
The article also makes reference to an IG message, presumably the message below, detailing harassment and a physical altercation that took place on the Nov 7th rally held in support of Israel (last slide in Dan Gold’s message above).
Another, Jewish students express concern over antisemitism on UCLA campus, also dated Nov 19th, highlights language among the pro-Palestinian movement that some students feel is threatening.
The article talks about a rally held on Nov 8th in support of Palestine, shown here on SJP’s IG page.
An incident occurred at this rally and is detailed in a Los Angeles Magazine article, dated Nov 12, that states students “went viral online Friday for screaming ‘beat that fucking Jew’ through a megaphone while bashing a piñata bearing an image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” Actual footage has been provided by the New York Post below.
Based on anti-Israel chants and hate speech that had been happening at rallies thus far, it’s reasonable that Jewish students would skip classes to avoid rallies and demonstrations.
Jewish students have also run into antisemitic insignia and behavior outside of rallies at UCLA,
“Bella Brannon, the student president of Hillel at UCLA, said she has seen a swastika carved into a tree on campus and experienced people making comments that perpetuate antisemitic stereotypes during meetings.”
Gene Block responded to incidents occurring on both Nov 7th and 8th in a Nov 10th message.
Hillel’s student president Bella Brannon stated (in the same Daily Bruin article) that, “while she appreciates that the administration has made statements in support of Jewish students, she feels there is more that it could do. She added that she has heard of instances of Jewish students not receiving responses to complaints they sent to the UCLA Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.”
December
On Dec 5, the Daily Bruin published an article entitled, UCLA faces scrutiny for safety issues at protests for Israel, Palestine.
The article covers issues of slow responses from UCLA administration liaisons, security failure issues and imbalanced policing,
“Organizers of and participants in recent protests on campus related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war said UCLA’s approach to policing these protests has been imbalanced and insufficient.”
“Though UCLA Media Relations declined a request for an interview with UCLA Student Affairs, citing a lack of availability, UCLA spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez said in an emailed statement that the office of Student Organizations, Leadership & Engagement attempts to meet with UCLA organizations planning protests and rallies to advise them on event logistics.” Logistics that Vazquez is referring to here include scheduling, safety and security.
Vazquez also made a point to say that UCLA sends “monitors from Student Affairs” to events as well, although he “did not elaborate on what training they received,” but did say that individuals ““who are trained on de-escalation techniques, and who understand campus policies and operations — are present to defuse possible tensions while protecting participants’ right to speak.””
The article also mentioned concerns from the campus community that some chants are antisemitic,
“However, Vazquez said in the statement that the university does not restrict or control the views shared by student groups.” (Title VI encourages statements by the university why don’t they do this?)
The above image shows an IG post written by Hillel Student Board Members on December 18th, stating that “Despite numerous attempts to engage with our Student Government to acknowledge the pain felt by Jewish students and create formidable paths to combat hate, many of our leaders have decided to choose a path of ignorance instead.”
The post goes on to say that “Campus Administration [is] failing to recognize and confront various reports of harassment submitted to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”
“Additionally, numerous council members within our student government have publicized vitriolic remarks that continually harm Jewish students on our campus and exclude Jewish students from their inclusion efforts. Despite Hillel’s calls to cordially engage with these Student Government members, our invitations have been repeatedly ignored.”
UCLA currently has 7 Title VI cases pending with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The earliest case by date categorizes the discrimination as “Title VI-National Origin Discrimination Involving Religion” with an open investigation date of Dec 06, 2023. While details on pending investigations are not given, in a press release from Nov 16, the OCR stated their aim “to take aggressive action to address the alarming nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment on college campuses and in K-12 schools since the October 7 Israel-Hamas conflict.”
February
On Feb 8th, “Students for Justice in Palestine and the UC Divest Coalition at UCLA held a rally…calling on the university to divest from companies associated with Israel.”
A direct account was given by a Bruin journalist attending the BDS rally (above image),
“A small number of counter-protesters also attended the rally, including a person holding an Israeli flag and heckling speakers outside of Murphy Hall.”
“Although SJP has told rally attendees not to engage with counter-protesters in its guidelines, one speaker…appeared to address them directly by insulting the physical characteristics of counter-protesters. Descriptions of physical characteristics are a common antisemitic trope, according to the Media Diversity Institute.”
