Tag: Palestine

WESTWOOD—Demonstrations in Royce Quad on the UCLA campus in Westwood turned violent on Tuesday, April 30. Protestors in support of Palestine clashed with counter-protestors during the nighttime hours on Tuesday that resulted in the Los Angeles Police Department being called to the campus.

Counter-protestors arrived on campus with loud-speakers shortly after 10 p.m. Individuals were seen being beaten and plywood boards were used to attack each other.

Independent Journalist Anthony Cabassa who was on the UCLA campus, posted the following statement on X:

“UCLA UPDATE 🚨: Still ZERO law enforcement present, dozens of people needing medical assistance, and this man appears to be bleeding profusely from his right arm. Security ordered to stand down, no LAPD presence. A Jewish woman said multiple men assaulted her, no security help.”

Individuals were maced during the incident, and a barricade separating those in support of Palestine and those supporting Israel was destroyed. Video on social media showed fireworks being setoff against the groups on Tuesday night, early Wednesday morning.

UCLA cancelled classes Wednesday as a result of the violence that transpired Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Protestors were threatened by officers from the LAPD who arrived in Swat Gear to disperse or face arrest.

Chancellor Gene D. Block from the UCLA released the following statement on April 30:

“This past Thursday [April 25], a group of demonstrators — both members of the UCLA community and others unaffiliated with our campus — established an unauthorized physical encampment on part of Royce Quad, joining those who have set up similar presences at universities around the country.

Many of the demonstrators, as well as counter-demonstrators who have come to the area, have been peaceful in their activism. But the tactics of others have frankly been shocking and shameful. We have seen instances of violence completely at odds with our values as an institution dedicated to respect and mutual understanding. In other cases, students on their way to class have been physically blocked from accessing parts of the campus.

UCLA supports peaceful protest, but not activism that harms our ability to carry out our academic mission and makes people in our community feel bullied, threatened and afraid. These incidents have put many on our campus, especially our Jewish students, in a state of anxiety and fear.

In response, we’ve taken several immediate actions. We have significantly increased our security presence in the area, including adding greater numbers of law enforcement officers, safety personnel and student affairs mitigators. We have also engaged law enforcement to investigate the recent acts of violence.

The barriers that demonstrators used to block access to buildings have been removed, and we have staff located around Royce Quad to help ensure that they will not go up again. With regard to these incidents, our student conduct process has been initiated, and could lead to disciplinary action including suspension or expulsion.

We continue to encourage anyone who experiences discrimination to report it to our Civil Rights Office. If you feel you are in danger, contact UCPD.

I recognize that the suffering in the Middle East has had a profound impact on our campus, and we continue to hope for a peaceful resolution. While Bruins hold a variety of perspectives on this conflict, we must all protect the wellbeing of our peers and maintain an environment safe for learning. This is a commitment I call on our community to uphold as we navigate the weeks ahead.”

Mara Vaill posted on Facebook, “UCLA, this is reprehensible behavior. Every one of the student protesters should be expelled. No return on tuition. No coming back. They are breaking campus rules. I will never donate to UCLA ever again. It’s sad too because UniCamp was such a happy childhood memory for me.”

In New York, at Columbia University, authorities arrested over 100 people who broke into Hamilton Hall and refused to come out after creating a tent encampment in protest of the war in Gaza. Officers with the New York Police Department arrived on campus after 9 p.m. on April 30 and announced Hamilton Hall was clear almost two hours later.

Graduation is scheduled for Columbia University on May 15, and authorities have been asked to stay around campus until May 17. Students were asked to shelter-in place as a result of the protests on campus in recent weeks. Tons of furniture inside of Hamilton Hall was damaged during the melee.

Protests have also taken place on college campus Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California, the University of Arizona-Tucson and the University of Utah to name a few.

Many college graduation ceremonies across the U.S. have been cancelled at several universities as a result of the protests and violence on campuses.

By Trevor

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—Over a thousand protesters surrounded the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 10, to protest on Hollywood’s biggest night, to call out the industry’s “complicity in genocide against Palestinians,” and to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and justice for Palestinians. The demonstration was made up of two separate events, each promoted by numerous organizations, one which began at the Cinerama Dome at 6370 Sunset Boulevard, and the second at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue. 

In a Jewish Voices for Peace, Los Angeles (JVP LA) press release provided to Canyon News, it said, “As onlookers are distracted by the Academy Awards, Israeli Defense Forces have coordinated a planned invasion of Rafah, a small town in the southern Gaza Strip with a population that has ballooned to over 1.5 million people due to the displacement of refugees fleeing the ongoing, U.S.-backed genocide and forced famine.” 

At 2 p.m. on Sunday, JVP LA – along with Adalah Justice Project, SAG-AFTRA Members for Ceasefire, Writers Against the War on Gaza and Film Workers for Palestine – amassed a group of hundreds out front of the Cinerama Dome, consisting of Jews, film workers, artists and pro-Palestinian activists such as rapper Macklemore and Alana Hadid, sister to supermodels Bella and Gigi Hadid. Their rally, “Eyes On Rafah,” consisted of a speaking program, followed by marches towards Dolby Theatre where the Oscars were taking place.

Members of Jewish Voices For Peace, Los Angeles.

Demonstrators held Palestinian flags, and signs that read, “No Oscars During A Genocide,” wore shirts that said, “Jews Say Ceasefire Now,” and Keffiyeh’s – a traditional Arab headdress – as a symbol for Palestinian solidarity. Chants of “While you’re watching, bombs are dropping” could be heard. “International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees” members held a banner that read, “IATSE Members For A Free Palestine.” 

“While the entertainment industry is not itself responsible for U.S. geopolitical strategy… it has played a vital role in creating the consensus that the U.S. and Israel share a special bond,” the press release continued. “Since Israel’s founding in 1948, films, novels, journalism, museums, and more have used narratives of redemption, suffering, and victimization to justify the use of military force to displace the native population of Palestine.”

“As artists and storytellers, we have an obligation and responsibility in this moment to use our voices. And for everyone in this industry who is silent right now, I urge you to remember what inspired you to become an artist and a storyteller” actress, activist and SAG-AFTRA member Poppy Liu said at the rally.  

Earlier on Sunday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue, USCPN (US Palestinian Community Network), CentroCSO (Community Service Organization), National Alliance Against Racists and Political Repression, Black Lives Matter, Los Angeles, the Free Democratic Palestine Movement and the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, mobilized another large group of protestors sharing the same issue. This group ended up blocking traffic into the Academy Awards and as a result, some celebrities arrived late to the show.

“We’re late! The Palestinian protests shut down the Oscars tonight! Humanity Wins!”, Oscar-nominated actor, Mark Ruffalo, told reporters after arriving on the red carpet. 

Celebrities, including Ruffalo, singer Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas, actors Riz Ahmed, Ramy Youssef and Mahershala Ali, and director Ava DuVernay, all showed their support for Palestine by wearing “Artists4Ceasefire” pins. Youssef spoke candidly with reporters about what the pin means and called for an immediate ceasefire. And while accepting the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film for his film “The Zone of Interest,” director Jonathan Glazer said, “Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”

Israel’s war on Gaza continues after 150 days. As of March 11, 2024, Gaza Health Ministry reports that the Palestinian death toll has reached 31,000, including at least 95 journalists and over 136 UNWRA workers, with tens of thousands of Palestinians wounded. Israel reports 1,200 Israelis, including 589 soldiers and 61 police officers, have died. 134 hostages remain in Hamas captivity.

By Lacy