Pro-Palestinian Protest Spreads to UC Irvine with Peaceful Campus Encampment Supported by Mayor

The pro-Palestinian protests that have been taking place on college campuses across the country have now spread to the University of California, Irvine. Approximately one hundred individuals are currently participating in a campus encampment organized by student activists. Similar to previous demonstrations at UCLA and other institutions, designated media representatives were assigned to monitor access to protesters during Monday’s protests. The evening’s proceedings concluded largely peacefully, as reported later by FOX 11 journalists covering the scene. Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan publicly endorsed the demonstrators on Monday, emphasizing their right to peaceful assembly and protest without any infringement from law enforcement authorities. She made this announcement in a public statement that read: “I am asking our police officers to stand down. I will not tolerate any violations of students’ rights to peacefully assemble and demonstrate.” The University of California, Irvine released the following official statement regarding these events: