But USC, Los Angeles Police Officer They entered the compound in riot gear, arrested 93 pro-Palestinian protesters and cleared their tent encampment.
across town UCLA, a large number of Palestinian supporters set up about 20 tents, formed a cordon around their “Palestine Solidarity Camp” and protested peacefully day and night – all without arrest, suspension or interference by campus staff, who were watching from the sidelines. Private security guards with bikes separated the pro-Palestinian group from Israel supporters, and UCLA eventually erected metal barricades when counter-protesters repeatedly tried to break through the encampment and in at least one case, The Times reported. Entered and pushed a woman to the ground.
Scenes this week reflect the varying reactions to campus protests, which are spreading across the country as students from more than 20 colleges and universities gathered to express solidarity with the Palestinians, calling for an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. To urge this, camps, demonstrations and other actions have been started. Demand for divestment from companies doing business with Israel.
USC – along with other private institutions such as Columbia and Pomona – responded to violations of campus rules with police force and arrests of students.
In contrast, in the public California university system, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Barbara have used a much lighter hand in tolerating students who violated restrictions on overnight camping and other rules, as long as they Remained peaceful and did not disrupt campus operations. Hinders teaching and learning.
Part of the difference lies in the legal requirement for public universities to respect the First Amendment, which does not apply to private institutions. But not all public campuses have avoided an aggressive response. University of Texas at Austin, For example, armed state troops were dispatched and this week arrested more than 50 people at what witnesses described as a peaceful protest. The university president is facing a no-confidence motion, defending his response as a legitimate action to maintain order on campus.
UC’s more permissive response has been shaped by decades of experience with high-profile protests, and particularly the 2011 riot at UC Davis, where campus police fired on students peacefully protesting economic and social inequality during the Occupy movement. Pepper was sprayed. Video of the incident went viral, and the widely condemned police actions resulted in at least one officer being shot, a $1 million legal settlement with student protesters, and UC Systemwide Review and Report How to best handle campus protests.
The report, noting the need to balance First Amendment rights with campus safety and security, made 49 recommendations, placing communication and interaction as the “cornerstone” of responses, with police force being the last resort. Used as. In a key underlying principle, the report calls for “a major shift away from a mentality that focuses primarily on the maintenance of order and adherence to rules and regulations to a more open and communicative attitude.”
“What’s so bad about students setting up tents on green space? “This poses no threat to the core teaching and research mission,” said UC Berkeley law professor Christopher Edley Jr., a report co-author. “It is messy and appears to create turmoil, but. ..You’re dealing with a large community of 20-year-olds who we expect to be passionate and who we know are gathering experience as well as knowledge. It is up to us to be as tolerant as possible without compromising on the fundamentals.”
Even some of the sharpest critics of the pro-Palestinian protests, which they consider anti-Semitic, have refrained from calling for an end to the camps. Assemblyman Rick Chávez Zabar (D-Los Angeles), whose district includes the UCLA campus, said he was “horrified and disgusted” by the calls to destroy Israel and praising the Hamas terrorist group and believes UC officials Not doing enough to protect Jewish students. , But he said he supports the rights of free speech, peaceful assembly and protest, and will continue to fight to protect them “no matter how much I disagree.”
UC Davis Police Chief Joseph Farrow, who chairs the UC Council of Police Chiefs, said the campus generally supports a liberal approach to protests, including encampments, within reason.
“If people are gathering peacefully and not causing damage or disrupting operations in an area, universities will probably let it go,” he said.
In contrast, said David Carlisle, assistant head of the Department of Public Safety, senior USC administrators instructed their campus security officers to crack down on violations of its rules against overnight camping. He said his team, consisting of about 25 officers, warned students against camping and moved in to remove tents and sleeping bags when their orders to do so were ignored. He said the crowd became “hostile,” so campus officials decided to call the LAPD, which deployed about 100 officers and made arrests.
USC is now allowing students to stay outside overnight as they continue their protests — but not in tents. Carlisle said the difference is they’re not violating the overnight camping ban.
He said, “When it became clear that they intended to set up a tent city, that would be a violation of university policies.”
But many USC students and faculty members condemned the university’s decision to call in the LAPD officers, saying their presence increased tensions. A Palestinian American student, who did not want to be named due to safety concerns, said the aggressive actions of police and campus security were unexpected and unwanted, but “nothing compared to genocide, occupation, apartheid,” she said. Palestinians are suffering.
