With the help of bulldozers, items including tents, chairs and yoga mats were removed from the UCLA camp occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters Thursday morning and put into a large brown trash bin.
Packages of unopened plastic water bottles were lying on the grass. Nearby, two white trucks carrying pieces of wood were used by protesters to cordon off the camp. A group of four UCLA graduate students carrying medical masks and other supplies for protesters headed to Dixon Court, the area of campus where the encampment once was, only to find that the encampment had been cleared. . action was taken after this Arrests early Thursday Officers charged with body armor, helmets and face shields charged at more than 200 protesters.
The graduate students decided that they would donate to one of the other Southern California universities that had camps.
such camps have spread College campuses across the country In a student movement unlike any other movement in this century. Protesters are calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies they say support the war in Gaza. The police arrested him on Tuesday 25 protesters at Cal Poly HumboldtWhere anti-war protesters took over buildings, prompting school officials to close the campus.
“I think it’s really important to stand up for what you believe in,” said a 29-year-old UCLA graduate student, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution. “I have come here several times to give donations to the people in the camp, and each time, the people have met me with grace and great respect.”
She and her friends have been bringing water, chips, masks and protective goggles to protesters all week.
“I’m honored that our school is taking part in something that is making a difference,” said a 24-year-old graduate student who was part of the group.
Outside Dixon Court, pro-Israel students also gathered to watch the cleanup process.
A 20-year-old UCLA graduate, who requested anonymity because he said he feared being attacked, took part in a counter-protest on Sunday. A crowd of people from the Jewish community gathered in front of the camp and sang the Israeli national anthem, brought out a DJ and held a dance party, he said.
The undergraduate, who said he was Jewish, was disappointed by the camp, he said. But he stressed that he had not taken part in any other counter-demonstrations and condemned the violence that began just before midnight on Tuesday night.
For several hours, counter-protesters threw objects, including wooden and metal barriers, at those inside. Fireworks were launched into the camp, and some counter-protesters tried to force their way inside. Fights broke out, and the pro-Palestinian side used pepper spray to protect themselves.
“It was despicable,” the undergraduate said of the attack on the encampment. Violent counter-protesters “need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. They do not represent our movement, and as such they should be punished for not acting in accordance with the law and the values they seek to uphold.” .
He said that he has lost many of his friends since then Israel-Hamas war broke out Because of their different viewpoints.
“It’s unfortunate because it’s very personal for me because I’m from the Middle East,” he said. “My family is in Israel, I have family in Iran, and seeing the chaos that has spread in the region where I have lineage, it’s amazing to see people who have no connection to the current violence say I don’t know That what I’m doing is I’m talking or they can’t be friends with me because of their political stance.
With the camp now demolished, some protesters told The Times on Thursday that they fear the momentum of pro-Palestinian protests in Westwood may have stalled.
“There’s a lot of anger and frustration and a desire to continue to protest, but we’re really still figuring out what that’s going to look like,” said the 19-year-old UCLA freshman, who declined to give her name.
Many seemed eager to return to UCLA to protest, though it was unclear what awaited them. A current and former Occidental College student said he noticed a “demand for bodies” at UCLA on Wednesday night, but thought he would not be called back after the encampment cleared out.
Some employees seemed more optimistic that the protests would soon revive.
A staff member arrested on Thursday said, “I can go back on Friday,” although he added that his plans may have been thwarted due to lack of sleep. When she was arrested, she said she was standing with 10 to 15 faculty or staff who were booked along with her.
Like many people Friday, the staff member declined to give her name out of fear of retribution from the university, saying she worked in a part of the school where some colleagues were wary of the protests.
Some students said they were unclear whether they would face academic consequences from the protests — though they said they had seen some explicit emails from the university saying there could be “disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion.” Is.
