UC Irvine suspends some students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstration

Several University of California, Irvine students who have participated in the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus since last week are facing suspensions, according to multiple reports.

New University, UCI’s student-run newspaper, reported on Thursday that student protesters started to receive suspension notices on Wednesday for what the university called “multiple conduct violations.” Those suspended included three students who were members of the negotiating party that has met with campus administration regularly.

The total amount of suspensions handed out was not immediately known.

Students who received suspension notices were told to leave campus immediately, which included any on-campus housing, according to the Orange County Register .

On Tuesday, a statement from the office of UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said the encampment had remained peaceful, though the university had received reports of “disruptive protesting” and vandalism.

A statement by UCI Divest , which is one of the organizations leading the student encampment, said the motion to suspend protesters was part of an “ongoing attack” by the administration to upend negotiations.

“In addition to prohibiting students from being physically or virtually present on campus, the suspension states that ‘this exclusion from UCI includes any and all University housing facilities,’ thus effectively serving as an eviction notice as well,” the statement reads in part. “If the students are not allowed to camp, nor allowed to sleep in their beds, where are they to go?”

The Register reported that UCI administration refused to comment on the suspension, citing privacy laws.

Several student organizations involved with the encampment, including UCI Divest, Students for Justice in Palestine at UCI and Anakbayan at UCI, were also suspended according to New University. Details regarding the group suspensions were not immediately clear.

The encampment was one of several that appeared on college campuses throughout Southern California in protest of university business dealings with Israeli-associated companies.

Administrators at the University of California, Riverside, successfully negotiated an end to its on-campus encampment with students last week. The university agreed to publicly disclose all of its investments on its website as a result of the negotiations.

UCLA classes remained remote this week after its encampment took a violent turn last week. Early in the morning last Thursday, police forcefully removed the encampment from campus, resulting in several injuries to students and more than 100 arrests.

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