One person was arrested at UCLA on Monday night after a peaceful protest turned contentious. The university's Police Department ordered around 40 protesters to leave Dickson Court North, where they had established a "Gaza solidarity Sukkah" to commemorate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot while advocating for divestment from companies linked to Israel. This demonstration highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the place of activism within academic spaces.
The student protesters erected the sukkah on Monday morning, intending to observe Sukkot, a weeklong Jewish holiday that celebrates the fall harvest and recalls the biblical story of the Israelites’ wandering in the desert. As they assembled, they demanded the university divest from companies that do business with Israel and called for an end to the ongoing conflict in Palestine. By the evening, additional tents had been set up, signaling a growing presence of the protest.
Shortly after 3:20 p.m., the University of California Police Department (UCPD) issued a statement indicating that the area was not designated for public expression and that the use of unauthorized structures and amplified sound violated protest policies put in place following significant pro-Palestinian protests earlier in the year. This led to heightened tensions as counterprotesters arrived, and ultimately, the UCPD issued a dispersal order.
As the conflict escalated with counterprotesters arriving around 8 p.m., organizers of the pro-Palestinian demonstration began to dismantle their tents shortly after. This action came following an order from the police for demonstrators to disperse. The police later stated that most protesters left the area, and security guards subsequently removed the sukkah.
During Sukkot, Jewish individuals traditionally eat and pray in temporary structures known as sukkahs, which symbolize the fragile dwellings of the Israelites during their desert wanderings. The protest organizers aimed to use this significant holiday to draw attention to the plight of Palestinians, emphasizing the need for solidarity and support.
One of the protest organizers, Leah Jacobson, expressed her stance by stating, “I refuse to observe Sukkot as normal when university investments continue to fund the genocide of Palestinians.” This highlights the intersection of cultural observance and political activism, as the protesters sought to align their religious practices with their advocacy for human rights.
The UC system has consistently opposed calls for divestment from companies that support military actions against Palestine, arguing that such actions infringe on academic freedom. This ongoing debate continues to shape the discourse surrounding activism within university settings.
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