April 12-18, 2024
Shoppers are terrified after a lone assailant started stabbing people at a shopping mall in Sydney; people appreciate spring flowers like cherry and azalea blossoms in Tokyo; a King Sejong statue receives a spring cleaning in Seoul, South Korea. People prepare for the voting process on the eve of the national election in India; people get wet in the Songkran water festival to celebrate the Thai New Year in Bangkok. A Tibetan man waters plants placed on the roof of his retirement home, and a Hindu devotees celebrate the Navratri, or nine nights festival, in India.
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A Hindu devotee prostrates as others stand in a queue to offer prayers inside the historical Kali Temple, situated inside Bahu Fort, on the fifth day of the Navratri, or nine nights festival, in Jammu, India, Saturday, April.13, 2024. Navaratri lasts for nine days, with three days each devoted to the worship of the goddess of valor Durga, the goddess of wealth Lakshmi, and the goddess of knowledge Saraswati. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
A Hindu devotee prostrates as others stand in a queue to offer prayers inside the historical Kali Temple, situated inside Bahu Fort, on the fifth day of the Navratri, or nine nights festival, in Jammu, India, Saturday, April.13, 2024. Navaratri lasts for nine days, with three days each devoted to the worship of the goddess of valor Durga, the goddess of wealth Lakshmi, and the goddess of knowledge Saraswati. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
An elderly Tibetan stands on a tin roof as he waters potted plants placed below his retirement home's windows in Dharamshala, India, Friday, April 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
A couple react as a bucket of water is splashed on them during the Songkran water festival to celebrate the Thai New Year in Prachinburi Province, Thailand, Saturday, April 13, 2024. It's the time of year when many Southeast Asian countries hold nationwide water festivals to beat the seasonal heat, as celebrants splash friends, family and strangers alike in often raucous celebration to mark the traditional Theravada Buddhist New Year. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)
A motorcyclist drives over the shadow of train tracks in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Thailand, Cambodia and other countries in this region are celebrating with their annual water festivals as they also suffer through the global heat wave. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Polling officials carry Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) across a dried riverbed of Brahmaputra on the eve of the national election at Baghmora Chapori (small island) of Majuli, about 350km (218 miles) east of the state capital Guwahati, India, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A worker sprays water onto the statue of King Sejong for a spring cleaning at the Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. King Sejong, the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), created the Korean alphabet, Hangul, in 1446. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A person sits near cherry blossoms in full bloom at a park in the Roppongi district Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Tokyo. Japan's famed cherry blossoms are blooming later than expected in the capital because of cold weather. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Lightning illuminates the sky behind the gunner on a Thai military armored vehicle, as he keeps watch along the Moei river, under the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot in Thailand's Tak province on Friday, April 12, 2024. Thailand's foreign minister on Friday said he has urged Myanmar's military authorities not to violently respond to its army's loss of an important border trading town to its opponents, and that so far it seems to be exercising restraint. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
People are led out from the Westfield Shopping Centre, where several people were stabbed, in Sydney, Saturday, April 13, 2024. A man stabbed multiple people to death at the busy Sydney shopping center Saturday before he was fatally shot, police said. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
The Sydney Opera House is illuminated with a black ribbon Monday, April 15, 2024, as part of the national day of mourning following the stabbing deaths of several people at a shopping mall on April 13. Australian police are examining why a lone assailant who stabbed several people to death in a busy Sydney shopping mall and injured more than a dozen others targeted women while avoiding men. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images in the Asia-Pacific region made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.
The selection was curated by AP photo editor Hiro Komae.
