Counterprotesters attempted to dismantle a pro-Palestinian camp set up on the UCLA campus early Wednesday morning.
Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images
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Counterprotesters attempted to dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus early Wednesday morning.
Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images
The violence broke out in At UCLA on Tuesday night, pro-Israel demonstrators attempted to forcibly dismantle an encampment of dozens of tents where pro-Palestinian protesters had camped out in the school’s Dickson Plaza, a central green space on campus.
Protesters in the camp sometimes clashed with counter-protesters, who witnesses said numbered from about 100 to more than 200. reporter Protest organizers say pepper spray or other irritants were used – before the police were able to control the situation.
“The violence that occurred tonight at UCLA was absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. postal Posted on X (formerly Twitter) at 1:47 a.m. local time. “The Los Angeles Police Department is on campus.”
Counter-protesters at UCLA continued to confront pro-Palestinian demonstrators with a heavy police presence, which arrived 30 minutes earlier but did not intervene.
Dozens of people have suffered minor injuries this evening, mostly from pepper spray and hand-to-hand injuries. pic.twitter.com/FjmoCNgsmc
— Olmos (@MrOlmos) May 1, 2024
The confrontation soon became the focus of dozens of college protests against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza that have broken out on campuses across the United States. was closed and occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters.
UCLA canceled classes Wednesday.
Governor calls delay in quelling violence ‘unacceptable’
As news of the violence spread, so did questions about why managers and police were unable to stop the violence or mitigate it more quickly.
“The limited and delayed law enforcement response on the UCLA campus last night was unacceptable and demands answers,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said. said in a statementIt added that the state “immediately deployed CHP personnel” once it became clear that they were needed. The governor also condemned the violence.
Hours before the confrontation, UCLA Chancellor Gene Bullock issued a statement saying his administration “took several immediate actions,” including by adding “additional law enforcement, security and student affairs mitigation personnel.” to significantly enhance security.
UCLA said Wednesday that Bullock’s request for the city to dispatch police received an “immediate response,” member station LAist reported.
But media reports from campus said there was a delay of several hours between the first confrontation and police intervention.student newspaper Daily Brown Bear Accused the school of failing to protect students on campus.
A pro-Palestinian demonstrator (center) is beaten by counter-protesters during violence on the UCLA campus early Wednesday.
Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images
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A pro-Palestinian demonstrator (center) is beaten by counter-protesters during violence on the UCLA campus early Wednesday.
Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images
“Fireworks, tear gas and fighting broke out just after 10:50pm on Tuesday,” the newspaper reported. It added that the school issued a statement at 12:40pm saying police had been called. The newspaper said police arrived just after 1 a.m.
There was apparently another delay: After the Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol arrived on campus, they began separating and dispersing the crowd around 3 a.m., local station ABC 7 reported.
Universities are dismantling protest camps
Pro-Palestinian tent encampments are popping up on college campuses across the country — and now, there are reports that universities are taking action against them.
Like organizers of the UCLA camp, many other campus protesters say their main demands are for the university system to disclose all financial ties to Israeli groups and divest from companies doing business there.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Police responded to a pro-Palestinian encampment in Madison shortly after 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday, resulting in at least 12 arrests and numerous injuries.
One student showed reporters a wound he said was caused by a police shield, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. Campus police said four officers were injured, including a state trooper who was hit in the head by a protester’s skateboard.
“But two hours later, protesters began setting up a new encampment of at least 15 tents. Demonstration leaders held training on how to resist further arrests and planned a march and rally for Wednesday afternoon,” WPR reported.
Tulane University New Orleans
On the last day of classes for most students, campus, city and state police converged on an encampment — an action described by the student newspaper tulane hustle Said it started before dawn on Wednesday.
Tulane University announced that at least 14 protesters were arrested, including two students. Earlier, the school announced on Monday the arrests of six people, including one student, and said it had suspended at least seven students for participating in what the school called “illegal demonstrations.”
University of Arizona Tucson
Violent clashes occurred inside and outside campus In the early hours of Wednesday morning, police dismantled an encampment near the school’s north main entrance square.
Arizona Public Media reported that “at around 2 a.m., law enforcement officers wearing gas masks and riot gear stormed a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Arizona campus.” The outlet added that the move came as hundreds of protest supporters were in the area. The deadline for protesters to leave was 10:30 pm.
Police arrested at least four people, AZPM reported, adding that people on the street heard warnings that “police were deploying chemical irritant munitions.”
UCLA’s buffer zone has been exceeded
Images from the scene on the UCLA campus showed a large group of pro-Israel protesters pulling at metal barricades and wooden pallets erected by pro-Palestinian groups around the camp.
In addition to calling for divestment, the UCLA protest was also intended to express solidarity with the people of Gaza. Israel’s war with Hamas has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, while Israel said some 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas in an attack last October. Israel says Hamas still holds 133 hostages.
a group of counter-protesters They initially gathered near the Palestinian solidarity camp on Tuesday afternoon.
As night fell, members of the group “began wrestling with protesters inside” [private campus] Security guards employed by UCLA,” according to Daily Bruin.
Since then, violence has continued to escalate.
The clashes came days after the advocacy group Israel-American Committee held a competing demonstration in Dickson Square near the camp. Despite rising tensions, the large rally on April 28 ended without major conflict.
Images from the event organized by the Israel-American Committee showed two large groups separated by a buffer zone.
But on Tuesday night, the buffer zone was occupied.
NYPD disperses protesters inside Columbia University building
Police on Tuesday night evicted pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University from Hamilton Hall — the building they had occupied since Monday. The New York Police Department took massive action to disperse protesters, using armored vehicles and mechanized drawbridges to move officers into the building.
“About 300 people were arrested,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday. That number includes people on Columbia University’s campus, as well as others arrested at City College.
Adams emphasized that the police operation was conducted at the request of Columbia University.
“We went in and conducted an action that allowed Columbia University to expel those who turned a peaceful protest into a place where anti-Semitic and anti-Israel attitudes were prevalent,” Adams said.
He also reiterated that his administration believes many of the protests are led by “outside agitators” who are not students or part of the university community. Asked how many of the arrested demonstrators were not affiliated with the university, Adams said police were still sorting through records to determine that.
