In response to the shocking and terrifying violence of counter-protesters Tuesday night, some close friends, classmates and I joined hundreds of other students outside of the Palestine solidarity encampment Wednesday night.

On April 28, a racist, Zionist mob verbally and physically assaulted students who were calling for UCLA to divest from companies that profit from Israel’s genocide in Gaza that has killed over 34,000 Palestinians.

A message to our students:
We write today with hearts full of sadness and outrage. Your university administration has failed you. It has failed to protect you and support you, and in doing so, it has made clear where its priorities lie: in silencing protests and maintaining the status quo at the cost of your rights of free speech and assembly.

I feel compelled to write this letter from faraway South Africa as a gesture of support and solidarity for UCLA students and those at other US universities who have been protesting in solidarity with Palestine and have been met with violence and arrest for their efforts.

This post was updated May 5 at 8:44 p.m.
Dearest Students:
On May 2, I woke up to the news that police had taken down your Palestine solidarity encampment.

This post was updated May 5 at 8:42 p.m.
Dear “Chancellor” Gene Block:
As the mother of a senior who is on the cusp of graduation after four tumultuous years, I watch with utter horror from across the country.

This post was updated May 2 at 9:06 p.m.
As Faculty for Justice in Palestine at UCLA, we call upon the governor of California, the mayor of Los Angeles, the University of California system and all other complicit authorities to grant full legal, academic and disciplinary amnesty for all protesters.