A the university and Los Angeles law enforcement agencies to demolish a pro-Palestine encampment where students and others had gathered for a week to protest Israel鈥檚 war in Gaza.
The tension escalated late Tuesday when counter protesters arrived at the encampment and began tearing at barricades, beating pro-Palestine protesters and harassing them with fireworks and pepper spray. Police did not intervene immediately, waiting hours before moving in and separating the groups.
On Wednesday, to be unlawful and announced that it would clear the site. Law enforcement agencies returned in force that night and cleared the encampment early Thursday. They used loud flash bangs and fired projectiles into crowds to disperse the protesters.
CalMatters reporter captured some of the violence and the camp-clearing that unfolded this week. Here鈥檚 a look at what he and other visual journalists saw.
Counter protesters came to fight pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
No police in sight.
Counter-protestors at UCLA descended on pro-Palestinian demonstration to fight and tease down the encampment.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
It鈥檚 a full on brawl.
men are walking toward the fence trying to tear it down.
Counter protestors are throwing things at them, including glass bottles in some cases.
No police in sight at UCLA as counter-protestors descend on Pro-Palestinian protestors to fight them on campus.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
Police at UCLA have formed a line about a hundred feet from the encampment. Counter-protestors have left, there have been no visible arrests so far.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
I saw the brawl last 2.5 hours, police arrived 1 hour ago.
UCLA: California Highway Patrol officer says 鈥渆verybody鈥� needs to go. Directs peoples onto the sidewalk to exit.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
May 2
UCLA and University of California leaders condemned the violence that broke out Tuesday night and laid plans to take down the encampment.
鈥淗owever one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable,鈥� UCLA Chancellor Gene Block wrote in a statement. 鈥淚t has shaken our campus to its core and 鈥� adding to other abhorrent incidents that we have witnessed and that have circulated on social media over the past several days 鈥� further damaged our community鈥檚 sense of security.鈥�
Law enforcement agencies took down the camp by the following day. UCLA reported that 300 people left the encampment voluntarily, 鈥渨hile more than 200 resisted orders to disperse and were arrested.鈥�
Police fire multiple impact munitions at protestors. 4:38am
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
Police moving closer and firing sound concussive devices. 4:47am
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
Police tear down tents at UCLA. 5:00am
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
Police arrest protestor. 5:12am
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
Remaining protestors are on the stairs outside the encampment chanting while Police dismantle it.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos)
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