UCLA’s Pro-Palestinian Student Groups Undergo Disciplinary Action for Protesting at Regent’s Residence
Two pro-Palestinian student organizations at UCLA have been put on interim suspension and are currently under investigation after staging a protest at the residence of a UC regent.
Chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine (GSJP) at the University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA) are facing disciplinary scrutiny following their protest against the ongoing Israeli–Hamas conflict, which they took to the home of University of California Regent Jonathan “Jay” Sures.
The UCLA Office of Student Conduct issued interim suspensions for both student organizations after pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at Sures’ Los Angeles home early Wednesday morning.
Regent Sures, who is Jewish, serves as the vice chairman of United Talent Agency, a global talent agency located in Beverly Hills.
On February 5th, protestors associated with SJP and GSJP reportedly harassed Sures and his family at their residence.
In a letter addressed to the UCLA community, Chancellor Julio Frenk stated that protestors surrounded a vehicle belonging to one of Sures’s family members, blocking its movement. They rang drums, chanted slogans, and displayed signs with threatening messages.
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Additionally, the demonstrators vandalized Sures’ residence by smearing red handprints on the outside walls and hanging banners on the property’s hedges.
Calls for UCLA to divest from Israel have come from both the UCLA Graduate Student Association and the UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council.
In his statement, Chancellor Frenk emphasized: “No one should ever fear for their safety.”
“Without a sense of safety, individuals cannot learn, teach, work, or live—let alone thrive,” he continued. “This applies universally, regardless of group affiliation or identity.”
The UCLA Office of Student Conduct is currently reviewing the student organizations for possible violations of the university’s conduct code. Should the findings be validated, disciplinary measures may ensue.
“Violence has no place in our Bruin community,” concluded Frenk, who previously served as the Mexican Secretary of Health.
“While I cannot promise a world devoid of violence, I assure you that UCLA will address any violent acts directed towards members of our university community.”
On February 13, the student organizations released a joint statement asserting that they did not engage in violence.
They contended that Frenk’s letter about the protest did not mention any actual acts of violence.
The groups further claimed: “Jonathan Sures is a wealthy UC regent who allocates university funds towards war, occupation, and genocide. He is not part of our community.”
“Framing advocacy as violence obscures the genuine violence being enacted by arms manufacturers and investors like UCLA.”
“While spirited debate and differing opinions are essential to campus dialogue, violence is unacceptable,” JFEDLA remarked.
“Harassing individuals within their private residences is not activism; it is harassment.”
SJP and GSJP may contest their interim suspensions.
“The Student Group may provide information supporting the claim that the Interim Suspension is excessive or that its terms should be altered,” as outlined in the Student Group Conduct Code. “The Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Life or their designee can review the claims that led to the Interim Suspension and has the authority to revoke or adjust its conditions.”
UCLA media relations did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
