The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today condemned the University of California Police Department (UCPD)’s escalated response to a screening of “The Encampments” at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) last night.
SEE: Two pro-Palestine protesters detained during encampment attack anniversary rally
Yesterday, April 30, UCLA students gathered at Wilson Plaza on campus to watch a screening of the documentary film “The Encampments.” After being told by a UCLA representative that visuals were not allowed in the area, the group moved to another campus location, where a UCPD officer also informed the group that they could not hold the screening. Shortly after, dozens of UCPD officers armed with less-than-lethal weapons gathered near the students.
Several security personnel from CSC, a private crowd management company, and police cars were also reportedly stationed around the area.
At 9 p.m., around 30 UCPD officers wearing riot gear ran into the crowd of students, detaining two individuals and confiscating the screening equipment.
This escalated police response comes nearly one year after hundreds of riot-clad law enforcement agents, including UCPD officers, forcibly broke up UCLA’s peaceful anti-genocide encampment on May 1 and 2, 2024, causing severe injuries to students and community members and arresting around 200 protesters.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik, Esq., said:
“The UCPD’s deployment of officers in riot gear in response to students gathering for a film screening is an outrageous and clear act of intimidation. This disproportionate police response is also not an isolated incident. One year ago, UCLA called in a militarized police force—including UCPD officers—to take down the peaceful anti-genocide encampment and left protesters injured and traumatized. The incident last night mirrors the many attempts we’ve seen over the past year to suppress pro-Palestinian voices as UCLA leadership continues to try and stifle any student activism or viewpoints advocating for Palestine.”
In March 2025, CAIR California, along with local civil rights attorneys and leading personal injury firms, filed a lawsuit against UCLA, three law enforcement agencies, and several individuals who were involved in the violence against student protesters.
UCLA has a long and well-documented history of discriminating against pro-Palestinian views. CAIR and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee also previously designated UCLA as an “institution of particular concern” due to its creation of a hostile campus environment for Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, and Jewish students, staff, and faculty opposing Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
The UCLA Taskforce on Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Arab, & Anti-Muslim Racism has issued three reports outlining the pattern of targeted discrimination and harassment of UCLA students and faculty speaking on Palestine and offered several recommendations, which UCLA has reportedly ignored.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Senior Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com