USA – The president of the University of California has announced that the system would enforce bans on encampments as well as the use of masks to “conceal identity” in guidance that comes as schools across the US are planning for protests in support of Gaza similar to those that roiled campuses across the country.

Michael V Drake, the president of the 10-campus university system, said in a statement on Monday that the UC was taking steps to “ensure a safe, inclusive campus climate that fosters a free exchange of ideas”. “Freedom to express diverse viewpoints is fundamental to the mission of the University, and lawful protests play a pivotal role in that process,” Drake wrote. “While the vast majority of protests held on our campuses are peaceful and nonviolent, some of the activities we saw this past year were not.”

Pro-Palestinian protests swept universities across the US and UC saw demonstrations at campuses from San Diego and Santa Cruz to Davis. At UCLA, demonstrators were violently attacked by a group of masked persons as law enforcement and campus security looked on. The protests unfolded differently on the system’s various campuses, and some schools’ responses drew more scrutiny than others. But many of the schools, and the system as a whole, drew criticism, including by those who said the system was permitting an unsafe environment for Jewish students and those frustrated over the treatment of protesters.

Before classes began this week, Drake clarified policies around prohibiting encampments and “unauthorized structures” as well as masking in order to hide identity and refusing to reveal one’s identity to university personnel. He also directed university leaders to strictly and consistently enforce the rules. (The Guardian)…[+]