2024 University of California, Irvine pro-Palestinian campus occupation

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2024 University of California, Irvine pro-Palestinian campus occupation
Part of the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
DateApril 29 – May 15, 2024
Location
University of California, Irvine
StatusProtest suppressed
Parties

Flag of Palestine.svgPro-Palestinian groups:

Law enforcement:

Casualties
Arrested47

On April 29, 2024, a pro-Palestinian encampment was started at University of California, Irvine demanding that the university divest from Israel. [1] The encampment was dismantled by police on May 15, leading to the arrest of student activists and other participants.

Contents

Background

Following pro-Palestinian protests across university campuses, over 200 protestors gathered at UCI on April 25, 2024 to demand the university divest from Israel and condemn the genocide in Gaza. The protest was peaceful with no reported altercations. [2]

The following week, on April 29, a group of students set up a tent encampment on campus hoping to increase pressure on the university. [1] According to student organizers, the encampment was made up of 35 to 40 UCI students. [3] Chancellor Howard Gillman declared the encampment to be "unauthorized" and in violation of university policy. [4]

Police Deployment

On May 15, 2024, a crackdown on the encampment resulted in an occupation of the UC Irvine Science Building by the protesters. [5] UCI police put out a mutual aid call and received a response from at least 16 law enforcement agencies from around Orange County. [6] Hundreds of officers responded and forty-seven protesters, including students, UCI employees and others were arrested. Student participants were suspended for up to 14 days. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Aftermath

On May 22, students affiliated with UCI Divest Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine organized a walkout to protest the suspension. [7] [11]

On July 30, five UC Irvine students sued the UC Regents and Chancellor for suspending them without due process. [12] [13]

On September 18, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer filed misdemeanor charges against ten protesters, which included four students and two faculty members: Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, an associate professor of global and international studies, and a lecturer in the school of humanities. [14] A month later, Spitzer filed misdemeanor charges against 39 additional protestors. [15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Slaten, Michael. "Deputies leave UC Irvine, though protesters still prepping to sleep on campus". OC Register. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  2. ↑ Kang, Hanna. "At UC Irvine, hundreds turn out to demonstrate in support of Palestine". OC Register. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  3. ↑ Slaten, Michael. "UC Irvine pro-Palestinian encampment lasts overnight, demonstrator asked to leave campus by police". OC Register. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  4. ↑ "Campus activity update". University of California, Irvine. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  5. ↑ Faheid, Dalia; Romine, Taylor (2024-05-16). "Law enforcement detains at least a dozen protesters at University of California, Irvine as they clear encampment". CNN. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  6. ↑ González, David; Rand, Jory (2024-05-15). "Several protesters arrested at UC Irvine as authorities clear pro-Palestinian encampment". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  7. 1 2 González, David (2024-05-23). "UC Irvine protesters stage walkout over student suspensions". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  8. ↑ Wolfe, Jonathan (2024-05-16). "Protesters Clash With Police as U.C. Irvine Encampment Is Cleared". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  9. ↑ Fry, Hannah; Vives, Ruben; Winton, Richard; Toohey, Grace; Orellana Hernandez, Angie; Ahn, Ashley; Terry, Castleman (2024-05-15). "Police arrest 47 at UC Irvine after sweeping protest camp, clearing barricaded building". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  10. ↑ Sarnoff, Leah (2024-05-16). "47 people arrested at UC Irvine after police, sheriff called in over protest". ABC News . Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  11. ↑ Bahnsen, Annika; Kang, Hanna (2024-05-22). "UCI Divest group says students suspended, calls for walkout after encampment protest". msn.com. Orange County Register.
  12. ↑ Lacy, Akela (2024-08-16). "Student Protesters Were Suspended With No Chance to Defend Themselves. Will Courts Return Them to Campus?". The Intercept . Archived from the original on 2024-08-16. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
  13. ↑ Horwitz, Jonathan (2024-08-19). "UCI students suspended after pro-Palestine protests sue UCI chancellor, UC regents". Orange County Register . Archived from the original on 2024-08-20. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
  14. ↑ Fry, Hannah (September 18, 2024). "Two UC Irvine professors and four students among those charged in spring protest on campus". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2024-09-19.
  15. ↑ Conybeare, Will (October 16, 2024). "39 additional protesters charged after May UC Irvine protest deemed unlawful assembly". KTLA.
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