UCLA Suspends Students for Justice in Palestine after Vandalism at UC Regent’s Home
UCLA Administrators Take Action
UCLA administrators said Wednesday they were indefinitely suspending two Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organizations after masked pro-Palestinian campus activists protested outside the Brentwood home of University of California Regent Jay Sures last week, vandalizing his property and surrounding his wife while she was in her car.
Chancellor’s Statement
Chancellor Julio Frenk said in a campuswide message that the decision by the UCLA Office of Student Conduct was an interim suspension while internal judicial proceedings over the groups — Students for Justice in Palestine and Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine — took place. The organizations, which supported pro-Palestinian encampments last year, will no longer be able to reserve space for meetings on campus, apply for student club funding, or affiliate themselves with UCLA.
Conduct Proceedings and Suspensions
The conduct proceedings and suspensions have no end date. Frenk said, “Without the basic feeling of safety, humans cannot learn, teach, work and live — much less thrive and flourish. This is true no matter what group you are a member of — or which identities you hold. There is no place for violence in our Bruin community.”
Other UC Campuses Take Action
UCLA joins several other UCs and other campuses throughout the country that have banned or suspended SJP. At UC Santa Cruz, the organization is suspended until September 2026. At UC Irvine, a suspension is in place through November 2029. And at UC San Diego, SJP was charged last spring with activities “incompatible with the orderly operation of campus” and did not renew its campus group status in the fall.
Zero-Tolerance Policy
The UCLA suspensions come after UC adopted “zero-tolerance” policies for code of conduct violations following unrest during spring 2024 when campuses erupted in contentious protests — and violence targeted the UCLA pro-Palestinian encampment. The policy bans masking while breaking the law, including vandalism. UCLA’s rules add that it can hold students accountable for off-campus behavior if university leaders believe students have acted violently or endorsed violence. While the LAPD is investigating potential crimes during the incident at Sures’ home, UCLA is not pursuing campus charges against individual students related to the actions.
Protest and Vandalism
In his letter, Frenk cited Instagram posts from the UCLA SJP groups advertising an early morning Feb. 5 protest outside the regent’s home. Dozens of protesters — their faces concealed with scarves and masks — showed up with drums, fliers, and signs demanding the UC system divest from Israel. The activists “harassed” Sures and used “threatening messages,” Frenk said, and held a banner reading, “Jonathan Sures, you will pay until you see your final day.” Frenk also said protesters “vandalized the Sures home by applying red-colored handprints to the outer walls of the home and hung banners on the property’s hedges.”
Regent’s Response
Sures, a UCLA alumnus and vice chairman at United Talent Agency, is one of 18 UC regents. An outspoken supporter of Israel, he called the actions of pro-Palestinian campus protesters antisemitic as encampments and conflicts with administrators and police escalated last year. In a Feb. 5 Instagram post, accounts for the SJP chapters group said Sures is “one of the unelected officials responsible for protecting UC investments in genocide and weapons manufacturing.” The post includes a doctored image of Sures in a suit with fire burning behind him under a pro-Palestinian banner and his hands edited to appear bloody.
Faculty Member’s Response
Graeme Blair, a member of UCLA’s Faculty for Justice in Palestine, said the suspensions were part of a pattern of “violence against Arab, Muslim, Palestinian, and pro-Palestine students.” “Just like in April, administrators today selectively deployed the charge of violence, not against those whose actions cause physical harm, but against those whose speech they dislike,” said Blair, an associate professor of political science. “Chancellor Frenk and the UC regents’ continuing complicity in genocide is violence. … To call hanging banners on shrubs violence is a despicable distortion.”
Student Reactions
The UCLA SJP groups posted brief statements on Instagram Wednesday. “Damn, that’s crazy,” said a post on the graduate student group’s account under a copy of Frenk’s letter. “Hey guys, @UCLA just ‘interim suspended’ our chapter,” said the UCLA SJP account. “Stay tuned and turn on our story and post notifications to stay updated.” An emoji of a Palestinian flag ended the post.
Conclusion
The suspensions come at a time when pro-Palestinian movements have grown quickly on U.S. campuses, with the movement demanding divestment from Israel. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between pro-Palestinian activists and university administrators, with some seeing the suspensions as a response to the perceived threats and others viewing it as a necessary step to maintain campus safety.
FAQs
* What is the reason for the suspension of the SJP organizations?
The suspension is due to the vandalism and harassment of Regent Jay Sures’ property and his wife during a protest.
* What is the policy of the University of California regarding code of conduct violations?
The university has adopted a “zero-tolerance” policy for code of conduct violations, which bans masking while breaking the law, including vandalism.
* What are the consequences of the suspension?
The suspended organizations will no longer be able to reserve space for meetings on campus, apply for student club funding, or affiliate themselves with UCLA.
* What is the response of the SJP groups to the suspension?
The SJP groups have posted on Instagram, saying they will continue to protest and advocating for divestment from Israel.
