October 28, 2018

Over the past several months, students and recent graduates have volunteered countless hours of their time and energy in preparation for the 8th annual National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) Conference, which will be hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from November 16-18. In an effort to suppress our work for Palestinian rights, organizations, groups, and individuals that support Israel have engaged in a hateful and targeted harassment campaign against our members on social media. We have even received death threats.

Rather than supporting us, the UCLA administration issued a cease and desist letter which inaccurately asserted that the SJP chapter at UCLA and National SJP violated the university’s trademark on its name and the Bruin Bear. The letter also demanded the bear not be "associated with a Palestinian kite which some may interpret as an intention to endorse violence."

UCLA's racist and gross mischaracterization of our design ignores the fact that kite-flying is a common pastime in Gaza, and has long been a symbol of freedom for Palestinians. In fact, when children in Gaza gathered on the beach to break the Guiness World Record for most kites flown at one time, the story garnered international media coverage. The kites were repeatedly referred to as a symbol of freedom by the head of the United Nations in Gaza and children participating in the event. During Gaza's March of Return, children also flew kites.

UCLA's statement demonstrates how out of touch they are with the facts, and how quickly they are willing to associate the Palestinian rights movement with harmful, broad-sweeping stereotypes and caricatures.

We condemn attempts by UCLA administration to taint imagery that is grounded in freedom and liberation. Moreover, we reject UCLA’s attempt to infringe on our right to associate a bear (which is not trademarked) and a kite—a children's toy—with justice for the Palestinian people. The stated demands are ridiculous, and we will continue to use both design elements.

In accordance with our yearly practice, we adopted a region-specific design for our 2018 conference. We chose to honor years of West Coast advocacy efforts calling for respect for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The bear we designed was neither modeled after nor inspired by any existing imagery, and our search revealed no logo, emblem, or image of the Bruin bear that resembles the bear used in our design. Our bear pays homage to both the geographic location of the conference, and the long-standing role Californians have played in supporting Palestinian rights.

Ayesha Khan, a member of NSJP and UCLA alumna, expressed frustration at the unnecessary distraction that UCLA administration's actions created: “We are simply trying to bring together hundreds of passionate young people committed to equity and respect for human rights, as we have done for many years. I am saddened and appalled by UCLA administration’s dismissal of continued harassment and abuse on social media and on their own campus, in an effort to appease other groups and institutions whose political viewpoints they favor.”

This is not the first time we have been harassed, misrepresented, and maligned for our viewpoints and our support for basic human rights. Right-wing personalities, such as Ben Shapiro and Adam Milstein, as well as widely-condemned, anonymous groups such as Canary Mission and SJP Uncovered, are taking part in this hateful operation. Nevertheless, we will not stop advocating for what is right, and maintain our commitment to all movements in support of freedom, justice, and equality.

We are working alongside our legal counsel, including the ACLU of Southern California and Palestine Legal, to combat this discriminatory treatment which seeks to silence student advocates of Palestinian liberation. We call on those who support the right of all peoples to live a life of dignity and equity to stand by us at this time.