(LOS ANGELES, CA – 4/29/2024) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today demanded that the University of California, Irvine (UCI) respect and protect the free speech rights of students participating in the UCI Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
UCI students, workers, and community members launched a Gaza Solidarity Encampment early this morning, April 29, on the university’s campus as part of a nationwide student movement calling on colleges and universities to divest from companies tied to Israeli apartheid and profiting off the current atrocities being committed against the people of Gaza.
Law enforcement was reportedly deployed to the protest site. Officers have allegedly threatened to forcibly remove student protesters and arrest anyone who tries to enter the encampment, and there have been reports of students being arrested for peacefully protesting.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik said:
“We demand UCI to not take part in the nationwide trend of intimidation, harassment, and use of excessive law enforcement presence against students participating in peaceful protest and assembly on their own campuses. These students have a constitutionally-guaranteed right to engage in peaceful protest against Israel’s genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced starvation in Gaza. Unfortunately, across the country, we have seen colleges implementing the ‘Palestine exception’ to free speech and violently cracking down on students engaging in speech advocating for Palestinian human rights.”
Last week, CAIR-LA condemned the University of Southern California’s (USC) violent crackdown on students participating in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on USC’s campus.
Colleges across the country are attempting to suppress pro-Palestinian activism. Students on campus are being subjected to harassment, doxxing, censorship, and arrests, as well as relation from their schools.
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 Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com