PJLC Provides Legal Support After Police Arrests at UCI Encampment

The Peace and Justice Law Center (PJLC) provided legal support and on-the-ground monitoring after police violently cleared a Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University of California, Irvine and took dozens of protesters into custody. PJLC staff were present throughout the day and evening and directly observed the events that led to the police crackdown.

Based on what PJLC witnessed, the police response was not prompted by protester violence. Instead, the escalation followed an incident in which a police officer instigated a confrontation and then falsely reported that he had been assaulted. That false claim was used to justify calling in mutual aid from numerous law enforcement agencies across Orange County, transforming a peaceful protest into a heavily militarized police operation.

As officers from multiple agencies arrived in riot gear, police methodically dismantled the encampment and pushed protesters out of the quad and surrounding buildings. At least 30 people were taken into custody, many restrained with zip ties. Some of those detained identified themselves as UCI faculty members who said they were present to support students’ right to peacefully protest. PJLC observed shoving and the use of physical force by police as the sweep progressed.

The encampment had been in place for more than two weeks and consisted of tents, teach-ins, speeches, and nonviolent demonstrations calling on UCI to divest from companies tied to Israel and weapons manufacturers, reinvest in students and workers, and grant amnesty to students facing discipline.

PJLC has worked with the Divest Coalition to ensure they are allowed to express themselves freely without unlawful repression by the university. But as arrests began, PJLC immediately shifted to legal support. Staff remained on site into the late night hours at both the University and the Orange County jail intake and release center. There, PJLC met with families of those who had been arrested, provided legal information, explained the booking and release process, and helped people understand their rights and what to expect next. For many families, PJLC was the only source of reliable information during a stressful and confusing night.

PJLC has agreed to continue representing individuals as cases stemming from the arrests move forward. This work reflects PJLC’s commitment to standing with protesters and movement partners when they are targeted for exercising their First Amendment rights, and to challenging police misconduct and false narratives used to justify repression of lawful political protest.

Police take some protesters at UC Irvine into custody, break up Gaza Solidarity Encampment