After a tense night and over an hour of intense clashes, the police finally managed to dismantle the camp full of pro-Hamas vandals occupying the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The agents had to go all out and were forced to use tear gas against the radicals who had barricaded themselves inside and attacked them with bottles and discharged fire extinguishers at them. The clashes resulted in numerous injuries and at least 132 arrests. Classes have been suspended for several days.
UCLA 🚨: It’s 0544 , the encampment is now in complete police control. Handful of protestors remain. The encampment is officially over.
It’s morning, birds chirping, I am signing off. Thanks for all the new followers, and all the pages/friends/colleagues who shared my work. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/FlJJQDs65O
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 2, 2024
A long night at UCLA
Finally, the police ended the operation at 5:44 a.m. Pacific time. Prior to this, there was a violent pitched battle against the pro-Hamas radicals, who entrenched themselves behind new barricades as they gave ground to the forces of order. Until the arrival, during the early hours of the morning, of several buses with more than 150 members of the California Highway Patrol equipped with riot gear, there were moments of tension between the deployed agents and those camped and who refused to obey the evacuation orders from the authorities.
In addition to some attempts at confrontation - especially from people who tried to get around the police cordon to join the activists who were still inside the university campus - the protesters managed to prevent the entry of a team of riot police from the Los Angeles Police Department by linking up in a human chain. This action drew strong criticism in the media nd across social networks for presenting an image of "weakness" against the radicals.
Authorities showed "sympathy" for pro-Hamas students
The CHP's forceful action came after harsh criticism of city and state law enforcement for their absence during clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Hamas protesters on Wednesday. The municipal and academic authorities expressed their "sympathy " for the protesters, whom they came to define as "peaceful" and accused "external mobs" of attacking them in order to initiate the riots.
Protests and clashes with police continued on more than 40 US university campuses, resulting in numerous injuries and arrests across the country.
