UCLA remembers victims in Gaza one year after Oct. 7 attacks

A UC Los Angeles student organized a memorial in honor of those killed during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by militant-group Hamas was disrupted by two individuals on Monday, according to the Daily Bruin. Subsequent Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UCLA protests were condemned by the University of California Police Department (UCPD) for violating university time, place and manner policies.

The memorial for Israel consisted of 1,200 Israeli, American, Thai and Ukrainian flags outside of Kerckhoff Hall. According to the Daily Bruin, the display — which was approved with a permit — was interrupted by two separate individuals who walked over the flags.

Bruins for Israel then gathered at 6:15 p.m. with over 200 supporters at UCLA Hillel for a “silent walk,” in honor of Israeli victims.

The UCLA Police Department announced on X that Meyerhoff Park is a designated protest space which will be reserved for permitted events and “protesters need approval to post signs and cannot disrupt planned events or campus activities,” according to the Daily Bruin.

At 4 p.m., UCLA SJP students gathered outside of Dickson Court North for “365 days of genocide” organized programming. Over 100 students gathered, chanting, “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” according to the Daily Bruin.

By 5 p.m., around 200 protestors marched to the Broad Art Center then Murphy Hall. Privately hired security for the university created a barricade of bicycles to block the entrance of the building. UCPD monitored the action with drones overhead, later releasing a statement claiming SJP violated university protest regulations.

“A UCPD spokesperson said SJP violated university time, place and manner policies by protesting in Dickson Court North and outside the Broad Art Center. They added that the group refused to comply with university requests to move to a designated free-speech area and stop using amplified sound,” the Daily Bruin said.

UCSC activists support arrested protestor

Dozens of pro-Palestinian student protestors at UC Santa Cruz gathered outside the local county jail on Oct. 7 to support a fellow protestor who was arrested during a protest for Palestininan liberation.

Over 150 supporters gathered outside of Quarry Plaza in Santa Cruz for protesting and programming organized by SJP at UCSC, Jews Against White Supremacy and the Revolutionary Student Organization. Attendees carrying signs, keffiyehs and Palestinian flags were monitored by at least three police cars, according to Lookout Santa Cruz.

This comes after 122 students and faculty members were arrested in spring after police broke up the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. Protest organizers condemned the University’s action, calling it police brutality and an attack on free speech.

“Although oppression throughout the UC system has been uneven, each campus faces individual threats from the administration. It is critical to recognize a mass crackdown throughout the system and more specifically on our campus,” an SJP at UCSC spokesperson said according to Lookout Santa Cruz.

UCI makes way towards hydrogen blending on campus

A UC Irvine project which aims to mix up to 20% of hydrogen into SoCalGas infrastructure at the Anteater Recreation Center will be reviewed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval on March 1.

“Solar powered electrolyzers — machines that split water into its respective components of hydrogen and oxygen — are proposed to make hydrogen gas to fuel existing appliances. This is intended to reduce greenhouse gas and nitrogen oxide emissions from the ARC’s infrastructure,” the New University said.

The project is broken down into four phases over the course of five years. If granted CPUC approval, the project will be overseen by an administrative team, a student advisory committee and a campus oversight committee.

According to the New University, concerns about the project include the budget, safety protocols, emergency response plans and potential odor and air pollution resulting from burning hydrogen.

Project advisors remain “optimistic” about the plan as hydrogen blending releases water vapor instead of carbon dioxide when generating power making it “an eco-friendly alternative energy source.”

A version of this article appeared on p. 2 of the Oct. 10, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.

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Anushka Ghosh Dastidar
Anushka Ghosh Dastidar (she/her) is the Lead News Editor for the 2024-25 school year. Previously, Ghosh Dastidar was the Community Outreach News Editor for the 2023-24 school year and the Assistant News Editor for the 2022-2023 school year. She can be reached at anushkagd@dailynexus.com or news@dailynexus.com.