“’Do you realize how Zionists, … they have that ugly, half-American, half-Zionist smiles?” they said in a speech, leading to shouts of agreement from the crowd. The speaker also repeated insults at counter-protesters, even after being instructed not to engage with them by other organizers. “They’re just losers who are colonizers and settlers, and they will be defeated,” they said in a speech. “They are stupid, annoying and ugly.””
On Feb 20th, The USAC passed a resolution titled, A Resolution to Boycott and Divest from Apartheid, Ethnic Cleansing, and Genocide.
The resolution, sponsored by CAC Commissioner Alicia Verdugo, was opposed by Hillel at UCLA. They made a statement on IG as well as an official statement stating the details of their opposition.
A Daily Bruin article covering the resolution, dated Feb 21st, mentioned calls for the impeachment of Verdugo, citing “allegations of antisemitism from pro-Israel groups and Jewish students.”
According to the USAC 2024-2025 officers page, it looks like not only has Verdugo not been removed from office, she has been successfully reelected to the position of CAC commissioner for another academic year.
“Such a move at a time of high emotions prompted several questions among council members, such as whether the resolution’s mandate to take advice from the BDS movement placed USAC in murky legal territory. Others wondered if it was USAC’s role to take positions on violence outside the United States. Members were also at odds over whether anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism and if council members had enough knowledge about the BDS movement and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
There is no record of the votes, but the majority of members appeared to dismiss several of the concerns raised by General Representatives Katie Pool and Gabby Lasry and Financial Supports Commissioner Sara Broukhim. The three also charged that the resolution has inaccuracies, risks isolating Jewish students on campus and takes time away from more effective measures, such as a current proposal in the works by Student Wellness Commissioner Jennis Kang advocating for academic leniency to students whose families have been harmed in the war.”
In 2022-2023, a UCLA undergraduate was charged $289.85 for the Undergraduate Students Association Fee. “The fee supports the undergraduate student government organization. It is collected by the University and passed on to Associated Students of UCLA for use by the undergraduate student government…Funds are used primarily to support student government and for programming such as community service, films, cultural events, and concerts.”
According to UC Divest’s IG page, this amounts to approximately 10 million in annual funding that is “sent to USAC to be governed by the 15 elected USAC offices for different programs and initiatives.” Whether this money is at the sole discretion of USAC, or is related to the Student Fee Advisory Committee that helps oversee $50M in student fees annually, is unknown.
The resolution contains phrasing such as,
It also says, “WHEREAS, this resolution is endorsed by Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA, Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA, and Law Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA” and UC Divest Coalition at UCLA is a sponsoring organization.
The Daily Bruin stated “some student advocates cited parallels between BDS and the successful campaign by students in the 1980s calling for the UC to divest from companies doing business with the South African government, which was enforcing a system of apartheid.”
The difference is the movement calling for the end of South African apartheid came from an assembled group within the general student body at Berkeley. It did not come from the student gov’t. The issue arises when a University of California student pays mandatory Undergraduate Students Association Fees in order to be allowed to attend the university.
The above phrasing is highly critical of Israel, going far beyond military operations taking place in Gaza. Regardless of specific content, the message is political and calls into question whether the USAC is following their own bylaws.
Article I, Section D of the bylaws, Conflict of Interest, states, “Within these parameters, no Association member, elected or appointed or pending appointment, may have an unauthorized financial, familial, organizational or political interest or obligation which might cause divided loyalty or even the appearance of divided loyalty to the position which they serve or potentially will serve.”
The sponsor of the resolution, Alicia Verdugo, based on her activity on social media, exhibits a clear conflict of interest. Where political interest, i.e. siding with Hamas and statements that include hate speech online, have compromised her ability to govern effectively.
As for other council members, it should be investigated whether accepting the Undergraduate Student Association Fee from students who are Israeli or have familial and/or financial ties to Israel represents a conflict of interest. They may boycott where the money is going, but why haven’t they scrutinized where it is coming from? Are they not partially supported by Israel?
Title VI is very clear on discrimination based on national origin. Is this resolution, by a student government that forcibly takes fees from Jewish and Israeli students, a violation of Title VI? If an Israeli student can’t attend a public university that receives federal funding without paying the student fees this means they must denounce their country of origin in order to attend the university; especially if they do not represent a large enough voting bloc to change USAC rhetoric.
This is not an ad hoc political movement where a group of students work with the university administration to change policy. This is a system—a governing body at UCLA that cannot and will not represent certain minorities within the student body but is funded by those minorities. This represents a systematic form of oppression based on the national origin of this minority group.
