Violent clashes erupted at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), one of the top public universities in the U.S. on Tuesday night after Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were attacked by pro-Israel counter-protesters. Fireworks, tear gas and fights broke out just after 22:50 Tuesday night and continued until early Wednesday morning as around 100 pro-Israel counter-protesters attempted to storm the ongoing Palestine solidarity encampment at the university.
Last week, pro-Palestinian protesters set up an encampment of tents near UCLA's Royce Hall, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from companies linked to Israel. The dramatic escalation and face-off among opposing student protesters on Tuesday night has left several injured, while many criticized the slow response from campus security personnel and the failure of local law enforcement departments to show up in a timely manner. Students who become embroiled in the melee recounted the horrible scenes which unfolded in interviews with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).
"From UCLA, we've had a lot of the administration claiming that they want to support us. But last night it took several hours until the LAPD got involved. If the UCPD was here, we didn't see them, we didn't feel their presence. And then private security firms have been hired, like CSC and Apex. They stood aside for the longest time. Lots of our members were yelling for help," said Jenna, a spokesperson for the Pro-Palestinian encampment.
"I was shocked, appalled, and horrified. I think there's no other way around it. I have my own disagreements with some of the rhetoric in the encampment, but that's certainly no excuse for violence in general, and certainly not the kind of violence we saw last night. Someone easily could have been killed and people were seriously injured, and that’s so atrocious and horrific and just utterly unconscionable," said Rachel Burnett, a UCLA student. The pro-Palestinian demonstrations first began at Columbia University in New York, inspiring many similar activities to spring up at colleges and universities across the U.S., with hundreds of arrests being reported.
Aside from UCLA, students at other California colleges and universities, including Stanford University, the University of Southern California, UC Berkeley, and Sacramento State, have joined the national protests. A total of 35 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, early Tuesday morning, ending a week-long occupancy of buildings on campus of the university in Northern California.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA attacked by counter-protestors