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Visitors walk through azalea blossoms at Nezu Shrine on a mild spring day Monday, April 15, 2024, in Tokyo. In the Shinto beliefs, Nezu Shrine was built about 1900 years ago, and it's considered one of the oldest shrines in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A Hindu devotee prostrates as others stand in a queue to offer prayers inside the historical Kali Temple, situated inside Bahu Fort, on the fifth day of the Navratri, or nine nights festival, in Jammu, India, Saturday, April.13, 2024. Navaratri lasts for nine days, with three days each devoted to the worship of the goddess of valor Durga, the goddess of wealth Lakshmi, and the goddess of knowledge Saraswati. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
An elderly Tibetan stands on a tin roof as he waters potted plants placed below his retirement home's windows in Dharamshala, India, Friday, April 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
A couple react as a bucket of water is splashed on them during the Songkran water festival to celebrate the Thai New Year in Prachinburi Province, Thailand, Saturday, April 13, 2024. It's the time of year when many Southeast Asian countries hold nationwide water festivals to beat the seasonal heat, as celebrants splash friends, family and strangers alike in often raucous celebration to mark the traditional Theravada Buddhist New Year. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)
A motorcyclist drives over the shadow of train tracks in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Thailand, Cambodia and other countries in this region are celebrating with their annual water festivals as they also suffer through the global heat wave. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Polling officials carry Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) across a dried riverbed of Brahmaputra on the eve of the national election at Baghmora Chapori (small island) of Majuli, about 350km (218 miles) east of the state capital Guwahati, India, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A worker sprays water onto the statue of King Sejong for a spring cleaning at the Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. King Sejong, the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), created the Korean alphabet, Hangul, in 1446. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A person sits near cherry blossoms in full bloom at a park in the Roppongi district Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Tokyo. Japan's famed cherry blossoms are blooming later than expected in the capital because of cold weather. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Lightning illuminates the sky behind the gunner on a Thai military armored vehicle, as he keeps watch along the Moei river, under the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot in Thailand's Tak province on Friday, April 12, 2024. Thailand's foreign minister on Friday said he has urged Myanmar's military authorities not to violently respond to its army's loss of an important border trading town to its opponents, and that so far it seems to be exercising restraint. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
People are led out from the Westfield Shopping Centre, where several people were stabbed, in Sydney, Saturday, April 13, 2024. A man stabbed multiple people to death at the busy Sydney shopping center Saturday before he was fatally shot, police said. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
The Sydney Opera House is illuminated with a black ribbon Monday, April 15, 2024, as part of the national day of mourning following the stabbing deaths of several people at a shopping mall on April 13. Australian police are examining why a lone assailant who stabbed several people to death in a busy Sydney shopping mall and injured more than a dozen others targeted women while avoiding men. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Law enforcement on the UCLA campus donned riot gear Wednesday evening as they ordered the dispersal of over a thousand people who had gathered in support of a pro-Palestinian student encampment, warning over loudspeakers that anyone who refused to leave could face arrest.
A large crowd of students, alumni and neighbors gathered on campus steps outside the barricaded area of tents, sitting as they listened and applauded various speakers and joined in pro-Palestinian chants. Overheard television cameras showed students in the barricaded area passing out goggles and helmets, as well as setting up medical aid stations. A small group of students holding signs and wearing T-shirts in support of Israel and Jewish people gathered nearby.
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, and no one was arrested. At least 15 protesters suffered injuries, and the tepid response by authorities drew criticism from political leaders as well as Muslim students and advocacy groups.
Ray Wiliani, who lives nearby, said he came to UCLA on Wednesday evening to support the pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
“We need to take a stand for it,” he said. “Enough is enough.”
Elsewhere, police in New Hampshire made arrests and took down tents at Dartmouth College and officers in Oregon came onto the campus at Portland State University as school officials sought to end the occupation of the library that started Monday.
The chaotic scenes at UCLA came just hours after New York police burst into a building occupied by anti-war protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday night, breaking up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school.
An Associated Press tally counted at least 38 times since April 18 where arrests were made at campus protests across the U.S. More than 1,600 people have been arrested at 30 schools.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement that “a group of instigators” perpetrated the previous night's attack, but he did not provide details about the crowd or why the administration and school police did not act sooner.
“However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable,” he said. “It has shaken our campus to its core.”
Block promised a review of the night's events after California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Los Angeles mayor denounced the delays.
“The community needs to feel the police are protecting them, not enabling others to harm them,” Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said in a news conference on the Los Angeles campus later Wednesday, where some Muslim students detailed the overnight events.