USAC may be conflating mandatory student fees with taxes, for example. When a U.S. citizen becomes naturalized, applicants are required to take an Oath of Allegiance, which includes pledging loyalty to the United States and renouncing allegiance to other nations. There is no such oath taken by applicants to the University of California. There is no such demand to renounce other nations.
Article I, Section E of the bylaws, Discrimination, also seems relevant here. “The Council shall not support or affiliate with any organization which legally discriminates on the basis of: race, creed, sex (except as exempt from Title IX), age, national origin, religion, physical handicap, or sexual orientation.” Based on this, they should not affiliate with their own organization—The Cultural Affairs Commission.
Article II, Section E details the impeachment process, “Any student holding an appointed office approved by the Council…may be removed from office only after hearing and for cause by concurrence of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members of the Council, which shall be the sole judge of cause.”
“If it be found thereafter that action by a Council appointee is inconsistent with a Council directive, this will be deemed as just cause for the removal of that appointee by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of council.”
Verdugo’s misconduct continues well into Spring Quarter. Calls for her impeachment by UCLABIPAC were published in the Daily Bruin. Complaints that the student government would not work with Hillel were published as early as December. Not only did the the Council fail to address the issue and consider impeachment proceedings, Verdugo has been elected for another academic year. Does the issue with the Council go beyond Verdugo?
Contextual history: https://dailybruin.com/2015/03/09/submission-ucla-campus-must-take-action-to-address-anti-semitism https://dailybruin.com/2014/05/23/submission-usac-ethics-statement-exacerbates-israeli-palestinian-situation https://forward.com/israel/202616/why-did-ucla-hillel-funnel-cash-from-pro-israel-do/
March
A meeting of the UC Regents at UCLA on March 20th-21st was met with protests spanning from the 19th to the 21st. The protests were primarily against action item, J1, with additional calls for BDS,
“The protest’s goals are to call on the UC to divest from BlackRock – a company that has alleged ties to the Israeli military – and to not support the policy up for vote.”
Citing lack of adequate time for discussion, J1 has been tabled for a future meeting.
In his op-ed, Myers addressed—and likely the reason he felt compelled to speak out in the first place—an antisemitic statue placed outside of the UC Regents meeting on March 20th. “The regents’ meeting attracted protesters who bore signs and uttered chants calling for divestment from companies that have ties to the Israeli military. Alongside these signs, someone placed…a statue that depicted a pig holding a bag of money in one hand and a birdcage with a keffiyeh in the other.”
“To anyone familiar with classic antisemitic stereotypes, it is impossible not to recoil.”
“Since the 13th century, Jews have been associated with pigs – or, more accurately, with their coarse and animal-like quality…”
“Indeed, for Jews – as well as for Muslims – the pig is the epitome of uncleanliness, reflecting the kind of perverse paradox on which anti-Jewish and other group-based hate rests…it became a feature of Nazi propaganda that cast Jews as Judenschwein, meaning Jewish pigs. And since that time, antisemites have equated Jews with pigs…”
The use of derogatory epithets in the statue’s imagery did not stop there,
“and a hand holding a bag of money…Haters of Jews, such as the late 19th-century French author Édouard Drumont, have repeatedly cast them as avaricious, money-grubbing, materialistic and intent on global economic domination.”
“Again, to anyone familiar with the repertoire of antisemitic images, it is hard to regard the assemblage of the pig, bag of money and star of David as anything other than a case of antisemitism that taps into deeply ingrained stereotypes…”
“[And] it is important to recognize that the statue was deeply wounding to many members of the campus community.”
UCLA issued a statement in response to the statue on March 28th. “The protest ended on March 21 and the display has been removed. Hateful and racist depictions like this are a complete affront to UCLA’s Principles of Community and True Bruin Values, and to the diverse, inclusive academic community we aim to cultivate.
It is absolutely critical that Jewish members of our community — as well as those of all backgrounds and faiths — are treated with respect and dignity. We remain committed to doing all we can to support the safety and protect the rights of everyone on our campus.”
UCLA was prepared to “protect” the meeting of the Regents
The meeting of the UC Regents, including controversial Chair Richard Leib, was met with a sit-in the night before at the meeting location hotel lobby,
“Students and community members entered the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center around 8 p.m., before UCPD requested backup from LAPD at around 8:40 p.m.”
“At least 40 police officers from multiple departments, including UCPD, LAPD and Beverly Hills Police Department, arrived at the hotel and conference center shortly after and set up barricades around its entrance. Officers wore riot helmets and carried batons and rubber bullets.”
