Early Wednesday morning, a mob of masked agitators descended upon the Brentwood home of University of California (UC) Regent and UTA Vice Chairman Jay Sures, in a scene that underscored the increasingly hostile and lawless tactics of pro-Palestinian activists. Organized by Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UCLA, the demonstration involved vandalism, threats, and intimidation tactics that have become hallmarks of the group’s activities on college campuses and beyond.
By 6 a.m., roughly 50 protesters had arrived, marking Sures’ garage door with bloody handprints and draping caution tape across his property. Fliers with menacing messages littered the scene, and a rain-soaked sign ominously warned, “Divest now, or you will pay.” Witnesses reported that Sures’ wife was prevented from leaving her driveway as protesters surrounded her car, a clear attempt at harassment. Protesters chanted “Intifada revolution,” a slogan linked to violent uprisings, and one banner specifically targeted Sures' son, reading, “Jonathan Sures, you will pay, until you see your final day.”
Sures, who has been a strong advocate for protecting Jewish students in the UC system, was unequivocal about the motivations behind the protest. “I’m Jewish. There are 18 regents, but they targeted me because I’ve been outspoken,” he told Deadline. “This was an attempt at intimidation. They want me to back down. But I won’t.”
Police responded to the disturbance at 6:15 a.m., and additional units were called in as the size and aggression of the crowd escalated. Despite the clear evidence of trespassing and vandalism, no arrests were made, though Sures indicated he would press charges if the perpetrators could be identified from security footage.
A History of Extremism and Antisemitism
This is not the first time SJP activists have harassed individuals over their pro-Israel positions. The organization, which has chapters nationwide, has long been associated with radical and often antisemitic rhetoric. Following Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attacks, SJP groups across the U.S. openly celebrated the massacre, calling it a “historic win for the Palestinian resistance.” The group has also circulated Hamas-produced literature and has been known to distribute mock eviction notices to Jewish students, an act widely condemned as targeted harassment.
In December 2023, the U.S. Department of Education launched investigations into multiple universities, including Columbia and Berkeley, after Jewish students reported a surge in antisemitic harassment tied to SJP protests. The organization’s tactics have prompted legal scrutiny, with the Cooper Union in New York now facing a lawsuit after Jewish students were forced to barricade themselves in a library while pro-Palestinian demonstrators banged on the doors.
More broadly, SJP’s ties to violent rhetoric have led some to question whether the organization should even be permitted on college campuses. Many of its “student” demonstrators are, in fact, outside agitators with no affiliation to the universities they claim to represent. Their protests frequently include calls for violence, as seen in the UCLA demonstration where they threatened a sitting UC Regent and his family with physical harm.
The UC Policy That Sparked the Outrage
The immediate cause of the demonstration appears to be a policy Sures helped pass in January 2024 prohibiting academic departments from posting political statements on their website homepages. While his co-author, UC Regent Richard Leib, described the measure as “content-neutral,” activists have claimed it specifically limits pro-Palestinian messaging. This argument ignores the fact that the policy applies to all political statements, regardless of ideology.
For years, UC campuses have struggled to rein in the politicization of their academic institutions, and this measure was a step toward ensuring that taxpayer-funded university resources do not become ideological battlegrounds. Pro-Palestinian activists, however, view any restriction on their rhetoric—no matter how necessary or neutral—as a direct attack.
Broader Implications
The events in Brentwood are part of a nationwide pattern where extremist activists, emboldened by weak enforcement and university inaction, take their campaign beyond the campus and into private residences. These demonstrators are not engaging in civil discourse; they are deploying intimidation tactics indistinguishable from those used by political extremists worldwide.
Law enforcement’s failure to make arrests sends a dangerous message: protesters can escalate from campus disruptions to personal harassment without consequence. Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s lackluster response to rising antisemitism on college campuses has left Jewish students, faculty, and officials increasingly vulnerable.
Sures has made it clear that he will not be intimidated, but Wednesday’s events should serve as a wake-up call. The question remains: how much further will these activists go before authorities take decisive action?
Commenti