A pro-Palestine protest marched through Westwood on Saturday afternoon, ending at UCLA Medical Plaza and violating UCLA’s Time, Place and Manner rules. 

The protest, hosted by the Los Angeles, Orange County and Inland Empire chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement – among 20 other local and national organizations – began outside the Federal Building on Wilshire Boulevard at 3 p.m. Saturday, blocking traffic at the intersection of Wilshire and Veteran Avenue. 

Around 150 people marched through Westwood to the UCLA Medical Plaza where, according to a post from UCPD on the social media platform X, they violated UCLA’s Time, Place and Manner rules. The new rules were introduced in September and dictate campus policies on protests, including from non-student groups.

The protest was intended to bring attention to Israel’s ongoing siege on the Gaza strip during the holidays, according to a Friday instagram post from the Los Angeles, Orange County and Inland Empire chapter of the PYM. 

Protesters also marched to UCLA’s hospital to bring attention to the Israeli military’s storming of Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the last remaining hospitals in Northern Gaza, on Friday, according to a second post from the account Saturday. Multiple reports claimed the Israeli army set the hospital on fire, something an Israeli military spokesperson denied, according to the Associated Press.

“We will not be distracted by celebrations,” the chapters of PYM said in a statement on Instagram. “On the last weekend of 2024, let us fill the streets and show that the people of SoCal stand with Palestine!”

After blocking traffic at Wilshire and Veteran around 4 p.m., the group – holding signs and carrying Palestinian flags – marched to the UCLA Medical Plaza. The group briefly stood on the stairwell between the Medical Plaza and Ronald Reagan Medical Center, but a UCPD officer informed them they could not block the stairwell and they complied, according to the UCPD post. 

“We, the people of Los Angeles, we are here today to make it clear that we will never abandon our people in Gaza until complete and total liberation,” a speaker said at the march.

The UCPD post also said despite concerns that the protest would impact patient care, the group did not block access to the emergency room and left campus by 4:45 p.m. A UCPD spokesperson did not respond in time to requests for comment about whether any requests were made.