On Thursday, earlier in the day, hundreds of helmeted police officers entered the central square of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest camp which led to clashes with pro-Israel supporters the previous night. Authorities reported that during the operation to remove the protest camp on Thursday morning at the UCLA campus, 132 people were arrested.
TV live footage showed about six protesters being arrested with their hands tied behind their backs. Earlier on Thursday, CNN staff witnessed dozens of protesters being detained by the California Highway Patrol officers carrying out the operation. Some protesters attempted to reinforce barricades, while police officers in protective gear were seen breaking through the barriers.
Some demonstrators carried makeshift shields and umbrellas, trying to block the police’s advance with their numbers. On the other side of the camp, others quickly gave up, seen raising their hands above their heads and leaving under police escort.
Alejandro Rubio, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol, told CNN that around 250 police officers were involved, with about one protester corresponding to each officer in the camp. Rubio mentioned that some individuals threw fire extinguishers and water bottles at the police, but no officers were injured.
“We used flashbangs,” said Alec Pereyda, a public information officer from the Health Protection Center. “The flashbangs were shot into the air to grab the crowd’s attention and signal that it was time to disperse and leave the area.”
Rubio stated that the UCLA campus police department would determine whether charges would be filed. President Biden, at an Earth Day event on April 22nd, condemned anti-Semitism but also criticized those “who don’t understand what’s happening to the Palestinian people.”
It is expected that the President will address the campus protest activities at the White House on Thursday. Video footage from the scene showed police officers in tactical gear lining up to enter the UCLA campus and deploying near the tents occupied by protesters as the sun set on Wednesday.
Local TV station KABC-TV estimated that there were between 300 to 500 protesters inside the camp, with about 2,000 people gathered outside the barricades in support. Police stood by on the perimeter for hours before forcefully entering the camp around 3:15 am Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, dismantling barricades and arresting those who refused to leave.
Prior to the entry, authorities repeatedly broadcasted messages urging protesters to clear the protest area. The protest area had taken over a plaza between the iconic Royce Hall and the main undergraduate library at the UCLA campus, about the size of a football field.
On Wednesday, UCLA canceled classes for the day. Prior to that, violent clashes between camp protesters and Israeli supporters opposing the encampment occurred for two to three hours until early Wednesday morning when order was restored by law enforcement.
A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom later criticized the campus law enforcement for having a “limited and delayed response to the unrest” and warned that those engaging in illegal activities must be held accountable through criminal prosecution, suspension, or expulsion.
According to reports from Reuters, officials at UCLA stated that outside of limited operations on Thursday and Friday, the campus would remain closed. The campus enrolls nearly 52,000 students, including undergraduates and graduate students.
Last October 7th, Hamas militants from Gaza launched attacks on southern Israel, resulting in over 1,200 casualties and more than 250 people being taken hostage. Israel subsequently carried out attacks on Hamas, sparking a new round of conflict that led to the largest student activities in the U.S. since the anti-racism protests of 2020.
In recent days, protesters have gathered at dozens of schools across the U.S. or set up tent camps, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Many schools have resorted to law enforcement to quell the disruptions caused by protest activities.
An official from the New York City Police Department revealed to CNN that out of the 282 people arrested in the early hours of Wednesday at Columbia University and City College of New York, 134 were not affiliated with these institutions.
The Hanover Police Department reported that on Wednesday, 90 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire, facing charges of trespassing and resisting arrest.
Brittany Magelssen, a spokesperson for the University of Texas at Dallas, informed CNN that law enforcement cleared a pro-Palestinian protest camp on Wednesday at the school, leading to the arrest of 17 individuals.
The school’s website indicated that over 30,000 students were enrolled during the fall of 2023. On Thursday morning, the Portland, Oregon police department stated their efforts to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from inside the library at Portland State University.
With protests escalating and spreading, universities are working on how to proceed with graduation ceremonies. Florida University announced that its graduation ceremony will proceed on Friday, with approximately 9 individuals arrested this week due to pro-Palestinian unrest.
In a letter to the Florida State University system, President Ray Rodrigues wrote that tomorrow’s university-wide graduation ceremony “should not be canceled or substantially modified due to unruly demonstrators.”