police on scene University of California, Los Angeles He faced a leftist mob on Thursday morning as anti-Israel protests increased across the country.
Law enforcement agencies in riot gear tore down plywood barriers surrounding the anti-Israel camp at UCLA and entered the area around 1:54 a.m. local time after a tense standoff that lasted for hours. Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters On campus. Shortly after entering the camp at Dixon Plaza, police appeared to withdraw from the area and are now engaged in another standoff with protesters.
According to the Associated Press, some in the crowd threw water bottles and other objects as dozens of officers ran past.
As police gathered outside the encampment and the plywood barrier was put back up, widespread cheering could be heard from the protesters.
Police clash with leftist mob at UCLA as anti-Israel protests grow nationwide
Anti-Israel protesters hold their position after police broke up their encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus on May 2, 2024. (Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images)
Armed with batons and in full riot gear, California Highway Patrol officers returned about an hour later and stood at the feet of hundreds of protesters, who threw objects and yelled. The AP said more than 100 protesters advanced up the stairs leading down from the encampment and blocked a side entrance to the encampment, where police were advancing.
Law enforcement responded en masse, sending contingents of officers who were closing in on all sides of the encampment. Members of the crowd shined lights into the officers’ eyes.
Repeated explosions — believed to be flash bangs — could be heard throughout the fortified camp Thursday morning as law enforcement in riot gear stood outside the plywood walls surrounding much of the camp, which had already been He was behind the railings, and protesters could be seen standing on top of plywood with strobe lights and Palestinian flags.
Protesters can be heard shouting, “We are not leaving,” “Shame on you,” and “We do not agree to the search.”
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin said power drills could be heard throughout the night as protesters continued to reinforce the barrier separating them from multiple agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.
UCLA required Classes will be conducted remotely Between Thursday and Friday “Emergency on Campus”
A large number of police started arriving on Wednesday afternoon amid the issuance of dispersal orders.
Anti-Israel protesters shine flashlights at police as they try to break up their encampment on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles, California, on the morning of May 2, 2024. (Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images)
Multiple law enforcement sources told Fox News on Wednesday that the LAPD and surrounding agencies, including Santa Monica PD and the LA County Sheriff, were not requested by UCLA for assistance until after midnight.
Sources said that chaos started spreading on the UCLA campus around 11 pm local time. Once requested from outside agencies, they were deployed at approximately 1 am PST.
LAPD sources told Fox News that they are not allowed to respond to any event on campus unless formally requested by UCLA.
“The violence that occurred this evening at UCLA is absolutely disgusting and inexcusable. The LAPD has arrived on campus,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote in a post on X on May 1.
Campus chaos and anti-Israel rhetoric highlight the glaring failures of today’s higher education
Empty buses were parked near UCLA to remove protesters who did not follow orders to disperse.
The law enforcement presence and constant warnings were a stark contrast to the scene that had unfolded the night before counter protestor According to the AP, an anti-Israel camp was attacked on Tuesday, with traffic cones thrown, pepper spray fired and barriers torn down. Fighting continued for several hours before police arrived, although no arrests were made. At least 15 protesters suffered injuries and the authorities’ slow response was criticized by political leaders as well as Muslim students and advocacy groups.
Protestors block access to stairs to their camp on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles, California, early May 2, 2024, as police try to force their way into an anti-Israel camp of. (Photo by Étienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images)
“Late last night, a group of instigators came to Royce Quad to forcefully attack the camp that was set up there to advocate for Palestinian rights. Physical violence occurred, and our campus has come together to help end this horrific attack. “Requested support from outside law enforcement agencies to end the fighting and protect our community,” UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block said in a statement Wednesday. “We are still gathering information about the attack on the camp last night, and I can assure you that we will conduct a full investigation that may lead to arrest, expulsion and dismissal.”
Block said, “This is a dark chapter in the history of our campus. We will restore a safe learning environment at UCLA.”
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By Wednesday afternoon, a small city had emerged inside the fortified camp, now filled with hundreds of people and tents on the campus quad. Some protesters recited Muslim prayers, while others chanted, “We are not leaving,” or distributed goggles and surgical masks. They wore helmets and headscarves, and discussed the best ways to deal with pepper spray or tear gas, as someone sang over a megaphone.
The Chancellor has not yet given any reaction on this incident which came to light on Thursday morning.
Fox News’ Alexandria Hernandez, Elizabeth Pritchett and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
