This article was updated at 8:26 p.m. on Feb. 22.

Students reported finding several posters around Westwood Sunday that depicted men with assault rifles standing over a masked man and named the group Students for Justice in Palestine with “#JewHaters” written below it.

The posters were reported outside Ackerman Union, near Powell Library, in the North Village and near the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Veteran Avenue.

Mikael Matossian, a fourth-year environmental science student and president of the Armenian Students’ Association, said he saw one of the posters outside Ackerman Union while he walked on Bruin Walk on his way to work on a group project early Sunday.

He said the poster was covering a trash can, and though it was raining, the words and photo were still visible.

“When I saw it I was kind of shocked,” he said. “It’s like hate speech, directed toward this one specific group.”

UCLA Facilities Management was notified of the signs and cleaned them up, UCPD Sgt. Karen Gentilucci said. Gentilucci declined to comment further.

Students for Justice in Palestine has sponsored two controversial resolutions over the past two years urging the Undergraduate Students Association Council to encourage the University of California to divest from companies that some say profit from human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In a press release, Students for Justice in Palestine called for the university to release a statement condemning the posters.

“These posters are a clear example of hate speech directed against Students for Justice in Palestine, as well as supporters of Palestinian freedom and equality,” the press release said. “They rely on Islamophobic and anti-Arab tropes to paint Palestinians as terrorists and to misrepresent Students for Justice in Palestine as anti-Semitic.”

Manjot Singh, USAC general representative, said he saw one of the posters covering an electric transformer box on campus at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Veteran Avenue. The writing at the bottom of the poster was removed by the time he saw it, he said.

Olufemi Taiwo, a graduate student in philosophy, wrote in a public Facebook post that he spoke to several students who took down the signs. The post received more than 200 comments in its first few hours online.

He added that the students taking down the posters identified themselves as pro-Israel and that they condemned the signs. Taiwo did not immediately respond to calls for comment.

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34 Comments

  1. I am still waiting for the USAC members that discriminated against a Jewish student to be made to resign. Apparently it takes more than discriminating against a student due to their religion to be made to step down?

    The UC system is becoming a cesspool of hate, specifically against Jews. Until UCLA administration takes a proactive approach towards the hostility made towards Jews, the campus will continue to be a hate filled and deteriorating environment.

      1. Actually no it is not. Even though I think posting a flyer that calls SJP #Jewhaters is a stupid call on the end of whomever chose to do it, it does not discount the fact that SJP is consistently instrumental in marginalizing and purging hate on the Jewish community.

        1. Why is calling out the SJP for what they are and their actions a stupid call? Their malicious use of Apartheid, the harassment of Jews on the campus and generally making Jews on the campus feel very uncomfortable is unacceptable. They need to be called out for what they are, a hate group.

          1. Let me first say I don’t disagree with anything you guys have just said. SJP’s tactics are vile, disgusting, and hurtful to the Jewish community at UCLA. I think that unfortunately SJP always wins the publicity war due to an inherit bias against against anything pro-Israel or Jewish. When posters like this are put up, it stokes a vicious war against the Jewish students on campus. Like I said before I think that this was a total set up and distraction to pull attention away from the 4 that just discriminated against Rachel’s appointment to judicial board. Nobody in UCLA’s jewish community would stoop to that level. Nonetheless, Jewish organizations on campus would not condone such a poster. Calling out SJP for being vile and hateful is not a stupid call, but rather poorly executed.

          2. I don’t see how the posters were poorly executed. None of them mentioned race, religion or anything that was out of line. What I’m reading from you is that you’re not just afraid of repercussions by SJP and their friends, but that they will escalate and turn to physical violence against Jews on campuses where they have a presence. News flash, they declared war when they stacked and manipulated the BDS vote and it escalates each and every time they hold an Israel Apartheid week and they batter us each and every time we say and do NOTHING. They see our silence as weakness. I don’t think you realize that the vicious war is already here and the only way to win it is to not be so nice about it. It’s not enough to bloody their noses, they need to be destroyed and the message needs to be put out that they need to leave the Jews on campus alone or face consequences. Anything less only emboldens them.

          3. Was there Apartheid in S. Africa? It means “separation”. And “separation” is the avowed policy of Israel. Even the government of Israel recognizes its “apartheid.” The hate group are Jews who think they flaunt international law, terrorize people and control US legislators with impunity, without blow back. Sorry for the blow back.

