May 1 (UPI) — The University of California, Los Angeles, has informed pro-Palestinian protesters that their encampment is “unlawful” and violates school policies as it moves to disband the demonstration.
Student and non-student demonstrators erected their encampment Thursday in the Royce Quad of the UCLA’s campus in demand that the university divest from Israel while calling for a halt in the fighting between the Middle Eastern country and Hamas in Gaza.
The message was sent to demonstrators Tuesday, and comes as other universities across the United States have asked police to dismantle similar protests erected on their campuses, resulting in hundreds of arrests.
A copy of the message published online by the activist group People’s City Council of Los Angeles, which is involved in the encampment, states that those involved but not affiliated with the school are breaking the law and could face misdemeanor charges.
UCLA students who remain in the encampment could be sanctioned, including being suspended or dismissed from the school, it said.
The UCLA Palestinian Solidarity Encampment responded by accusing the school of employing a “cowardly intimidation tactic.”
“We will remain here until our demands are met,” it said in a statement.
It also accused the school of failing to protect them from “zionists” who “threaten our safety every night by verbally, physically and emotionally assaulting the students participating in the encampment.”
UCLA President Michael Drake said in a statement Tuesday night that he supports campus taking this step toward dismantling the encampment.
“The University of California must be as flexible as it can involving matters of free expression, including expression of viewpoints that some find deeply offensive,” he said. “But when that expression blocks the ability of students to learn or to express their own viewpoints, when it meaningfully disrupts the functioning of the University, or when it threatens the safety of students, or anyone else, we must act.”
Drake had also said in a letter to the university’s community that while most of the demonstrators have been peaceful, some have employed “shocking and shameful” tactics, citing instances of violence and students being blocked from accessing parts of the campus.
In response, the school “significantly increased” security at the site and has asked law enforcement to investigated recent acts of violence, he said.
“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,” he said. “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.”