““They showed up with face shields and riot gear. They showed up with batons. They showed up with ‘less-than-lethal guns,’” Anna said. “It looks like there’s … 100 cops being called on UCLA students.””
“A UCLA spokesperson said in an emailed statement that UCPD peacefully dispersed the protest and relocated the students to an area where they were permitted to assemble.”
““Students have a right to protest in line with UCLA’s Time, Place, and Manner policies, which prioritizes the safety and well-being of everyone on campus,” the spokesperson said in an edited statement. “In this instance, however, students staged a rally, without a permit, at the Luskin Conference Center rather than at the designated protest area.””
Antisemitic behavior continued as the pro-Palestinian movement gained traction
On April 25th, the Daily Bruin reported “An encampment led by students in support of Palestine began Thursday morning outside of Royce Hall. The encampment was organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, and garnered the attention of around 100 students by 10 a.m.” SJP at UCLA lead the way with a list of demands and together with UC Divest at UCLA and JVP at UCLA called on students to join them. The post has approximately 17,630 “likes” (bottom right-of-center), showing the combined “marketing” power of the organizations.
Nazi insignia appeared everywhere in the first two days of the pro-Palestinian protests
A Trump ad was removed by Facebook for using the same imagery— “The social media company said the ads violated its policies against “organized hate.”” While at face value the red triangle references a Nazi concentration camp political prisoner, the true meaning for the triangle is unknown. It may be alluding to any targeted group for Nazi hate but colored red in reference to the Palestinian flag; the intention may be hate ‘in the name of’ Palestine so to speak.
Right off the bat, unknown perpetrators began putting the Nazi imagery on display. The below image (1 of 2) shows the same large sign that would become emblematic of the movement in its first days; appearing as a symbol representative of the encampment in the Daily Bruin, The Hollywood Reporter, the LA Times, USA Today, and the LA Public Press to name a few.
Another triangle appeared on a smaller sign in front of Royce Hall. The metadata for the above image from the Daily Bruin shows the photo was taken on April 25th at 9:29 AM. The below image was taken on April 25th at 8:53 AM.
The Cultural Affairs Commission and other USAC affiliates supported the encampment
The triangle also appeared in a poster by unknown perpetrators that was then showcased in a CAC IG post dated April 25th (below).
The above image (left) shows the full name of the USAC organization tent at the pro-Palestine encampment site.
The Daily Bruin took note of the USAC’s presence at the protest, “Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo, who is running for reelection, was in attendance…It is unclear if funds from USAC offices are being used to fund resources at the demonstration, but the text “PAID FOR BY USAC” is visible on the Cultural Affairs Commission tent.”
The Campus Events Commission (CEC, Mason Miller was the 2023-24 commissioner), another USAC organization who expressed support for the movement on their IG platform, was also present.
Metadata from the Bruin gallery, published on April 27th, shows the CEC tent was present as early as 1:19 PM on April 25th. Metadata from the above Image 2/2 of the CAC tent together with the ‘occupation-death sign’ indicates the image was taken on April 26th at 12:23 PM. It is clear then, that both USAC organizations were present while posters containing Nazi insignia were on display.
Metadata from the above photo says it was taken on April 26th at 6:16 PM. The image shows Dickson Court flanked on both sides by the USAC organizations, this time with posters containing Nazi insignia removed. It is still questionable though that the only tents that stand out with clear endorsements in this photo are the two USAC tents.
A full list of officers and candidates who were seen in attendance was covered by the Bruin’s April 29th article, most notable among them were Adam Tfayli (current USAC president), Javier Nuñez-Verdugo (current external VP), Alicia Verdugo (current CAC commissioner) and Alexandra Paul (current facilities commissioner). Both Nuñez-Verdugo and Paul gave comment expressing support for the use of USAC funds to support the encampment.
Verdugo was the only USAC officer, however, singled out in the article,
“Eli Tsives, a candidate for general representative, was part of the counter-protest against the encampment. Tsives, who alleged the encampment was promoting hate speech, criticized Verdugo’s use of her platform to promote messages he believes makes Jewish students uncomfortable on campus.”
““They (the Cultural Affairs Commission) have purposefully used their position and power to make us Jewish students feel unsafe,” he said.”
