Pro-Palestine protesters rally at LA Times Festival of Books
LOS ANGELES - Protesters demonstrated at the LA TImes Festival of Books at USC Sunday, to advocate for Palestine, and to urge "accountability for the ongoing genocide in Gaza."
Demonstrators like Sara Elarnaout, who came to Los Angeles six years ago from Lebanon, marched through the campus with signs, chanting, "free, free, free Palestine." The group said they were there to make a point about what was missing at the festival.
"Right now, we need to be educated about what's happening in Palesine, and that's not part of the book fair," organizer Jodei Evans said.
But Evans said there were other reasons the group wanted to be there Sunday, including protesting the university's decision to revoke valedictorian Asna Tabassum's commencement speech, over what the university said were safety concerns.
SUGGESTED: USC cancels pro-Palestinian valedictorian’s graduation speech, citing safety concerns
The group also planned to demonstrate at a speaking event featuring World Central Kitchen Chef José Andrés, Evans said. But that event was canceled. According to the LA Times, Andrés canceled the event after the deaths of seven of his workers, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza earlier this month.
There were a lot of people who were looking forward to hearing the chef speak. While they were disappointed about the cancelation, they said they understood why.
"It's an unfortunate situation, and I just hope José Andrés finds some solace," said Jepri Arias, who works as a chef at USC.
SUGGESTED: 7 World Central Kitchen workers killed in Israeli airstrike; food charity halts operations in Gaza
Another Andrés fan, Karla Reid, said "I'm sure he's with the families or trying to console his employees and families."
Though the chef couldn't be there on Sunday, there were pre-autographed books given to those who purchased tickets to the event. Those tickets will be refunded.
But for the protesters, whose sound was sometimes overridden by performers on a nearby stage, they still made their point.
"I'm very concerned about our country aiding and abetting genocide," said one protester. To another, "there's too much killing. Enough killing of children."