Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters remained behind barricades on the UCLA campus early Thursday morning despite police orders to leave.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters remained behind barricades on the UCLA campus early Thursday morning despite police orders to leave as officers were poised to move in on their fortified encampment that was ringed by an even larger crowd, including supporters who locked arms and curious onlookers.
Videos began emerging on social media overnight of police in the encampment:
Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia said on X that, „We are at UCLA. There is a large police presence from multiple law enforcement agencies after outside mobs attacked peaceful student protestors last night with no one protecting them. Students now face police. We urge UCLA & City leaders to protect students, not do more harm.“
Huge numbers of police began arriving late in the afternoon Wednesday, and empty buses were parked near the University of California, Los Angeles to take away protesters who don’t comply with the order. The tense standoff came one night after violence instigated by counter-protesters erupted in the same place.
A small city sprang up inside the barricaded encampment, full of hundreds of people and tents on the campus quad. Some protesters said Muslim prayers as the sun set over the campus, while others chanted „we’re not leaving“ or passed out goggles and surgical masks. They wore helmets and headscarves, and discussed the best ways to handle pepper spray or tear gas as someone sang over a megaphone.
A few constructed homemade shields out of plywood in case they clashed with police forming skirmish lines elsewhere on the campus. „For rubber bullets, who wants a shield?“ a protester called out.
Meanwhile, a large crowd of students, alumni and neighbors gathered on campus steps outside the tents, sitting as they listened and applauded various speakers and joined in pro-Palestinian chants. A group of students holding signs and wearing T-shirts in support of Israel and Jewish people demonstrated nearby.
The crowd continued to grow as the night wore on as more and more officers poured onto campus.
The law enforcement presence and continued warnings stood in contrast to the scene that unfolded the night before, when counter-demonstrators attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones, releasing pepper spray and tearing down barriers. Fighting continued for several hours before police stepped in, though no arrests were made.
