Tense scene at UCLA as police order protesters to leave
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators remained behind barricades on the UCLA campus early Thursday morning despite police orders to leave and locked their weapons as officers tried to enter the fortified encampment. A larger crowd surrounded the scene, including supporters and curious onlookers.
Overnight, videos of police at the post began to be posted on social media.
Later, the same group calling itself the Los Angeles People's City Council announced at The students were evicted,” he said. A policeman! ”
Numerous posts to X by reporters at the scene also reported that police had withdrawn.
Los Angeles City Commissioner Kenneth Mejia said of X: “We are here at UCLA. Last night, after an outside mob attacked peaceful student protesters and no one came to protect them, a large police presence from multiple law enforcement agencies… Students are now facing police. We urge UCLA and city leaders to protect students, not do more harm. . ”
Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images
Large numbers of police began arriving late Wednesday afternoon, and empty buses were parked near the University of California, Los Angeles, to take away protesters who were not following orders. The tense standoff occurred after counter-protesters erupted in violence at the same location one night.
A small city had sprung up within the barricaded encampment, filling the campus quad with hundreds of people and tents. As the sun set over the campus, some protesters offered Islamic prayers, while others chanted “We're not leaving” and handed out goggles and surgical masks. Wearing helmets and scarves, they discussed the best way to deal with pepper spray and tear gas as someone sang through a megaphone.
Several people assembled homemade shields from plywood in case they clashed with police, who had formed a front line elsewhere on campus. “Who wants a shield when it comes to rubber bullets?” one protester shouted.
Meanwhile, large crowds of students, alumni and neighbors gathered on the campus steps outside the tent, sitting and listening to various speakers, applauding and joining in with pro-Palestinian chants. A group of students wearing T-shirts and holding placards supporting Israel and Jews demonstrated nearby.
As the night wore on, the crowd continued to grow as more and more police poured onto the campus.
The law enforcement presence and continued warnings are in contrast to scenes that unfolded the night before, when counter-protesters threw traffic cones, fired pepper spray, and broke down barriers to attack pro-Palestinian camps. there were. The fighting continued for several hours before police intervened, but no arrests were made. At least 15 demonstrators were injured, and authorities' tepid response drew criticism from political leaders as well as Muslim students and advocacy groups.
Ray Williani, who lives nearby, said he came to UCLA Wednesday night to support pro-Palestinian protesters.
“We need to take a firm stand against it,” he said. “Get your act together.”
UCLA President Gene Block said in a statement that last night's attack was carried out by a “group of instigators,” but did not provide details about the crowd or why administration or school police did not act sooner. There wasn't.
“No matter what you think about the encampment, this attack on students, faculty, staff, and community members was completely unacceptable,” he said. “It shook our campus to its core.”
After California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the delay, Mr. Bullock promised to review the events of that night.
Michael Drake, head of the University of California System, ordered “an independent review of the university's plans, its actions, and the response by law enforcement.”
“Communities need to feel that the police are protecting them, and that they are protecting others,” Rebecca Hussaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said at a news conference late Wednesday at the Los Angeles campus. We cannot allow any harm to be caused.” I detailed the events of the night.
Speakers disputed the university's statement that 15 people were injured and one hospitalized, saying the number taken to hospital was much higher. One student said a counter-protester hit him in the head with an object and had to go to the hospital.
Several students who spoke at the press conference said they had to rely on each other for help, not the police, when attacked, and that many in the pro-Palestinian camp remained peaceful and did not engage counter-protesters. Ta. UCLA canceled classes Wednesday.
big picture
Tent camps of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with companies they say support Israel and the war in Gaza have spread to campuses across the country in a student movement unlike any other since the turn of the century. The ensuing police crackdown repeated actions decades earlier against a much larger protest movement protesting the Vietnam War.
There have been at least 38 arrests at campus protests across the country since April 18, with more than 1,600 arrests at 30 schools, according to an Associated Press tally.
In a rare move, university officials and protest leaders have struck a deal to limit disruption to campus life and future graduation ceremonies.
At Brown University in Rhode Island, administrators have agreed to consider a vote to divest from Israel in October, appearing to be the first U.S. university to agree to such a request.
All of this is unfolding in a U.S. election year, raising questions about whether key young voters for Democrats will support President Joe Biden's re-election effort given his ardent support for Israel. .
Nationwide campus demonstrations began in Colombia on April 17 to protest Israeli attacks in Gaza, following Hamas's launch of deadly attacks in southern Israel on October 7. The militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Israel, which has vowed to eradicate Hamas, has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Strip's Ministry of Health.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests anti-Semitic, but Israel's critics say they are using these claims to silence opponents. Some protesters have been caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks and threats of violence, but protest organizers, some of whom are Jewish, say this is in support of Palestinian rights. It claims to be a peaceful movement aimed at protesting the war.
Other demonstrations
The unrest at UCLA occurred just hours after New York police stormed a building occupied by anti-war protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday night and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school.
Police in New Hampshire made arrests and removed tents at Dartmouth College, and officers in Oregon entered the campus of Portland State University as school officials tried to end a library occupation that began Monday.
Scrums broke out in Madison, Wisconsin, early Wednesday after police with shields removed all but one tent and shoved protesters. Four police officers were injured, including a state trooper who was hit in the head with a skateboard, authorities said. The four were charged with assault on law enforcement.
Protest encampments elsewhere have been cleared by police and arrests have been made, including at schools across the country, including the City University of New York, Fordham University in New York, Portland State University in Oregon, and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. was voluntarily closed. Tulane University in New Orleans.
Summarize this content to 100 words Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators remained behind barricades on the UCLA campus early Thursday morning despite police orders to leave and locked their weapons as officers tried to enter the fortified encampment. A larger crowd surrounded the scene, including supporters and curious onlookers.Overnight, videos of police at the post began to be posted on social media.
