California police flatten pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA, arrest protesters
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - 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 pre-dawn police crackdown at UCLA marked the latest flashpoint in mounting tensions on U.S. college campuses, where protests over Israel's war in Gaza have led to student clashes with each other and with law enforcement.
Prior to 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 unauthorized 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.
CAMPUS CLASHES
At UCLA, dozens of loud explosions were heard during the clash from flash-bang charges, or stun grenades, fired by police as the moved into the camp in the early hours of the morning.
Demonstrators, some carrying makeshift shields and umbrellas, sought to block the officers' advance by their sheer numbers, while chanting, "push them back" and flashing bright lights in the eyes of the police.
Others on the opposite side of the camp gave up quickly, and were seen walking away with their hands over their heads under police escort. The police operation had started around sunset on Wednesday, when officers in tactical gear had begun filing onto the UCLA campus and taking up positions adjacent to a complex of tents occupied by throngs of demonstrators.
Local television station KABC-TV estimated 300 to 500 protesters were hunkered down inside the camp, many wearing the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, while around 2,000 more had gathered outside the barricades in support.
Those numbers dwindled on Thursday as protesters left the camp and were arrested. Some of the protesters had been seen donning hard hats, goggles and respirator masks in anticipation of the siege a day after the university declared the encampment unlawful.
The protests follow the deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip, which killed 1,200 people and saw dozens taken hostage, and an ensuing Israeli offensive that has killed about 34,000 and created a humanitarian crises.
The demonstrations at UCLA and other campuses have been met with counter-protesters accusing them of fomenting anti-Jewish hatred. The pro-Palestinian side, including some Jews opposed to Israeli actions in Gaza, say they are being unfairly branded as antisemitic for criticizing Israel's government and expressing support for human rights.
The issue has taken on political overtones in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election in November, with Republicans accusing some university administrators of turning a blind eye to antisemitic rhetoric and harassment.
