The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) complained Wednesday evening after the University of Southern California (USC) cleared an encampment that anti-Israel protesters had set up at the private Los Angeles campus.
As the Daily Trojan reported, Los Angeles Police Department officers moved in on Wednesday after several dozen protesters set up an unauthorized encampment. They used sponge batons and zip ties to make dozens of arrests.
CAIR issued a statement in which it condemned USC’s “violent crackdown and alleged use of excessive force.”
CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik said:
It is deeply concerning that USC’s response to students demonstrating peacefully in solidarity with Palestine is forcible suppression of free speech and assembly. This mirrors a nationwide trend of colleges and universities attempting to censor pro-Palestine advocacy on campuses. All students should feel safe while expressing their views and engaging in their right to assemble peacefully. We demand USC immediately cease any further acts of repression against the protesters and take action to respect and protect the speech of its students.