USC informed its faculty members in its journalism department that they had the option to instruct classes online through the end of the week because pro-Pallentine activists had held a demonstration, calling for the school to cut financial ties with Israel. it was done.
“Given the events taking place on campus, we want to give you the option to hold your classes in a hybrid or online manner through the end of the week,” USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism officials said in a message to faculty.
Organizers of the USC occupation – identifying themselves as the USC Divest from Death coalition – issued a statement saying the demonstration was “in solidarity with the people of Palestine as they protest genocide and continue in their struggle for liberation. Live.”
Although there were some heated moments when authorities detained some protesters, the demonstration was mostly peaceful, and there were no reports of arrests or injuries.
USC Provost Andrew Guzman issued a statement saying the university closed the campus gates and took “other actions to prevent the protest from escalating and keep the rest of campus calm.”
In his statement Wednesday afternoon, Guzman said the university has banned forming tents or other encampments on campus, as well as “the use of loudspeakers, signs on poles or stakes and the disruption of classes and other essential functions.” Have given. university.”
Guzman said protest participants – “many of whom do not appear to be affiliated with USC” – were repeatedly asked to follow campus rules by removing tents and other prohibited items.
“In each case, the protesters refused,” Guzman said. “Their actions have escalated to the point of being confrontational and have put the safety of our officers and the campus community at risk.”
Some Jewish students interviewed by campus media said they feared for their safety, accusing the crowd of chanting anti-Semitic slogans during the protest.
“We want to make it clear that we reject speech that is hateful and that harms others,” Guzman wrote in his statement. “In this challenging time, we call on the Trojan family to remember that each of our members
The community deserves respect, has the right to live safely on campus, take classes, and participate in other campus activities without fear of harassment or bullying. Treating each other well should be everyone’s priority
and care.”
Guzmán’s statement did not address any of the demands put forward by protest organizers.
Those demands included a complete academic boycott of Israel, including ending study abroad programs in the region and severing ties with Israeli universities; protection of free expression of students who speak out in support of Palestine; and called for the university to issue a public statement, “calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza, condemning the ongoing genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people, and calling on government authorities to do the same.”
Even then.”