Tsives is also shown in the above video, posted on April 29th, being denied entry to a part of UCLA campus. Paragraph 109 of Frankel v. Regents of the University of California, a federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on June 5th, states,
“To pass through these checkpoints, a person needed to agree to the activists’ “demands.” These “demands” required any person who wished to enter the encampment to condemn Israel as a committer of “apartheid[] and genocide of the Palestinian people,” to call for “an end to the occupation and genocide in Palestine,” and to agree that UCLA should “[s]ever all UC-wide connections to Israeli universities, including study abroad programs, fellowships, seminars, and research collaborations, and UCLA’s Nazarian Center.””
Non-affiliate violence resulted from the same patterns of behavior from months before
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Thursday 4/25–“More counter-protesters gathered, with nearly 50 people there shortly before 7 p.m. Some waving megaphones shouted at students, who they called “terrorists,” to “show your face.””
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Friday 4/26– Mary Osako, Vice Chacellor for Strategic Communications wrote, “It’s also important to note that we are following University of California systemwide policy guidance, which directs us not to request law enforcement involvement preemptively, and only if absolutely necessary to protect the physical safety of our campus community.”
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Sunday 4/28–“Graeme Blair, an associate professor of political science inside the encampment, said in a statement sent over text message that he believes counter-protesters were attempting to start conflicts with members of the encampment.”
Mary Osako, also made a statement that day:
“UCLA has a long history of peaceful protest, and we are heartbroken to report that today, some physical altercations broke out among demonstrators on Royce Quad.
“We have since instituted additional security measures and increased the numbers of our safety team members on site.
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Monday night and Tuesday morning 4/29-4/30–“Around 60 counter-protesters attempted to breach the entrance of the encampment in Dickson Plaza around midnight Tuesday morning, drawing the presence of six UCPD officers in riot gear.”
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Tuesday 4/30–“UC Divest Coalition at UCLA said in a written press release that it believes violence on campus was caused primarily by counter-protesters supporting Israel, some of whom the protesters allege threatened them with weapons. They added that they believe the administration has failed to protect students on campus.”
Tuesday night and Wednesday morning 4/30-5/1–“The attack began around 10:50 p.m., when counter-protesters started throwing fireworks and tear gas into the encampment. Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications Mary Osako said at 12:12 a.m. in a statement that law enforcement had been called for immediate support. However, police did not intervene until more than two hours later.”
https://forward.com/opinion/608479/ucla-violence-campus-protests/
https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/1785589489878049091
https://x.com/MayorOfLA/status/1785591832321151196
https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/1785726609947046387
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn9hZ9vbmtI&ab_channel=FOX11LosAngeles
https://calmatters.org/justice/2024/05/ucla-protest-palestine-police/
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8ELJJRODh7/?hl=en
The administration attempted damage control
UCLA students were caught in the middle
https://dailybruin.com/2024/04/29/candidates-in-upcoming-usac-elections-participate-in-solidarity-encampment “Tfayli, who co-sponsored the successful resolution endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, called the February move an important initial step. He said he believes a large number of students support the Palestinian cause, insisting that USAC should support its students.”
https://dailybruin.com/2024/05/06/op-ed-peace-cannot-be-achieved-by-disregarding-dual-narrative-of-pro-palestine-movement “Seeing so many students not being able to conceptualize that what they’re saying is antisemitic and is wrong is tough,” Brannon said.”
From the river to the sea… Nov 8th rally Oct 25th rally Here put student reactions to the chants (reddit) And other gathered evidence from other article
While the antisemitic imagery displayed in Figure 2 might be obvious to some, this is not the case for others. Figure 3 shows “MysteriousQueen81” attempting to gamify logic in order to argue the semantics underlying the imagery. To which anyone familiar with racist imagery in our art and culture might borrow “ToTheLastParade”’s response in saying, “The mental gymnastics in this post…”
Student and faculty voices are identity-driven
“Dan Gold, executive director of Hillel at UCLA, said students have been called Zionists on social media, and he feels that faculty members have tried to demonize the Jewish community by speaking on subjects outside of their academic fields during class.”
“The idea of not being educated is inherently classist, and, frankly, it feels a little coded in particular, as someone coming in from a low-income background, that I’m being told by a council member and peer that I may not be educated,” Valenzuela Mejia said. “As a Guatemalan, … my country went through genocide. My family died in the Guatemalan Mayan genocide. I understand. I very well know what genocide looks like.” https://dailybruin.com/2024/02/21/usac-passes-resolution-endorsing-boycott-divest-and-sanctions-movement
https://www.instagram.com/p/Czt0bmTvLAI/?hl=en
https://dailybruin.com/2024/04/29/candidates-in-upcoming-usac-elections-participate-in-solidarity-encampment Javier Nuñez-Verdugo, a candidate for external vice president, said their background heavily influenced their decision to take part in the protest.
