Friday, May 3, 2024 - Police at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Wednesday afternoon, May 1, ordered people to clear out of the pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA after a night of violence and destruction in the university.
Police issued an unlawful assembly order over loudspeakers
at about 6 p.m. and ordered demonstrators to leave the area after pro-Israel
demonstrators came to attack Pro-Gaza protesters who have been protesting at
the UCLA for days now.
"The established
encampment is unlawful and violates university policy," the university
wrote. "Law enforcement is prepared to arrest individuals in accordance
with applicable law. Non-UCLA persons are notified to leave the encampment and depart
the campus immediately."
A mixture of the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles
County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol and UC Police Department
established a heavy presence outside of the encampment all of Wednesday.
Despite the order, thousands of people stayed at the
encampment and along the steps leading up to it.
Hundreds of officers with less-than-lethal weapons started
to form skirmish lines throughout the night while more staged their cruisers
and buses at a nearby parking lot at the West LA Federal Building. They did not
immediately move into the encampment after the first declaration.
The unabated clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and
counter-protesters lasted for approximately two hours between 11 p.m. Tuesday
night and 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
In that two-hour span of mayhem, counter-protesters launched
smoke bombs, fireworks and cones at the encampment as demonstrators tried to
protect themselves with a makeshift wooden barricade and umbrellas.
Counter-protesters also attacked people with sticks.
At least one person was injured during the initial clashes.
The LAPD said the entire agency will be under a citywide
tactical alert because of the situation at UCLA. The bulletin places the
department at a heightened level of alert to free up resources.
The police stood in a buffer zone between the encampment and
the other protesters in the five hours after the declaration. For the most
part, the situation remained calmer than Tuesday night.
"This is a dark chapter
in our campus's history. We will restore a safe learning environment at
UCLA," Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement Wednesday.
The university also warned students to leave the school.
"Those who choose to
remain — including both students and employees — could face sanctions,"
the university wrote. "For students, those sanctions could include
disciplinary measures such as interim suspension that, after proper due process
through the student conduct process, could lead to dismissal."
The protesters released a statement claiming they will not
leave.
"We will not leave. We
will remain here until our demands are met. You justify the mistreatment of
students in the encampment in the same way you justify your complicity in the
Palestinian genocide," the protesters wrote in a statement.
They also called on students and "other members"
of the community to join their movement.
"Administration wants
you to believe that this movement is futile," they wrote. "While the
administration publicly condemns us, they privately negotiate with us because
the collective power of unified students threatens them."
Watch videos below
#BREAKING: UCLA PROTEST ESCALATION
— Genius Bot X (@GeniusBotX) May 2, 2024
Citywide tactical alert as hundreds of LAPD riot officers deploy at protester encampment. Over 1,000 demonstrators gather, barricades breached.
CNN reports imminent police action. What's at stake for free speech and public safety?#UCLA… https://t.co/YTGZZOu2rH pic.twitter.com/wC6lDPTpxf
Over 140,000 Iranians live in #LosAngeles. Most of them fled from the Islamic regime of #Iran. It is hard for them to see #Hamas supporters freely protest #Israel in the #UCLA. Therefore, last night they together with American Jews countered these terrorist lovers in the UCLA. pic.twitter.com/iJAxZlWNli
— Babak Taghvaee - The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) May 1, 2024
Look at these Nazi symbols and ISIS-level hate and propaganda at UCLA tonight. This is disgusting. pic.twitter.com/ZKkmmpfFoI
— Sam Yebri (@samyebri) May 2, 2024
BREAKING: UCLA police just declared on a loudspeaker that the UCLA encampment is unlawful and that everyone must leave the area. They say that those who do not leave may be subject to arrest. Encampment cheered. We continue to see a large amount of law enforcement gathering. pic.twitter.com/ZufyCgr96D
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 2, 2024
🚨BREAKING: SNIPERS SPOTTED AT UCLA.
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) May 2, 2024
On ground sources reported the presence of snipers on rooftops at UCLA over student encampment. pic.twitter.com/D5efnZgSeJ
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