[This report was originally published by the UCLA Task Force on Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Muslim, and Anti-Arab Racism on May 13. 2024.]
On behalf of the UCLA Task Force on Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Muslim, and Anti-Arab Racism, we submit this report documenting the racism and violence directed at Palestinians, Muslims, Arabs and anyone, including Jews, who express opposition to the war in Gaza and in defense of Palestinian rights.
Our Task Force was convened and charged to report to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, Dr. Darnell Hunt. While we were not tasked with producing a report, the violence against our students has occasioned this action.
The racism and violence we document includes not only long-standing incidents of harassment and punitive actions taken against faculty and students for their support of Palestinian rights but the recent violent attacks from counter protesters on the Palestine Solidarity Encampment, the university’s utter failure to protect the students under attack, and the violence perpetrated by police who at the administration’s behest cleared the encampment by injuring, detaining and arresting peaceful protesters.
Finally, the administration has yet to grant student protesters amnesty, offer to cover medical expenses for the injuries they sustained at the hands of counter protesters and the police, and protect their fundamental right to engage in peaceful protest. In this report we describe the racism and violence directed at Palestinians, Muslims, Arabs and defenders of Palestinian human rights, including many Jews, and we narrate our Task Force’s attempts to bring the racism and violence to your attention, efforts that have largely been ignored.