Topline
At least 200 people were arrested after police early on Thursday morning cleared out a pro-Palestinian protest encampment built on UCLA’s campus, multiple outlets reported, following a tense overnight standoff that started after police ordered demonstrators to evacuate the encampment deemed unlawful by the university.
Police make an arrest as they face-off with pro-Palestinian students after destroying part of the ... [+]
Key Facts
Police began clearing the encampment of protesters around 3 a.m. local time, and arrested at least 209 people, Los Angeles Police Department sources confirmed to The Los Angeles Times.
The majority of the arrested protesters were charged with misdemeanors like resisting arrest, the LA County Sheriff’s Department told The New York Times.
The California Highway Patrol, which responded to help the UCLA Police Department, previously told Forbes in a statement “over 130” protesters were arrested and booked by UCLA police, although it is unclear how many of these protesters were students at the university.
The effort to dismantle the barricades came after protestors were threatened with arrests for several hours over loudspeakers, according to the Associated Press.
As the officers moved to dismantle the encampments, the protestors were reportedly heard urging each other to “hold the line.”
After breaching the encampment’s barricades, police reportedly began launching flashbangs and arresting protestors, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Gunshots could be heard in videos of the raid, and CNN later reported police fired what appeared to be rubber bullets.
Some protesters attempted to resist the police entering the encampment by spraying them with fire extinguishers, multiple reports said.
A group of students lined up together with their arms linked and chanted “Where were you yesterday?”—a reference to the lack of police action against counter demonstrators who clashed with the protestors on Tuesday night.
UCLA issued a public safety alert ordering its students not to enter the areas near the protests and said “all the unauthorized tents and structures” in the encampment were unlawful.
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Tangent
Meanwhile, police in Hanover, New Hampshire, arrested over 90 people at Dartmouth University’s protest encampment, the NBC Boston reported, after a massive early morning raid. Another 12 people were arrested at the University of New Hampshire’s campus in Durham. A total of 282 people were arrested at Columbia University and City University of New York after a massive raid by the New York Police Department on Tuesday night.
Crucial Quote
“If you fail to leave and remain present in the encampment or unauthorized tents or structures in Dickson Plaza, regardless of your purpose for remaining, you will be in violation of the law and those who choose to remain could face sanctions. For students, those sanctions could include disciplinary measures such as interim suspension that...could lead to dismissal,” UCLA authorities said Thursday.
News Peg
The arrests and takedown of the encampment followed a standoff overnight that started after California Highway Patrol officers arrived at the scene dressed in body armor, helmets, face shields and armed with batons. A small number of LAPD officers briefly managed to enter the encampment at night but soon left the area after being pushed back by protesters, the Los Angeles Times report added.
Key Background
UCLA’s encampment began in April. Like other encampments built at universities across the country, UCLA’s protesters called on the university to divest from companies that profit from selling weapons to Israel and sever ties with Israeli academic institutions. However, the encampment descended into violence on Tuesday night after dozens of counter-protesters wearing black clothing and masks swarmed the campus and attacked protesters with bear mace, pepper spray and fireworks. The attack went on for about three hours before the counter-protesters were stopped by LAPD officers, the LA Times reported. Only a small group of university police officers were on campus when the attack took place, but a group of armed security guards stood and watched the violence, according to the report. UCLA canceled classes on Wednesday, and Chancellor Gene Block told the LA Times the school would be “carefully examining our own security processes in light of recent events.” California elected officials have since condemned the violence, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said in a statement “the right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence, vandalism, or lawlessness on campus.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called for a “full investigation” into the attack. “Those involved in launching fireworks at other people, spraying chemicals and physically assaulting others will be found, arrested, and prosecuted, as well as anyone involved in any form of violence or lawlessness.”
