This post was updated May 16 at 12:24 a.m.
Two people were arrested during a demonstration held Thursday by pro-Palestine organizations at UCLA in remembrance of the 1948 Nakba.
The demonstration was hosted by several campus organizations – including Students for Justice in Palestine, a temporarily suspended organization – and intended to recognize Nakba Day – which recognizes when around 700,000 Palestinians were expelled by Israeli forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
“The day is important to recognize today because it just demonstrates the longevity of the violence of the Zionist entity against Palestinians and the fact that it did not start October 7,” said Mohammed, an SJP spokesperson who was granted partial anonymity due to fear of retaliation.
At 12:14 p.m., around 60 people gathered in Dickson Court North and held signs saying, “The Nakba never ended,” and gave speeches. Five UCPD officers were present at the onset of the demonstration.
“The repression we face on campus is linked to the repression Palestinians face under occupation,” a speaker said.
[Related: UCLA recommends indefinite ban for SJP, 4 year suspension for Graduate SJP]
Around 12:30 p.m., Student Affairs monitors approached a group of protesters to speak with them, as other protesters circled the monitors and chanted, “When Palestine is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back.”
About 100 protesters then marched to Dickson Plaza, chanting, “Palestine will live forever.”
As protesters moved locations, UCPD arrested one person near Dickson Court for illegally possessing a shield and resisting arrest, according to a post from UCPD on the social media platform X.
Around 12:45 p.m., participants set up cardboard boxes by Shapiro Fountain to model displaced villages during the Nakba. Protesters planted a tree by the fountain while speakers read stories of displaced family members.
“We’re going to try building these villages as they once were to pay homage to the history of them,” a speaker said.
A crowd of around 120 people then ran down Janss Steps toward Bruin Plaza as UCPD officers ran toward the crowd.
UCPD officers arrested a second person around 1:05 p.m. for using amplified sound after warnings were given, according to a post from UCPD on X. Use of amplified sound is restricted during marches unless approved beforehand under UCLA’s Time, Place and Manner guidelines.
A UCPD officer grabbed a Daily Bruin staffer by the shoulder and pulled her back while she attempted to film officers making the arrest.
Jeffrey Chobanian, UCPD’s acting administrative bureau captain, said in an emailed statement that the officer placed a hand on the videographer’s shoulder to get her attention. He added in the statement that the videographer’s press pass – which is signed by UCPD Chief Scott Scheffler – was worn to the front, so the officer was not able to see it.
At 1:17 p.m., the protesters then gathered outside the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center, holding banners saying, “We will not stop, we will not rest.” They also set up clotheslines to mimic what they said were refugee camp structures.
An unnamed person made a post on the r/UCLA Reddit page Thursday that included anti-Islamic rhetoric about the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. The Daily Bruin was not able to confirm if the poster is affiliated with UCLA.
UCLA Media Relations did not respond in time to request for comment on the post.
After the protest’s dispersal around 1:30 p.m., a counter-protester entered Kerckhoff Hall and stood outside the Muslim Student Association’s office – which pro-Palestine protesters said he was “blockading.” A member of UCLA Student Affairs told the counter-protester that he was making people uncomfortable and asked him to leave – however, the counter-protester said he would not exit unless he was given a “lawful order.”
Two security guards then asked the counter-protester to leave, and the counter-protester then exited the building.
“There is no place for discrimination of any kind in our community. We are fully committed to ensuring all Bruins feel safe and supported,” a UCLA spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Mohammed, a fourth-year student, said they demonstrated to recognize that the Nakba is “never ending.”
“As long as the violence has existed, so has the resistance,” they said. “When we think of the Nakba never ending – and the fact that this has been going on for longer than 1948, longer than 77 years – so have ideas of resistance and organizing principles.”
