UCLA sued over attack on pro-Palestinian protesters

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was sued Thursday over the clash at a pro-Palestinian encampment last spring that injured dozens of protesters.

The civil rights lawsuit was filed by 35 UCLA students, faculty, community members, reporters, and legal observers against the university, three police agencies and individuals who attacked the demonstrators.

The incident happened on April 28, 2024, when a large group of counter-protesters went into the pro-Palestinian encampment.

The lawsuit alleges the instigators shot fireworks at the defendants and used chemical munitions, metal rods, poles and boards to assault the pro-Palestinian demonstrators who were rallying against the Israel-Hamas war.

The suit says demonstrators had shattered bones, severed nerves, sexual assaults, large bruises and chemical burns to the face and eyes after the attack.

The incident went on for hours before police intervened and no one was arrested that night, according to the filing. When police did step in, the suit says it was in a violent way that led to more injuries.

“Over 200 protesters and organizers for Palestinian rights were wrongfully arrested that night and dozens of injured went to the hospital,” the press release for the lawsuit states.

“UCLA failed to stop or even condemn the violence, emboldening the perpetrators. UCLA's message laid blame in large part on protesters, who were in fact victims, and highlighted what it labeled antisemitism against other Jewish students on campus when it was the Palestine activists — including Jews — being harmed,” it added.

That night thrust UCLA into the center of the controversy on campuses across the country as the pro-Palestinian encampments led to 2,000 individuals arrested across the country and multiple graduation ceremonies canceled.

The Hill has reached out to UCLA for comment.

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