Masked, Keffiyeh-Clad Protestors Break Into College Memorial Featuring Oct. 7 Survivor

Pro-Palestinian activists on Wednesday forcibly entered a memorial at Pomona College organized by Claremont Hillel and the Haverim Jewish student union, interrupting a talk by Yoni Viloga, a survivor of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in which his neighbors were murdered, the college’s student newspaper reported Friday.

A one-and-a-half-minute video shared by the Claremont Independent student newspaper shows four activists wearing keffiyehs, breaking through a locked door at the California university and shouting slogans such as “Zionism is still a colonial ideology” and “you’re all complicit in genocide” as they barged into the room.

“The fact that they burst into the room mere minutes after we had watched graphic and disturbing video footage of similarly dressed Hamas terrorists committing horrific atrocities made the moment incredibly frightening and all the more shocking,” a member of Haverim told the Independent.

Another student present described the terrifying scene: “Me and a bunch of the other kids were crying and shaking when it happened.”

Despite the disruption, the event continued with a candle-lighting ceremony, student speeches, and poetry readings, the Independent reported.

The identities of the intruders remain unknown. Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr issued a statement Thursday calling on the campus community to submit photos, videos, or other evidence that could help identify the individuals.

“Last night, a memorial on our campus to honor the victims of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was disrupted by four masked and disguised individuals who burst through a locked fire door, shouting,” Starr wrote.

“…It is both outrageous and cruel to interrupt a space where members of our community come together to mourn. Antisemitic hate cannot be tolerated here. Our community is better than this.”

The Independent noted that those familiar with the situation said the protesters accessed the locked fire door via a stairway that was supposed to be blocked.

Attendees told the Independent that the intruders carried a video recorder, possibly avoiding phones to prevent tracking through the campus Wi-Fi, which Pomona previously used to identify students involved in disruptions at Carnegie Hall.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have a history of disruptions at Pomona. In August 2024, they blocked the entrance to the college’s convocation, preventing attendees from entering.

In October 2024, anti-Israel protesters occupied Carnegie Hall at Pomona, forcing class cancellations or relocations and prompting some students to flee through windows. One employee was injured, and the building was defaced with graffiti and other property damage. Those responsible were eventually suspended.