Former UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal said decisions on how to respond to campus protests are not easy. At least a few times a year, he said, he grappled with the thorny issue of what to do when student protests blocked the only two entrances to the campus. He generally allowed her to close the campus for a day, despite protests from some “angry” faculty who wanted her to restore access as quickly as possible. He then came under even more criticism when he called the police to reopen the premises.
“It’s easy to react too quickly,” he said. “When you bring in the police and start arresting students, there are definitely consequences.”
In a newly released open letter, approximately 470 faculty and staff across all nine UC undergraduate campuses expressed support for students demonstrating non-violently, and said they were appalled by the arrest of more than 100 Columbia University peaceful protesters by NYPD. The latter’s right to do so requires “active protection”. He was suspended from courses and evicted from student accommodation. The letter cited UC’s own controversial history with protests, including a pepper-spray incident, the 2015 arrests of UC Santa Cruz students protesting tuition increases and the 2020 firing of graduate student activists involved in a wildcat strike .
The letter said, “Arresting or punishing students who protest peacefully and non-violently on our campuses is contrary to the highest ideals of learning and scholarship of our university and violates our university’s fundamental values of decency and respect.” Is.” “Especially during difficult moments of intense political competition, it is essential that all members of our university community respect each other and not engage in authoritarian power games.”
UC’s more tolerant approach was on display at the three campuses where students protested this week.
At UC Berkeley, about 100 tents remained at the “Free Palestine Camp” in Sproul Hall, the historic home of the campus free speech movement. With the last day of instruction on Friday and finals beginning next, the campus is prioritizing students’ academic interests, said spokesman Dan Moguloff, assistant vice chancellor for executive communications.
He said the campus rejected the two-month-long protest at Sather Gate as well as the demand to close the encampment in order to respect the right to engage in non-violent political activities. Students have followed campus instructions to remove the signs hanging at the gate, but they require repeated reminders against using loud sounds. Last month, Chancellor Carol Christ decided to deploy monitors at the gate to reduce conflict after receiving complaints about activities there.
“We are dealing with these protests just as we have dealt with nonviolent political protests in the past and this is consistent with the UC systemwide standard that directs us not to request law enforcement involvement in advance and Only when there is a direct threat to the physical safety of the campus community,” Mogulof said. “We have seen in our own precinct and others that calling law enforcement can have unintended consequences.”
While Berkeley’s measured response was criticized by some, it was praised by others on both sides of the aisle. In a social media post, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area affirmed the protesters’ right to free speech even though their words were “hateful” and said UC Berkeley administrators “are working to ensure Jewish safety and participation in campus life.” Were committed.”
Hundreds of UC Santa Barbara students completed a day-long occupation of the Student Resource Building this week without incident. The event included workshops, art projects and other activities to express solidarity with Palestinians, call for a ceasefire and demand an end to Israel-related investments. No camping was done.
Bishnupriya Ghosh, professor of English and global studies and Academic Fellow for Justice in Palestine, credited collaboration and communication for the peaceful outcome, including regular discussions with Chancellor Henry Yang and other senior leaders.
“The campus response has not been harsh at all because of the open channels of communication with the administration, which has been very productive,” Ghosh said.
UCLA’s response to the protest activities also received mostly favorable reviews. Sari Makdisi, an English professor of Palestinian heritage, said she appreciated the respectful tone of the Bruin alert issued last Thursday, which declared that the school would “support a safe and peaceful campus environment that supports our community while minimizing disruption.” Respects the community’s right to free expression.” To our mission of teaching and learning.” He added that he only wishes UCLA had taken earlier action to erect barricades around the camp to protect those inside from the physical and verbal aggression of Israel supporters, Who appeared to be outsiders and not students.
Edley, the UC Berkeley law professor, said his biggest criticism of the overall campus response was the failure to use the moment more constructively to help drive a deeper understanding of the conflict’s horrific, complex and disputed history. For example, faculty may have purchased space in student newspapers to publish essays from all viewpoints “in vigorous pursuit of shared truth.”
“This is a great university and the opportunity to give students an in-depth look at this problem is extremely important,” he said. “So I don’t like to see this turn into a law and order problem.”
Times staff writers Jacqueline Cosgrove and Angie Orellana Hernandez contributed to this report.
