Dozens of protesters formed a mobile pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus Monday afternoon, reciting the names of thousands of people killed in Gaza.
However, after several hours of largely peaceful demonstrations, the situation turned chaotic, with Los Angeles police and private security personnel forming skirmishes and confronting protesters standing behind barricades.
A crowd formed on the other side of the conflict line, with protesters chanting “Let them go!”
Previously, police ordered the demonstrators to disperse at least twice, and the crowd quickly dismantled tents and barricades and moved to different locations on campus.
As the protesters marched, one of them read aloud the names of the slain Palestinians.
“They will not die in vain,” protesters chanted after each name. “They will be redeemed.”
Some protesters placed roses next to a coffin painted with a Palestinian flag and next to a fake blood-stained body. A helicopter hovered overhead.
Many protesters declined to be interviewed, saying they were not “media liaisons” or “have media training.”
The event is hosted by UCLA Students for Justice in Palestine. Several teachers followed the crowd, holding banners to show support for the students and the demonstrations.
Monday’s event was the third pro-Palestinian encampment held at UCLA in recent weeks, and its handling has sparked outrage and questions about the university’s lack of preparation for such events.
The first project was set up on April 25, prompting mixed reactions and leading to a largely peaceful counter-protest on April 28.
Two days later, however, UCLA declared the camp illegal and instructed campus members to leave or face disciplinary action.
Later that night, a violent mob attacked the camp. The few police officers on duty were quickly overwhelmed and the violence continued for three hours until authorities finally took control of the situation.
During Monday’s demonstration, most protesters wore surgical masks, and those at the edge of the mobile camp carried makeshift wooden shields or erected barbed wire to fence themselves off. to the terrace behind Kerkhoff Hall, to the courtyard outside Dodd Hall.
On Monday, UCLA declared an unlawful assembly and Los Angeles police and private security personnel lined up.
(Arlene Chekmedian/Los Angeles Times)
As night fell, protesters set up barricades in the Dodd Hall courtyard. Clashes escalated as the rally was declared illegal. Police and security guards lined up as protesters chanted “Police get off campus!”
Los Angeles Police Chief Kelly Muniz confirmed to The Times that a number of arrests had been made at the protests but did not provide further details.
Yogita Goyal, who teaches English and African American studies at UCLA, expressed support for the protesters on campus Monday. Goyal said the police should not have declared the assembly illegal on Monday or on April 30 when students were protesting peacefully.
“UCLA leadership should step up and allow our students to express their political views.”