Lapland City is currently camping! Police riot in Los Angeles 🚨 https://t.co/8RUHCO0wW0 pic.twitter.com/bhQt8Me9uQ— People's City Council – Los Angeles (@PplsCityCouncil) May 2, 2024
Later, the same group calling itself the Los Angeles People's City Council announced at The students were evicted,” he said. A policeman! ”
Numerous posts to X by reporters at the scene also reported that police had withdrawn.Los Angeles City Commissioner Kenneth Mejia said of X: “We are here at UCLA. Last night, after an outside mob attacked peaceful student protesters and no one came to protect them, a large police presence from multiple law enforcement agencies… Students are now facing police. We urge UCLA and city leaders to protect students, not do more harm. . ”
Pro-Palestinian students stand up after police invade the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the early hours of May 2, 2024.
Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images
Large numbers of police began arriving late Wednesday afternoon, and empty buses were parked near the University of California, Los Angeles, to take away protesters who were not following orders. The tense standoff occurred after counter-protesters erupted in violence at the same location one night.
A small city had sprung up within the barricaded encampment, filling the campus quad with hundreds of people and tents. As the sun set over the campus, some protesters offered Islamic prayers, while others chanted “We're not leaving” and handed out goggles and surgical masks. Wearing helmets and scarves, they discussed the best way to deal with pepper spray and tear gas as someone sang through a megaphone. Several people assembled homemade shields from plywood in case they clashed with police, who had formed a front line elsewhere on campus. “Who wants a shield when it comes to rubber bullets?” one protester shouted. Meanwhile, large crowds of students, alumni and neighbors gathered on the campus steps outside the tent, sitting and listening to various speakers, applauding and joining in with pro-Palestinian chants. A group of students wearing T-shirts and holding placards supporting Israel and Jews demonstrated nearby. As the night wore on, the crowd continued to grow as more and more police poured onto the campus.
The law enforcement presence and continued warnings are in contrast to scenes that unfolded the night before, when counter-protesters threw traffic cones, fired pepper spray, and broke down barriers to attack pro-Palestinian camps. there were. The fighting continued for several hours before police intervened, but no arrests were made. At least 15 demonstrators were injured, and authorities' tepid response drew criticism from political leaders as well as Muslim students and advocacy groups. Ray Williani, who lives nearby, said he came to UCLA Wednesday night to support pro-Palestinian protesters. “We need to take a firm stand against it,” he said. “Get your act together.”UCLA President Gene Block said in a statement that last night's attack was carried out by a “group of instigators,” but did not provide details about the crowd or why administration or school police did not act sooner. There wasn't.”No matter what you think about the encampment, this attack on students, faculty, staff, and community members was completely unacceptable,” he said. “It shook our campus to its core.”After California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the delay, Mr. Bullock promised to review the events of that night.Michael Drake, head of the University of California System, ordered “an independent review of the university's plans, its actions, and the response by law enforcement.”
“Communities need to feel that the police are protecting them, and that they are protecting others,” Rebecca Hussaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said at a news conference late Wednesday at the Los Angeles campus. We cannot allow any harm to be caused.” I detailed the events of the night.Speakers disputed the university's statement that 15 people were injured and one hospitalized, saying the number taken to hospital was much higher. One student said a counter-protester hit him in the head with an object and had to go to the hospital.Several students who spoke at the press conference said they had to rely on each other for help, not the police, when attacked, and that many in the pro-Palestinian camp remained peaceful and did not engage counter-protesters. Ta. UCLA canceled classes Wednesday.big picture Tent camps of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with companies they say support Israel and the war in Gaza have spread to campuses across the country in a student movement unlike any other since the turn of the century. The ensuing police crackdown repeated actions decades earlier against a much larger protest movement protesting the Vietnam War.There have been at least 38 arrests at campus protests across the country since April 18, with more than 1,600 arrests at 30 schools, according to an Associated Press tally.In a rare move, university officials and protest leaders have struck a deal to limit disruption to campus life and future graduation ceremonies.At Brown University in Rhode Island, administrators have agreed to consider a vote to divest from Israel in October, appearing to be the first U.S. university to agree to such a request.
All of this is unfolding in a U.S. election year, raising questions about whether key young voters for Democrats will support President Joe Biden's re-election effort given his ardent support for Israel. .Nationwide campus demonstrations began in Colombia on April 17 to protest Israeli attacks in Gaza, following Hamas's launch of deadly attacks in southern Israel on October 7. The militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Israel, which has vowed to eradicate Hamas, has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Strip's Ministry of Health.Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests anti-Semitic, but Israel's critics say they are using these claims to silence opponents. Some protesters have been caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks and threats of violence, but protest organizers, some of whom are Jewish, say this is in support of Palestinian rights. It claims to be a peaceful movement aimed at protesting the war.Other demonstrationsThe unrest at UCLA occurred just hours after New York police stormed a building occupied by anti-war protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday night and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school. Police in New Hampshire made arrests and removed tents at Dartmouth College, and officers in Oregon entered the campus of Portland State University as school officials tried to end a library occupation that began Monday.Scrums broke out in Madison, Wisconsin, early Wednesday after police with shields removed all but one tent and shoved protesters. Four police officers were injured, including a state trooper who was hit in the head with a skateboard, authorities said. The four were charged with assault on law enforcement.Protest encampments elsewhere have been cleared by police and arrests have been made, including at schools across the country, including the City University of New York, Fordham University in New York, Portland State University in Oregon, and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. was voluntarily closed. Tulane University in New Orleans.
Israel and Hamas at war
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ucla-tense-scene-police-order-protesters-to-leave-nationwide-pro-palestinian-protests/ Tense scene at UCLA as police order protesters to leave