Speakers disputed the university’s account that 15 people were injured and one hospitalized, saying the number of people taken to the hospital was higher. One student described needing to go to the hospital after being hit in the head by an object wielded by counter-protesters.
Several students who spoke during the news conference said they had to rely on each other, not the police, for support as they were attacked, and that many in the pro-Palestinian encampment remained peaceful and did not engage with counter-protesters. UCLA canceled classes Wednesday.
Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies they say support the war in Gaza have spread across campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century. The ensuing police crackdowns echoed actions decades ago against a much larger protest movement protesting the Vietnam War.
In Madison, a scrum broke out early Wednesday after police with shields removed all but one tent and shoved protesters. Four officers were injured, including a state trooper who was hit in the head with a skateboard, authorities said. Four were charged with battering law enforcement.
This is all playing out in an election year in the U.S., raising questions about whether young voters — who are critical for Democrats — will back President Joe Biden's reelection effort, given his staunch support of Israel.
In rare instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.
At Brown University in Rhode Island, administrators agreed to consider a vote to divest from Israel in October — apparently the first U.S. college to agree to such a demand.
The nationwide campus demonstrations began at Columbia on April 17 to protest Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which followed Hamas launching a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.
Meanwhile, protest encampments elsewhere were cleared by the police, resulting in arrests, or closed up voluntarily at schools across the U.S., including The City College of New York, Fordham University in New York, Portland State in Oregon, Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and Tulane University in New Orleans.
Offenhartz and Frederick reported from New York. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including John Antczak, Christopher L. Keller, Lisa Baumann, Cedar Attanasio, Jonathan Mattise, Stefanie Dazio, Jae C. Hong, Colleen Long, Karen Matthews, Sarah Brumfield, Carolyn Thompson, Philip Marcelo, Corey Williams and Felicia Fonseca.
UCLA professor Nick Shapiro speaks at a news conference on the UCLA campus, after nighttime clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Demonstrators restore a protective barrier at an encampment on the UCLA campus, the morning after clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Police detain a demonstrator protesting the war in Gaza as they work to remove a non-sanctioned encampment on the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis., on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
Police push back on demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza as they work to remove a non-sanctioned encampment on the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis., on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
Madison Police carry a demonstrator protesting the war in Gaza as they work to remove a non-sanctioned encampment on the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis., on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
Protesters demonstrating against the war in Gaza circle a tent as law enforcement personnel prepare to remove an encampment on the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis. on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
Protesters against the war in Gaza confront law enforcement personnel during demonstrations on the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis. on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
A woman paints on a barrier during a protest set up in a plaza at the University of Texas at Dallas, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Demonstrators restore a protective barrier at an encampment on the UCLA campus, the morning after clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Demonstrators hold signs on the UCLA campus, the morning after clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Demonstrators restore a protective barrier at an encampment on the UCLA campus, the morning after clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Police stage on the UCLA campus, after nighttime clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
An officer stands outside a Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick speaks outside a Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Students walk by one of the spray-painted messages left by those protesting the Israel-Hamas war on the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Sixteen people, including five students, were arrested earlier this week when they occupied the Student Union Building, causing damage inside. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Posters surround an encampment established by University of New Mexico students and supporters who are protesting the Israel-Hamas war, on the main campus in Albuquerque, N,M., on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Demonstrators restore a protective barrier at an encampment on the UCLA campus, the morning after clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A person stands at a Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Demonstrators restore a protective barrier at an encampment on the UCLA campus, the morning after clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Demonstrators against the war in Gaza clash with law enforcement personnel during demonstrations on the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis. on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
Law enforcement personnel clash with demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza as they work to remove a non-sanctioned encampment on the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis. on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
Protesters against the war in Gaza confront law enforcement personnel during demonstrations on the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis. on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
Demonstrators wave flags on the UCLA campus, after nighttime clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Demonstrators gather on the UCLA campus, after nighttime clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Demonstrators lock arms on the UCLA campus, after nighttime clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
