NNA - Police started removing barriers and dismantling a fortified encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Los Angeles, early Thursday, after hundreds of protesters refused to leave. Some individuals were detained, with their hands secured using zip ties.
The move followed hours of warnings from officers over loudspeakers threatening arrests if the crowd did not disperse. Over 1,000 people had gathered on campus, both inside and outside a barricaded tent encampment, to show support. Altercations occurred between protesters and police as officers encountered resistance.
Amid police helicopters hovering above, the sound of flash-bangs—devices that produce a bright light and a loud noise to disorient and stun—filled the air. Protesters chanted, “Where were you last night?” directed at the officers, referring to Tuesday night when counterprotesters attacked the encampment and it took hours for UCLA administration and campus police to respond.
Tent encampments, part of a movement demanding universities stop business with Israel or companies supporting the Gaza conflict, have emerged nationwide in a student-led movement reminiscent of protests against the Vietnam War decades ago. The police crackdowns have drawn comparisons to those historical actions.
In the Middle East, Iranian state television and Qatar’s Al Jazeera broadcasted live images of the police action, which also appeared on Israeli television networks.
Early Thursday, hundreds of California Highway Patrol officers flooded the campus. They wore face shields and protective vests, standing with batons outstretched to separate them from demonstrators, who wore helmets and gas masks, chanting, “You want peace. We want justice.”
Police dismantled the encampment’s barricade made of plywood, pallets, metal fences, and trash dumpsters, creating an opening towards the demonstrators' tents. They also began removing canopies and tents.
On Wednesday, demonstrators had reconstructed the barriers while police observed.
The police presence and continued warnings contrasted with the previous night when counterdemonstrators attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones, using pepper spray, and tearing down barriers. Police intervened after hours of fighting, but no arrests were made. At least 15 protesters were injured, and authorities’ tepid response drew criticism from political leaders, Muslim students, and advocacy groups.
Some protesters inside the encampment sang over a megaphone, while others chanted "we're not leaving" or distributed goggles and surgical masks. They wore helmets and headscarves and discussed tactics to handle pepper spray or tear gas.
A few protesters built shields out of plywood in case of clashes with police forming lines elsewhere on campus. “For rubber bullets, who wants a shield?” a protester shouted.
Outside the encampment, a crowd of students, alumni, and locals gathered on campus steps, joining pro-Palestinian chants. Nearby, a group of students held signs and wore T-shirts in support of Israel and Jewish people, staging a demonstration.—agencies
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