Police in riot gear entered the University of California, Santa Cruz campus early Friday morning and arrested pro-Palestinian protesters who had set up an encampment and blocked the main entrance to the campus.
Video taken after midnight showed a line of police officers standing at the UC Santa Cruz encampment with batons raised, just feet away from arm-in-arm protesters. Many protesters wore helmets and goggles and covered their faces with bandanas and masks.
“Leave the area immediately,” a law enforcement officer instructed protesters. But his instructions were drowned out by the crowd.
“The police are off campus!” demonstrators chanted. “Glory to the martyrs!”
A UC Santa Cruz official said in a statement Friday morning that the school has deployed law enforcement after repeatedly instructing students over several weeks and Friday morning to stop “intentionally and dangerously blocking campus entrances.” Department disbands camp.
“We must restore full access to campus and end other illegal, unsafe behavior as demonstrators continue to disrupt campus operations and threaten safety, even delaying the access of emergency vehicles,” said Scott, assistant vice chancellor for communications and education. Scott Hernandez-Jason said. “This would not have been possible without the intervention of law enforcement.”
The standoff between protesters and law enforcement began around 1 a.m., with officers from the California Highway Patrol, Daly City, Foster City and Pacifica arriving at the encampment.
A livestream from UCSC’s Estudiantes Oaxaqueños de Ahora showed protesters setting up wooden pallets between themselves and police.
“Don’t scare us!” they chanted. “shame!
Police removed barricades and slowly moved closer to the protesters.
A live broadcast of the UCSC Student Government Association meeting showed law enforcement officers descending on the camp in the dark, shining flashlights on students, looking inside tents and dismantling the camp.
Protesters chanted “Free, free, free Palestine” and as police approached a line of protesters, one of them waved a Palestinian flag.
Police began making arrests around 3 a.m., but two hours later, opponents were still inside the encampment, calling on supporters to come to campus to provide support.
“Come now,” the justice student at UC Santa Cruz in Palestine said on Instagram. “It’s 5 a.m. and we’re still here. We’re stronger together. Take whatever means necessary to get here.
Live broadcasts showed protesters screaming as police argued with protesters who were resisting arrest. Students tried to bring those arrested back into their fold.
Around 7:30 a.m., a Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department white bus carrying protesters left campus, prompting jeers from the crowd.
“Let them go!” they chanted.
It was unclear how many protesters were arrested. There was no immediate response to inquiries made to local law enforcement agencies.
The standoff ensued this week as university leaders shifted to distance learning after protesters blocked the main entrance to campus. Students have united with hundreds of striking academic workers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who claim the university’s response to pro-Palestinian demonstrators violated their free speech rights.
“We call on these protesters to immediately reopen full access to campus and to resume protesting in a manner consistent with our community values and student code of conduct,” university leadership wrote in a letter to the campus community Thursday. “Reject. Teaching access is not free speech.”
