Violence Erupts at Pro-Palestinian Camp at UCLA: Campus Police under Fire

Events at the entrance to the pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA on Wednesday were orderly and quiet, except for the constant drone of a police helicopter circling overhead.

The hopefuls and the organizers told them ground rules: No contact with the police or reporters. Don’t oppose counter-protesters. Don’t litter. No smoking or drinking.

But despite the relative calm, tensions remain high. Just hours earlier in the night, a group of anti-Israel protesters attacked the camp, tearing down barricades and attacking protesters with metal pipes, mace and pepper spray. Fireworks​​​​ were also set off in the camp.

Classes at UCLA were canceled on Wednesday and the administration issued a statement condemning “horrible acts of violence” against the camp, which was set up to protest Israel’s war in Gaza.

A spokeswoman for Camp Anna, who declined to give her last name, said dozens of anti-Palestinian activists were injured or pepper-sprayed in attacks that lasted from late Tuesday night into the hours small wednesday

She said the attack happened partly under the watchful eye of the police, who intervened hours after the violence began.

“The police did nothing,” she told Al Jazeera on Wednesday, noting that she still felt the effects of being pepper-sprayed and beaten by attack that was against Israel She said she spent hours helping other wounded people.

“They came to us with metal pipes. Many people were taken to hospital with serious injuries. Only one person was left in a wheelchair. Another person’s arm was completely broken.”

In an anonymously drafted statement to Al Jazeera, members of UCLA Broadcast News echoed that assessment, saying campus police did little to help the pro-Palestinian camp.

“Campus security and the UCLA Police Department continued to stand by but did not intervene as students were severely harassed by counter-protesters. No steps were taken to protect UCLA students,” they wrote.

“Furthermore, when the Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol were called to the scene, they did not intervene against the violent protesters for an hour.”

During the day on Wednesday, the space previously used by pro-Israel protesters was largely empty, with several large Israeli flags fluttering in the wind. However, reports of a police presence raised suspicions that the pro-Palestinian camp would be cleared later in the day.

Police move towards a pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, on May 1 (Al Jazeera)

At press time, UCLA police and CSC Los Angeles, the security and event management company employed by the campus, had not responded to Al Jazeera’s inquiries.

Anna believes that the reckless police response to last night’s violence is in stark contrast to the way law enforcement has stopped pro-Palestinian protests on campuses across the country.

In New York City, for example, around 282 protesters were arrested overnight when police broke up demonstrations at Columbia University and the City College of New York.

On Wednesday, there was a heavy police presence on the UCLA campus, with about a dozen patrol cars lining the campus.

However, it was a soporific scene: the demonstrators listened quietly to speeches while the police searched cell phones. Sometimes someone would come over to question him, but they weren’t paid much attention.

Anna told Al Jazeera that the attack on Tuesday night was the result of several days of harassment.

She said anti-Israel activists were “increasingly aggressive”. There was even an attempt to break into the camp the night before.

Anna pointed out that counter-protesters also set up chants at night and played certain songs over and over in an apparent attempt to distract the demonstrators from sleep and disturb their inner peace. She compared their methods to those used by the Israeli military against Palestinian prisoners.

But she emphasized that students at the camp did not want violence to interfere with their message.

They prefer to focus on Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and displaced more than 90 percent of the enclave’s population.

Despite reports of human rights abuses by Israeli forces, the US government continues to strongly support Israel’s military offensive.

Activists on campuses like those at UCLA are asking universities to stop investing in companies seen as involved in Israel’s war and occupation of Palestinian territories. They also called for an end to the university’s relations with Israeli institutions.

Ann said, “Despite the incredible violence we experienced last night, it’s not about us as students. It’s about our love for Palestine, for the dignity of Palestinian life and freedom.”

Israel supporters attack anti-war protesters at UCLA (Al Jazeera)

political pressure

The attack on the camp was one of the most violent demonstrations of rising tensions on college campuses across the United States.

Students across the country set up camps, occupied buildings and engaged in other acts of civil disobedience against US support for the war.

However, university administrators and elected officials, including President Joe Biden, have said the protests contained anti-Semitic incidents that created an unsafe learning environment for Jewish students.

However, protest organizers at UCLA and elsewhere denied the allegation. Since the war in Gaza began almost seven months ago, on October 7, Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities have all reported an increase in harassment and discrimination.

“These protests became violent only at the behest of anti-Israel demonstrators, many of whom are not even students at the institution,” members of UCLA’s broadcast news department wrote in a statement to Al Jazeera.

“As students, we shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of our campus, especially since we exist as a community in our spaces on campus.”

However, since December, Congress has held two hearings investigating allegations of anti-Semitism on campus, and the presidents of four major universities have been questioned. Two of the leaders have now retired.

On Wednesday, the House took further action to combat anti-Semitism on campuses.

He passed a bill to add a definition of anti-Semitism to the civil rights law, which could criticize Israel. Although the bill has yet to come to a vote in the Senate, critics worry that any resulting law could be used to withhold funding from participating universities. in pro-Palestinian activism.

Under pressure from lawmakers to quell the protests, many universities have asked the police to disperse protesters, including two prestigious Ivy League schools, Columbia and Yale.

On May 1, police cars drove up outside a pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA (Al Jazeera)

However, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement Wednesday condemning the “heinous act of violence” and calling for an independent investigation after the overnight attack at UCLA.

California Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a statement saying those involved in illegal activities “must be held accountable” but did not specify that pro-Palestinian demonstrators were among the groups which was aimed at.

However, Anna urged politicians to do more to support the UCLA protesters and protect their right to free speech.

Ann said, “The overwhelming support has come from other students, community members, and loved ones. So far, I have not seen any high-profile politicians condemn the attack we suffered last night as much as they condemned Jewish students for anti-Semitism. on campus.