As admitted Early Decision students returned from their tours for a reception at Collins House March 21, roughly 100 protesters led by Occidental’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held a rally close by, walking in a picket line on Gilman Road to call attention to “repression and genocide,” according to their March 20 Instagram post.
SJP’s protest was in solidarity with Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the U.S. who was arrested March 8 by immigration authorities. According to Reuters, the Trump administration justified Khalil’s detention under a clause in the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act that permits the deportation of a foreign national whose “presence or activities” in the U.S. give the Secretary of State reasonable belief they will hamper U.S. foreign policy.
About 75 people gathered on the Academic Quad at 3 p.m., mainly students, with faculty members and individuals not affiliated with the college present. Protesters wore face coverings and held signs reading “ICE Off Campus,” “Cops off campus” and “Ditch the Dean as ICE liaison.”
The first speaker told the group that blockades, encampments, petitions and previous protests have not worked and that they have “no more patience.” The speaker said “there are rats at Occidental” and gestured toward the Arthur G. Coons (AGC) building, which houses the college’s administrative offices.
Another speaker, who said they are an alumnus of Pasadena City College and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, told the group they had “nothing to lose.”
The protesters marched around the quad and up Bird Road to Gilman Road until they were in the street across from Collins House. They marched in a circle in the middle of the road, repeating chants such as “Intifada, revolution, there is only one solution” and “Israel bombs, Oxy pays, how many kids did you kill today?”
Cars driving on Gilman Road were forced to turn around and one car leaving the parking garage next to Collins House honked in support of the protesters. Protesters attempted to hand out fliers to admitted students walking to the reception outside Collins House. At 4:10 p.m., protesters moved their picket line onto the lawn next to the Collins House reception. Among other slogans, they chanted “Join us” to the students and their families who stood around tables a few feet away.
The protesters sat on the Collins lawn at around 4:20 p.m., and a speaker announced SJP’s demands through a megaphone directed at the protesters and the admitted students’ families behind them. They remained on the lawn past 5 p.m.
Occidental trustees rejected a divestment proposal in June 2024 from SJP and Occidental’s chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. In October 2024, Occidental disclosed that they had $940,000 indirectly invested in Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Elbit Systems, Caterpillar and Maersk, according to an SJP instagram post. At the March 21 protest, SJP requested that Occidental divest from those five companies and disclose the value of their investments in 11 other companies.
A speaker from the Palestinian Youth Movement told “comrades” that they have work to do and that they will continue to organize until military cargo is no longer transported to Israel.
“Now is the time to target those who put weapons in the hands of Israel,” the speaker said.
Senior Director of Communications Rachael Warecki sent a statement on behalf of the college to The Occidental March 25 about the protests.
The statement said: “Occidental College supports the right to free expression, demonstration, and dissent, which are essential to academic freedom. Per the College’s Right to Dissent and Demonstration Policy, demonstrations are permitted as long as the activity does not impede others’ access to campus activities or involve other conduct prohibited in the policy. Last week’s demonstration restricted others’ access to campus activities and disrupted College operations, and therefore did not adhere to the College’s policy. The College is currently investigating the incident, referencing the factors described in the policy.”
Contact Ava Lalonde and James Miller at lalonde@oxy.edu and jmiller4@oxy.edu