“As someone who identifies very strongly with their indigenous identity to Mexico, I very much sympathize with the ongoing fight for Palestinian liberation, as they’re indigenous to their homeland and are currently being displaced,” they said.
The absence of UCLA’s “voice” is creating a vacuum
The intention of higher institutions is the dissemination of ideas in their purest form, free from the mars of propaganda. It looks to exist in isolation from mainstream opinion and has no desire to be used as the arm of any establishment to indoctrinate young minds. Without this ‘secular’ model—the division of academia from politics and contemporary culture and values, etc.—the complete, unfettered freedom to generate novel scholarly knowledge is at risk. Even the US has comprehensive embargoes on very few nations and even then exceptions are made with respect to educational exchanges, academic or research diplomacy, and scientific cooperation.
This brings forth the question, should the undergraduate student body at UCLA be allowed to ‘self-mediate?’ Isn’t the prerequisite for a doctoral degree years of education with ‘qualifying’ checkpoints before an individual is bestowed the title of Ph.D., or independent thinker? It is only after earning this degree that someone can be deemed ready for the power conferred. Why then have the undergraduates been given this power and responsibility preemptively? Isn’t it possible, that when untrained minds are permitted to interact unchecked, that they may bring their own biased ideologies and rationale along with them in order to influence others? That they may construct their own ‘establishments,’ abuse power, and form corrupt systems of oppression? Aren’t they creating a microcosm of the very ‘contemporary society’ that academia and institutions of higher learning seek to insulate from?
A lot of talk and no action…
Office of EDI, what do they do…
This article outlines UCLA’s failings to prevent a hostile environment under Title VI https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/ocr-factsheet-race-color-national-origin-202407.pdf This article defines student conduct that is not protected under the First Ammendment https://www.thefire.org/news/heres-what-students-need-know-about-protesting-campus-right-now The law: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/rights/guid/ocr/raceoverview.html Fact sheets: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/frontpage/faq/rr/policyguidance/index.html https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/frontpage/pro-students/issues/roi-issue06.html
Jewish students seek court order against UCLA’s antisemitic encampments before fall semester https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_8bf5303c-33c5-11ef-b5b7-7370c3907658.html https://www.becketlaw.org/media/jewish-students-seek-court-order-against-uclas-antisemitic-encampments-before-fall-semester/ https://www.becketlaw.org/case/frankel-v-regents-of-the-university-of-california/ https://becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20240605222051/Complaint-in-Frankel-v.-Regents-of-UCLA.pdf
Vigil https://dailybruin.com/2023/11/02/ucla-community-gathers-for-vigil-honoring-israeli-palestinian-lives
Who are the big donors?: https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/ucla-donor-sharon-nazarian-decries-anti-israel-protesters-demands-to-shutter-schools-israel-studies-department/
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/5-million-gift-ensure-ucla-center-jewish-studies-remains-among-best-in-u-s
OCR Title VI severity thresholds should be reexamined
Write here about all the ongoing Title VI investigations.
Could the UC System be hiding the real problem?
put somewhere else—-
The IG post below, dated 5/16, shows a more recent CAC post again displaying the triangle.
In response to UCLA’s handling of the protest events, the CAC posted again, this time with the below image affixing the UCLA Chancellor (who is Jewish) Gene Block’s face to the body of a pig wearing a police uniform. The outlandish/unapologetic imagery, in keeping with CAC rhetoric, combines antisemitic stereotypes with derogatory slang for police officers.
https://forward.com/opinion/608479/ucla-violence-campus-protests/
Based on their USAC affiliation, CAC should not have any content on public facing sites they aren’t willing to post on their UCLA hosted site. Their content directly contradicts their mission to be accessible to all students.
greens3 also mentions antisemitic acts such as “I.e swastikas on Jewish buildings, a Nazi truck playing Jewish blood libel on a loud speaker outside of Anderson this week, people chanting for a global intifada”
https://www.instagram.com/combatantisemitism/reel/C6eXAlBtVOq/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ucla/comments/1cimrik/antisemitic_graffiti_on_campus/
https://forward.com/opinion/608479/ucla-violence-campus-protests/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/israel-divestment-difficulty-colleges-rcna150019