Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UCLA is mobilizing today (11/19/24) to demand UC-wide divestment and express solidarity with AFSCME 3299’s upcoming strike, in addition to its campaign for divestment from Blackstone. Student protesters are gathering to “march against genocide” as SJP calls on UCLA to disclose its assets, divest from firms tied to Israel’s war in Gaza, abolish campus policing, and engage in an academic boycott of Israel.
This post, updated by members of our News Department, seeks to provide up-to-date information and developments about the student strike for Palestine, and will be periodically updated. Throughout the day, The News Department will also maintain immediate, real-time updates on X (formerly Twitter):
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4:04pm – Police begin to leave campus
The majority of UCPD officers have left the scene to chants of “Shame” and “Cops off campus!” by the remaining protesters. Five police officers remain on Bruin Walk.
3:23pm – Demonstration wraps up
SJP organizers are wrapping up the demonstration, offering food and telling protesters to disperse in groups. A speaker urged students to support tomorrow’s AFSCME 3299 picket, starting at 6am in Bruin Plaza. Law enforcement is still on the scene.
3:10pm – Picket sees a lull, as organizers take a short break
An SJP speaker leads students in chants as they take a break from the picket line to rest, eat and drink. UCPD officers in riot gear and CSC security remain on the east side of Bruin Plaza.
2:24pm – Picket continues, with approximately 100 people on the scene
Counter protesters move into the center of the picket. SJP organizers are facing the police, exclaiming “cops off campus”.
2:17pm – Police in riot gear begin to congregate around Ackerman and Kerckhoff Patios
As the picket merges with the line that was formed around Bruin Plaza, police presence on campus grows steadily. Police in riot gear line up around Bruinwalk and surrounding areas.
2:06pm – Chants continue, as crowd grows smaller
The number of picketers have gone down slightly, but strong chants continue. “We are not going anywhere”, exclaims a speaker from the picket.
1:35pm – SJP organizers form a line between Bruinwalk and Bruin Plaza
Organizers have linked arms and formed a line between Bruinwalk and Bruin Plaza, on the eastern side towards Kerckhoff. A speaker from the picket says “We are not going anywhere.”
1:19pm – SJP begins picket for Palestine on Bruinwalk
SJP has begun a picket for Palestine on Bruinwalk, marching in circles holding numerous signs that include slogans such as, “Long live the workers” and “People over profit.”
1:02pm – SJP marches back to Bruin Plaza
Now marching back from Murphy Hall, SJP reads the names of people killed in Gaza, chanting, “They will not die in vain, they will be redeemed.” Regathering in Bruin Plaza, SJP members chant, “We will honor our martyrs, all our children, sons, and daughters.”
12:50pm – Speaker addresses crowd outside Murphy Hall
Another speaker addresses the crowd: “I hope that silence hit you to your core – the grief, marching, people’s eyes on you. Where are the eyes of the people on Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria? Let us escalate our tactics and elevate our urgency.” The speaker discusses the upcoming AFSCME 3299 strike, Blackstone, and how the ULPs (Unfair Labor Practices) are connected to their fight for divestment.
12:38pm – SJP begins silent march to Murphy Hall
SJP begins a silent march to Murphy Hall to the beat of drums, signifying how the people of Gaza are forced to march in silence as they are displaced by Israeli attacks. As the SJP march approaches Murphy Hall, 4 CSC officers and 4 APEX Security officers are lined up outside the building. The APEX officers video the protesters.
12:30pm – Speaker addresses the crowd
A speaker from SJP addresses the crowd: “This is what numbers in solidarity means […] the strength, the power of the people. Get ready to show this school that we will not stand idly by as it […] remains complicit, remains silent watching this genocide.” They translate a testimony from a 21-year-old student in Gaza who was displaced multiple times. Discussing stories from the Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, they say, “Let these words hit you.”
12:27pm – Student prepare for SJP march
Approximately 70 people gathered in Bruin Plaza, with students holding various banners and signs reading: “By Soul, By Blood,” “The Nakba Never Ended,” “Divest Now,” “Estudiantes Y Trabajadores Unidos,” and “No Universities Left In Gaza.”
12:00pm – Student protesters gather in Bruin Plaza
Students are beginning to gather in Bruin Plaza for SJP’s march and student strike, in solidarity with AFSCME 3299 and the people of Gaza and Lebanon. The organization has amplified AFSCME 3299’s calls for university divestment from Blackstone, a private equity firm that has been criticized for contributing to California’s housing unaffordability crisis. In a 2023 decision condemned by a coalition of unions, the UC invested $4 billion in Blackstone’s real estate investment trust.
AFSCME 3299 will begin a two-day strike tomorrow over alleged bad-faith bargaining and unilateral increases of healthcare costs by the UC.
Contributing reports by:
