The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) today designated the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as one of three “institutions of particular concern” in its latest report. This designation is due to UCLA’s creation of a hostile campus environment for Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and other protesters opposing Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Alongside UCLA, the report designates George Washington University in D.C. and Emory University in Georgia as other “institutions of particular concern.” The designation of these three campuses follows a previous CAIR report titled “Hostile: How Universities Target Anti-Genocide Protesters While Enabling Anti-Palestinian Racism and Islamophobia.” The report documents free speech violations and the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate targeting anti-genocide student protesters at more than 30 colleges and universities.
The designation of UCLA centers on events that occurred in late April and early May. On the night of April 30 and into the morning of May 1, pro-Israel extremists violently attacked peaceful anti-genocide student protesters at UCLA’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment, resulting in several injuries. The assailants shot fireworks at the student protesters, verbally threatened them, attacked them with chemical weapons, and attempted to tear down the encampment, as law enforcement on site reportedly failed to intervene for nearly three hours.
Less than a day later, on May 1 and into the morning of May 2, law enforcement wearing riot gear and armed with guns shooting rubber bullets arrested around 200 student protesters at the UCLA encampment and dismantled the tents and barriers surrounding it. CAIR-LA received reports of several injuries to protesters.
In response to the violence against UCLA students, CAIR-LA organized a widely covered press conference, urging California and national elected officials to condemn the attacks and investigate the police and UCLA administration’s lack of protection for students participating in the encampment. CAIR-LA also provided legal advice, coordinated criminal defense, and supported students facing academic discipline for their pro-Palestine advocacy.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik, Esq., said:
“In the weeks following the violent attack on peaceful student protesters by pro-Israel extremists, we witnessed a clear pattern of intimidation, censorship, and retaliation from UCLA toward students speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. The administration’s actions, or rather, inactions, have demonstrated a clear bias that threatens the very foundations of free speech and assembly and created an environment of violence and fear for those advocating for Palestinian human rights.
“UCLA’s inadequate protection for students from harassment and violence, coupled with its readiness to silence and punish those speaking out against genocide, sends a chilling message about whose voices are valued and whose safety matters on campus. This report from CAIR has shown the utter failure of UCLA and countless other schools to uphold their obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.”
CAIR’s “Hostile” report includes several recommendations for universities to protect Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, Jewish, and other students who are facing censorship and harassment for their support of Palestine, including:
- Immediately move to engage in good faith negotiations with student protesters, who have organized clear, legitimate, and popular demands for divestment from companies profiting from genocide.
- Stop responding to nonviolent protesters with increased policing, which jeopardizes the safety of students, staff, faculty, and other university affiliates. Universities who have engaged in this behavior must apologize and call for law enforcement to drop all pending charges against nonviolent protesters.
- Reject attempts to frame overwhelmingly peaceful sit-ins organized by diverse groups of college students and often led by Jewish and Palestinian students as hateful or violent.
- Establish mandatory training for staff and faculty on anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia.
SEE ALSO:
- CAIR-LA Condemns Pomona College’s Forcible Suppression of Pro-Palestine Students, Urges School To Protect First Amendment Rights
- CAIR-LA Demands UCI Protect Anti-Genocide Student Protesters’ Rights To Free Speech, Urges Administration To Call Off Excessive Police Presence
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 Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com