Law enforcement officers massed by the hundreds on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles after darkness fell in preparation to clear out a pro-Palestinian protest camp attacked the night before by pro-Israel supporters.

Los Angeles

Hundreds of law enforcement officers gathered at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) after nightfall in anticipation of dispersing a pro-Palestinian protest camp, which was assaulted by pro-Israel supporters the preceding night. The increased police presence follows an incident reported by students, where an attack was launched on the demonstrators' encampment. Eyewitness accounts described the aggressors as armed and accused the police of inaction during the episode. The students claim it took hours for the police to intervene, and no arrests of the attackers were made.

The encounter has led to a strong police response, with students being warned they would face arrest if they did not dismantle their encampment. This directive comes amid accusations from the student protesters who believe the police and university administration failed to protect them. The escalating situation has drawn criticism from political leaders, including the mayor of Los Angeles and the governor of California, who have publicly criticized the handling of the incident by both the university and the police.

In related events, Columbia University in New York faced backlash for its handling of a protest where students occupied a building, renaming it in honor of a young Palestinian girl killed in Gaza. The university's decision to involve the New York Police Department led to confrontations, arrests, and threats of suspension against the protesters. This incident is part of a wider movement across the United States calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and urging universities to divest from companies linked to Israel. The protests, characterized by their demands and the solidarity they show towards Gaza, have been met with both criticism and support, highlighting the issue's complexity and the varied responses from authorities and institutions involved.



Police mass near UCLA pro-Palestinian protest camp

UCLA students are bedded in and preparing for anything. They have no trust in the university administration or police after a mob attacked the pro-Palestinian demonstrators' encampment in the early hours of Wednesday. Witnesses said members of the group were carrying weapons and were allowed to run riot. The life-threatening assault we faced last night is nothing less than a horrifying, despicable act of terror. Law enforcement simply stood at the edge of the lawn and refused to budge as we screamed for their help. It was hours before police finally intervened and none of the outsiders were arrested. But now there's a heavy police presence on campus. Students have been ordered to dismantle their encampment or face arrest. But they say they won't let the police do what the attackers failed to do. Yesterday we sent the Proud Boys on the run and today the University of California decides to stick its cuffs on its students. Are we going to stand for that? The mayor of L.A. and governor of California have denounced the university's and police response to the attack. While on the opposite coast in New York, Columbia University officials too have come under severe criticism after calling on the NYPD to clear an occupied building, which the occupying students had renamed after a young Palestinian girl killed in Gaza. Columbia's surreal response to the protesters' non-violent takeover of Hinns Hall turned our campus into a war zone. The university called the NYPD to storm campus with militarized police. Arrests, violent confrontations, threats of suspensions, none of this is dissuading student protesters, only emboldening them. More and more across the U.S. are joining the movement, in a show of solidarity with Gazans, to call for a ceasefire and to demand their universities divest from companies linked to Israel.

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