Armen Adamian

Overview

Armen Adamian violently disrupted a pro-Israel event on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus in May 2018, led by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Adamian has also demonized Israel and supported an anti-Israel agitator on social media.

Adamian was an activist with the group Southwest Asian and North Afrikan Los Angeles (SWANA LA).

In September 2016, Adamian was a first-year graduate student in UCLA’s department of Ethnomusicology. He also graduated Humboldt State University (Humboldt) with a bachelor’s degree in Music Composition and Psychology.

SJP at UCLA - Violent Disruption of Pro-Israel Campus Event

On May 17, 2018, Adamian [00:41:24] helped lead SJP UCLA activists and affiliates in violently disrupting an event hosted by Students Supporting Israel (SSI) on the UCLA campus.The event, titled "Indigenous People Unite," provided a forum for Jewish, Kurdish, and Armenian indigenous communities “to share the stories of their people.”

The disruptors were joined by activists with SJP at UCLA Alumni Association (SJP at UCLA Alumni),as well as activists from the group Southwest Asian and North Afrikan Los Angeles (SWANA-LA) and activists from the off-campus Antifa group Revolution Club L.A./ Refuse Fascism Los Angeles.

Approximately 41 minutes into the lecture, SJP at UCLA members and Antifa activists invaded [00:41:16] the forum. Protester Armen Adamian walked toward the speakers and tore the Armenian flag off the wall. Adamian then threw [00:41:24] the Armenian panelist’s notes off the speakers’ table and leaned over him.

Other protesters chanted [00:43:01]“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!” as well as [00:42:29] “We don’t want two states, we want ‘48!” and [00:45:08] “1,2,3,4 Open up the prison doors; 5,6,7,8 Israel is a terrorist state!!”

Protestor Natalie Kamajian ripped the Israeli flag from the wall. When asked to relinquish the flag, she refused [00:46:52].

Campus security eventually escorted [00:50:05] the protesters out of the classroom, into an adjacent hallway. There, the protesters pounded [00:521:2348] on the door and continued [00:08:32] chanting.

Later, when the door was reopened, the protesters continued their disturbance, screaming [00:33:15] obscenities, using [00:14:27] a megaphone and physically blocking [00:13:52] the door from being closed.

Following the disruption, students attending the SSI event reported feeling intimidated and fearing for their physical safety. SSI chapter president Hirmand Sarafian, the Armenian panelist, reported that he felt physically threatened “throughout the whole thing, from the beginning to the end.”

SJP at UCLA reportedly denied initiating or having “a significant hand in organizing the demonstration” and claimed that “none of our board members attended the event.”

However, SJP at UCLA’s 2018 primary signatory Robert Gardner was filmed taking a leadership role in the disruption, alongside SJP at UCLA signatory Gurutam Thockchom, and fellow SJP at UCLA activists Burkan Aranki, Sarena Khasawneh, John Abughattas, and Tamara Khoury.

On May 18, 2018, both SWANA-LA and the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) in Austin specifically praised SJP at UCLA and SJP at UCLA Alumni’s role in disrupting the SSI event. PSC is an alternative name for SJP.

On May 24, 2018, UCLA chancellors Jerry Kang and Monroe Gorden published anofficial denunciation of the incident in the Daily Bruin, UCLA’s campus newspaper.

The chancellors’ statement condemned the intimidation of panelists and audience members and declared that the university would “refer all evidence of wrongdoing” of non-UCLA students “to local prosecutors to determine whether they have broken the law.”

A June 14, 2018 article, published by the Jewish Journal, reported that half a dozen students said they would file formal complaints against the disruptors for “criminal disruption of a meeting, as well as disturbing the peace and conspiracy.”

An August 8, 2018 article in the Algemeiner reported that the Los Angeles city prosecutor was investigating the disruption, and had “requested additional investigative materials from the UCLA Police.”

Demonizing Israel

On May 22, 2018, Adamian posted to Facebook: “Isreal [sic] is an apartheid state and Jews with integrity know it.”

On May 15, 2018, Adamian posted to Facebook an anti-Israel video that combined footage of protesters taking part in Gaza’s “March of Return” with footage of the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

The video was captioned: “On the day the US and Israel celebrated the opening of US embassy in Jerusalem, Israeli forces killed 58 Palestinian protesters.”

On the same day, Adamian shared to Facebook an interview with BDS activist Noura Erakat, who described [00:01:34] Israel’s response to rioters during the “March of Return” as “the lethal use of force against non-violent protesters.”

In May 2018, violent riots, instigated by Hamas on the Israeli-Gaza border, saw thousands of rioters attempting numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence, with participants declaring their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”

Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] the March of Return protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of Israel’s border fence, some by armed Palestinians. One Hamas leader declared [00:00:30]: “We will take down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”

On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during the May 14 Gaza border protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.

Supporting Anti-Israel Agitators

On February 17, 2018, Adamian shared an AJ+ video on Facebook that glorified anti-Israel agitator Ahed Tamimi and labeled [00:00:45] her a “spiritual figurehead” and [00:00:48] “a symbol of resistance.” The video also accused [00:00:42] Israel of persecuting Palestinian children.

Ahed Tamimi has a long history of physically attacking Israeli soldiers. Tamimi is the daughter of Bassem Tamimi, who is known for exploiting young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers.

AJ+ is a Qatari-funded propaganda media channel known for spreading misinformation and lies about Israel.

On December 22, 2017, Adamian shared a video on Facebook promoting Ahed Tamimi, and the Tamimi clan. The video featured [00:01:40] Tamimi’s parents, Bassem and Nariman.

Nariman Tamimi, Ahed Tamimi’s mother, is a prolific promoter of terror. In 2015, she shared a Facebook post providing graphic instructions on where to aim a knife to kill an Israeli. In 2016, Nariman shared her approval of a teenage Palestinian terrorist who killed a 13-year-old Israeli girl sleeping in her bed.

Bassem Tamimi has exploited young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers. In 2011, he was jailed for organizing violent rallies and inciting minors to commit violent crimes such as rock-throwing.

Tamimi’s United States visa was revoked in 2015, for his failure to disclose his prior arrest and conviction. Prior to the revocation of his U.S. visa, Tamimi delivered a controversial presentation to third-graders in Ithaca, New York. The presentation was geared to foster hatred of Israel and Tamimi concluded by encouraging [00:11:29] the children to become “freedom fighters for Palestine.”

SJP

SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.

The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.

SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.

SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.

SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.

Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.