Colleges across the nation crack down on campus encampments
Pro-Palestine protestors fortified their barricades and prepared for clashes as hundreds of LAPD flooded the UCLA campus Wednesday night, the second night in a row encampments on the California campus turned physical.
It comes as police are cracking down on encampments at campuses across America.
There were arrests made on campuses such as Ivy League’s Dartmouth in Rhode Island, the University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. At Wisconsin, more than 34 were arrested and some cops were hurt in clashes.
New York City continued to see it’s share of protests as well, as police broke up protests at Fordham a day after ending encampments at Columbia and the City College of New York. Officers arrested at least 15 Fordham protesters Wednesday.
Across the country at UCLA, a large crowd of students, alumni and neighbors gathered on campus steps outside the barricaded area of tents, sitting as they listened and applauded various speakers and joined in pro-Palestinian chants.
As day turned to night, LAPD officers dressed in riot gear filled the campus. Videos shared on social media showed students fortifying their barricades as they prepared for confrontations with police. Some chanted ‘shame on you!’ and ‘LAPD KKK!’
Overheard television cameras at UCLA showed students in the barricaded area passing out goggles and helmets, as well as setting up medical aid stations.
A small group of students holding signs and wearing T-shirts in support of Israel and Jewish people gathered nearby.
The law enforcement presence and continued warnings stood in contrast to the scene that unfolded the night before, when counter-demonstrators attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones, releasing pepper spray and tearing down barriers.
Fighting continued for several hours before police stepped in, and no one was arrested.
At least 15 protesters suffered injuries, and the tepid response by authorities drew criticism from political leaders as well as Muslim students and advocacy groups.
Ray Wiliani, who lives nearby, said he came to UCLA on Wednesday evening to support the pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
‘We need to take a stand for it,’ he said. ‘Enough is enough.’
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement that ‘a group of instigators’ perpetrated the previous night’s attack, but he did not provide details about the crowd or why the administration and school police did not act sooner.
‘However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable,’ he said. ‘It has shaken our campus to its core.’
Block promised a review of the night’s events after California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Los Angeles mayor denounced the delays.
‘The community needs to feel the police are protecting them, not enabling others to harm them,’ Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said in a news conference on the Los Angeles campus later Wednesday, where some Muslim students detailed the overnight events.
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