Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators At USC Join Camp-In Movement On Heels Of Valedictorian Controversy

Crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed University of Southern California on Wednesday for a demonstration that went from peaceful agendas to scuffles with police, eventually leading to the arrest of dozens of people.

Roughly 12 hours after the demonstration began in the predawn hours, campus and L.A. police officers ordered the crowd to disperse, prompting some to dig in. The Los Angeles Police Department said 93 people were arrested for trespassing.

USC’s Provost Andrew Guzman said protesters were repeatedly asked by security officers to remove prohibited items and relocate to a "compliant location."

"In each case, protesters refused," he added. "Their actions have escalated to the point of confrontation and have threatened the safety of our officers and campus community."

Police patrols will continue on campus through at least the weekend, which is only open to those with a USC ID or people with verifiable business there, the university announced.

The protest was the latest in a series of camp-in demonstrations sweeping across U.S. college campuses in response to the Israel-Hamas War.

Organizers said they planned to occupy Alumni Park until university administrators pledge to divest from companies with links to Israel and arms manufacturers. They're also calling on USC to end partnerships with Hebrew University's Rothenberg International School and Reichman University.

Students participate in a yoga class during a Pro-Palestinian occupation on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

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They also want the university to release a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Student organizers from the USC chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace were among those taking part in the protest.

“JVP USC feels our voice is especially important right now as many people at USC and across the country are equating Zionism and Judaism, but we are here to say they are not the same,” an organizer said in a statement. “We stand by our belief of free speech, resistance to oppressive systems and solidarity with our valedictorian Asna and all other college campuses where pro-Palestine voices have been silenced."

Students and protesters chant at a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

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By 10 a.m., the crowd had swelled, with many yelling chants that included, "While you’re learning, Gaza is burning" and "Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest!"

Students and demonstrators march and chanted a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

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But at around 11:20 a.m., campus officers began dismantling the encampments, gathering folding chairs, blankets and boxes belonging to the protesters, who then started moving their tents and belongings around to avoid confiscation.

About 30 minutes later, some demonstrators could be seen violently clashing with campus safety and LAPD officers as the crowd grew to more than 100.

Albert Corado, brother of Mely Corado, alongside students and protesters fight with USC Department of Public Safety officers over tents at a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

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Students and protesters march with tents to prevent USC Department of Public Safety officers from removing them at a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

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Viet Thanh Nguyen, university professor in the departments of English, American studies, ethnicity and comparative literature, said he joined the protesters at Alumni Park because "rarely have I seen such a mass of students come out to USC for political protests, for protests for social justice, human rights, anti war, anti genocide."

Ahmad Hasan, who graduated from USC in 2021, said he came out because he wants to "make Palestine unavoidable on campus."

"We want to send a very clear message that we will not allow this university to continue doing business as usual and pretending like we aren't losing our family members every day in Gaza," said Hasan, who is of Palestinian descent.

Around 1:30 p.m., the university closed its gates and started requiring visitors to show an ID. Shortly after 5 p.m., LAPD officers in riot gear and armed with rubber bullets entered the campus to carry out a dispersal order and remove protesters who aren't students.

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., police announced that the court is private property and demonstrators had 10 minutes to leave the area or be subject to criminal trespassing charges. While most people dispersed, a group of several dozen students who had locked arms were taken into custody one-by-one.

Meanwhile, smaller groups of demonstrators forced some street closures around the campus.

The preceding valedictorian controversy

Last week, tensions were high on USC’s campus after the administration announced it was canceling Asna Tabassum’s valedictory address, citing security concerns.

Her selection was met by criticism from some student groups, including Trojans for Israel, for what they described as her “anti-Zionist rhetoric” and external online sites she had linked to on her Instagram profile. External pro-Israeli groups like We are Tov also criticized her selection, saying she “promotes antisemitic views.”

Students set up a pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC in the pre-dawn hours of April 24, 2024.

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In an interview with Democracy Now, Tabassum said the linked resources included information relating to “the two-state solution, as well, as well as the one-state.”

“And my goal in putting the link in my bio is simply to inform my fellow peers in the small ways that I can,” she added. “But, ultimately, what I want people to take away is for people to inform themselves, come to their own conclusions, and then advocate for what they believe in.”

Since the administration made its announcement, students and faculty have been protesting and writing letters asking management to revoke their decision.

Students carrying signs protest a canceled commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian who has publicly supported Palestinians on the campus of University of Southern California on April 18, 2024.

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In a statement to LAist, USC said their decision "had nothing to do with the background or viewpoint of the valedictorian, but was instead based on a careful and holistic review of the situation from a safety and security standpoint.”

On Friday, the administration also announced they are canceling the keynote address by commencement speaker Jon Chu, the director behind the hit movie Crazy Rich Asians and a graduate of USC's prestigious film and television school.

“Nothing can take precedence over the safety of our community,” the statement added.

While USC officials cited safety, the LAPD confirmed to LAist last week that no crime report had been opened for the threats.

Students and protesters chant at a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

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USC joins other campuses nationwide

The tensions at USC are a reflection of a national trend as student protests have been roiling campuses in response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The Hamas attack killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, who also reported about 250 people were taken hostage. Israel says about 100 of those original hostages are believed to remain captive. Israel’s bombing of Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of whom are women and children, according to the local health authority.

Several universities have said they want to foster free speech and open conversations. At the same time, administrators have had to answer to sharp criticisms from alumni, donors and others asking about the use of antisemitic language and slogans by some demonstrators.

Cal Poly Humboldt was shut temporarily down this week after demonstrators occupied Siemens Hall with tents chanting pro-Palestine phrases and clashing with authorities.

Around 250 students at University of California, Berkeley have also set up a similar encampment outside Sproul Hall with some Jewish students joining the protesters for a Passover seder.

On Monday, Columbia University announced it was shifting classes to online after students set up encampments on the campus lawns calling on university administrators to sever ties with companies with links to Israel. Some of the students were arrested and suspended.

USC Department of Public Safety attempt to remove a detained protester during a Pro-Palestinian occupation protest on campus at USC on April 24, 2024.

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At Yale and New York University, police arrested around 150 people who were also calling on their administrators to divest ties with Israeli companies and weapons manufacturers.

How effective are divestment protests?

Students have turned to protest in the past calling on universities to cut ties with fossil fuel interests and organizations with ties to apartheid era South Africa.

In 2021, after nine months of student protests, the Cal State University system began pulling $162 million in investments from fossil fuel companies. The University of California system, Harvard and more than 50 universities across the nation have made similar pledges to divest from fossil fuel interests.

Gillian Hart, a professor emerita at University of California, Berkeley, was active in South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement in the Boston area in the 1980s. When she taught at Boston University and MIT in the 10 years that she worked with students in the anti-apartheid movement, she said, there was only one occasion that resulted in “active police aggression” compared to the divestment movements happening on college campuses now.

“I think what was extremely important about the movement was the extent to which students really were very keen and anxious to learn about what was going on in South Africa,” she said.