Police enter UCLA encampment, detain some protesters
Police entered an encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Los Angeles early Thursday, after protestors ignored law enforcement's orders to leave the area.
Officers removed barriers and began dismantling the encampment of tents after hours of threatening arrests by way of loudspeakers if there was not a dispersal of people, The Associated Press reported. The move also came after counterprotestors attacked an area of the camp, per the news wire.
Multiple protestors were detained in the aftermath, some restrained with zip ties, per the AP. The arrests were also reported by UCLA's student newspaper, The Daily Bruin.
Violence had previously erupted at the southern California school and on Columbia University's campus in New York City. The New York and Los Angeles police departments have since cracked down on the demonstrations after weeks of unrest sparked by aversions to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and the subsequent humanitarian crisis.
UCLA was moved to cancel classes Wednesday due to the tension.
Police tore apart the barricade of UCLA's encampment, made of plywood, pallets, metal fences and trash dumpsters, and created an opening in the way of demonstrators’ tents, The AP reported. Protestors held umbrellas in a way similar to shields and faced down officers.
The news comes as multiple universities this week have sent in law enforcement to arrest hundreds of protesters as administrators declare their demonstrations illegal, while at least two schools have been able to reach deals with activists to peacefully close down their encampments.
“We are frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us,” Columbia protest leaders said in a statement last month. “Our members have been misidentified by a politically motivated mob.”
“We firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry and stand vigilant against non-students attempting to disrupt the solidarity being forged among students,” they continued. “Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Black and pro-Palestinian classmates and colleagues who represent the full diversity of our country.”
Many of those protesting have also faced accusations of antisemitism. House Republicans, in particular, have in recent months made combating antisemitism — especially on college campuses — a pivotal part of their messaging.
The lower chamber of Congress approved a bill Wednesday, introduced by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), that would crack down on rising antisemitism on campuses across the nation. If passed, the legislation would require the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when enforcing antidiscrimination laws.
The Hill has reached out to UCLA and the Los Angeles Police Department.
The Associated Press contributed.
Date: |
Filter
-
Police clear protest encampment over war in Gaza at UC Irvine
Police have cleared a lecture hall at the University of California-Irvine after hundreds of protesters occupied the building for several hours Wednesday. Officers dismantled an encampment and barricades while detaining some of the protesters. CBS ...CBS News - Top stories -
WATCH LIVE: Protesters speak out after encampment dismantled at DePaul
Yahoo News - World -
Chicago police clears anti-war, Pro-Palestine encampment
Yahoo News - World -
SFSU protesters break down encampment after reaching agreement
Yahoo News - World -
At Least 12 Arrested at U.C. Berkeley After Police Order Protesters to Disperse
The authorities had given demonstrators until 7 p.m. to vacate a new encampment that had been erected at a fire-damaged complex on campus.The New York Times - Top stories -
Russian state media say jailed U.S. soldier has entered a guilty plea
Russian media say U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, who has been jailed for two weeks, is cooperating with authorities and has pleaded guilty to theft.CBS News - Politics - Russia -
Police departments sell their used guns
Firearms sold by law enforcement have turned up at crime scenes thousands of times in recent years, a CBS News Investigation found.CBS News - Top stories -
French police kill man trying to burn Rouen synagogue
The man was reportedly armed with a knife and an iron bar and was shot after approaching police officers.BBC News - Top stories - France -
How former police guns are ending up in the hands of criminals
A CBS News investigation with The Trace and Reveal finds thousands of former law enforcement weapons end up being involved in crimes each year, prompting the question: Should law enforcement be offloading their used weapons to gun stores? CBS News ...CBS News - Top stories -
Further riots in France's New Caledonia, second police officer killed
Yahoo News - World
More from The Hill
-
House panels vote to hold Garland in contempt
Two House committees on Thursday advanced measures to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress in an effort to censure him for failing to turn over audio recordings of the president. A last-minute move from President Biden to ...The Hill - Politics -
Chaos erupts in hearing as Greene, Ocasio-Cortez clash over ‘fake eyelashes’ jibe at Crockett
A House Oversight Committee hearing devolved into chaos Thursday night as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) clashed after the firebrand Republican accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) of wearing “fake ...The Hill - Politics -
Swalwell slams GOP lawmakers for going to see Trump trial
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) went after his GOP colleagues who traveled to New York City to appear at former President Trump’s criminal trial this week. The California Democrat specifically took it to his colleagues who skipped a hearing Thursday ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump -
California bill that would have banned selling anti-aging skin products to young kids fails to advance
A bill in California that sought to ban the sale of anti-aging skin products to young kids failed to advance through the California State Assembly on Thursday. The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Alex Lee, prohibited kids under 13 from buying ...The Hill - Politics - California -
Fox anchor applauds Kansas City Chiefs kicker's controversial remarks
Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham applauded Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker on Thursday after he gave controversial speech including remarks on women in the workforce. Butker’s commencement speech at Benedictine College made clear his ...The Hill - Politics - NFL