          4. This reply shows you have no clue as to what Apartheid means, or is. No, the Government of Israel does not recognize anything it’s doing as “Apartheid” as it’s not doing it, period. What you said is a complete and utter lie without any merit or proof. If a “Palestinian” gets hurt whether civilian or terrorist they treat them in their hospitals. Arab Israelis hold offices in government and jobs within the State. The blow back you speak of is the pernicious hatred for Israel because it’s a Jewish State and the fact that you point out the religion is telling that you have a problem with it being that. Israel goes out of its way to follow international law and during fighting goes above and beyond what they have to do to limit civilian casualties. Lets not forget, “Palestinians” are not Israeli citizens and there is NO RIGHT OF RETURN for them because they have no claim to any land in Israel. In fact, there is no such thing as the “Palestinian” people. It’s a fairy tale made up by a group of Jew hatting illegal occupiers who want to destroy Israel.

        1. But what about the “Arab hating” Jews who killed 531 Arab children in 2014? What about the bigots who steal land and homes from Palestinians? What about the racist bigots who write 55 laws in Israel privileging Jews and discriminating against Palestinians (in their own country!). Seems to me that the Jewish bigots are far more effective acting upon their bigotry than the poor Palestinians who don’t even have weapons really. Jewish bigots kill Palestinians with F-16’s, tanks and drones. Palestinians have scissors to protect their homes from the bigots.

  2. I have a feeling that the timing of these posters was all too fishy, and nonetheless a set up to deter attention from the Jewish hate speech that happened a couple of weeks ago. Nobody in UCLA’s Jewish community would go out of their way to post that garbage on transformer boxes at the university. The fact that Manjot Singh was instrumental in providing a photo of such photos just validates my suspicions further.

    1. So, was the people yelling “terrorism is now on campus” and “sharia law has taken over UCLA” also a set up? Are the comments by people on this site who constantly link SJP to terrorism also set ups?

      1. SJP, Muslim Student Association, and their derivatives, are repeatedly linked to terrorism. A simple Google search would yield this. However I do not believe you have an interest in the truth. Back to your intifada rally, robman. You can wear your kaffiyeh while chanting anti-Semetic slogans, like a good lib.

        SJP and MSA need to be banned from all University campuses immediately. MSA is under active investigation by the US government. Their closure could not come soon enough.

        1. OMG. I hope this kind of speech isn’t allowed on this website, my gosh. I guess I’m now a terrorist, lol.

          1. The fascists of SJP can dish it out, but not take it. They’re offended over posters yet regularly invite those who advocate the destruction of Israel to their pro-jihadist rallies.

          2. Guess you should go to your safe space snowflake. If you associate yourself with such a vile group then perhaps you deserve to be labeled as one.

  3. The posters are a great idea. It’s about time someone took the fight to the SJP. I’m going to send the authors money so they can print more such posters.

    It’s darkly amusing that some call these posters hate speech for calling out the worst hate group on campus.

    1. SJP, the same SJP that held a fundraiser for Rasmea Odeh, a convicted terrorist, last month? Incase you anyone is unaware, Rasmea Odeh bombed a supermarket in Israel, killing two.

      The scourge known as the SJP needs to be eliminated from all US campuses immediately. Terrorists are NOT welcome on campus.

      1. What about the Jewish soldiers who slaughtered children in Gaza in 2014? They are criminals as well. Odeh was a fighter, a resistance fighter, not different in kind from the resistance fighters in occupied France in WWII. If terrorists are not welcome on campus, then no Israeli should be allowed on campus as terror has been their prime means of seizing other peoples property. Jews have been terrorizing Palestine for decades.

        1. As usual, the “two wrongs makes a right” mentality, which perpetuates violence and hate indefinitely

  4. I can’t believe the garbage that some of you are posting. I’m ashamed that I’m part of the same community as some of you.

    Ya’ll are acting like children with your arguments that basically read “They started it!” If you have a problem with another group then you should take the high road and lead by example.

    1. Typical. You say much without really saying anything at all.

      Which part of SJP supporting terrorists is confusing to you?

  5. How ironic, Manjot Singh, who discriminated against Rachel Beyda for being Jewish, is now upset at being rightfully exposed as a #Jewhater.

  6. I notice that the article doesn’t tell us what was so offensive about the posters. I know that none of these posters mentioned race, religion or encouraged discrimination. They focused on political issues.

    SJP is a political movement, not a protected religious, ethnic or racial class.

    It is perfectly acceptable – even commendable – to put up posters criticizing controversial political positions.

    It’s called freedom of speech.

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