Israel-Gaza war: police flatten pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA, arrest protesters
- The predawn crackdown at UCLA marked the latest flashpoint for mounting tensions on US college campuses, where protests over Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza
- UCLA had cancelled classes for the day following a violent clash between the encampment’s occupants and a group of masked counter-demonstrators
Hundreds of helmeted police swarmed the site of a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of California at Los Angeles early on Thursday, arresting defiant demonstrators and dismantling their encampment.
The predawn police crackdown at UCLA marked the latest flashpoint in mounting tensions on US college campuses, where protests over Israel’s war in Gaza have led to student clashes with each other and with law enforcement.
Before moving in, police urged demonstrators in repeated loudspeaker announcements to clear the protest zone, which occupied a central plaza about the size of a football field.
“If you fail to leave and remain present in the encampment or unauthorised tents or structures … you will be in violation of the law and those who choose to remain could face sanctions,” UCLA said in an early morning alert before police closed on the encampment.
After massing around the campus for hours, officers eventually moved through the area in lines holding batons as protesters – some in white helmets – linked arms, attempting to block their advance.
Live TV footage showed officers taking down tents and removing the encampment, while arrested protesters sat with their hands restrained behind their backs with zip-ties.
Students have rallied or set up tent encampments at dozens of schools in recent days, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and demanding schools divest from companies that support Israel’s government. Many of the schools, including Columbia University in New York City, have called in police to quell the protests.