There were fights and firecrackers hurled at tent encampments on campus during an anti-Israel rally at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Tuesday night.
According to KTLA, the chaos started when a group of pro-Israel individuals arrived on campus to disband the pro-Palestine and anti-Israel camps.
According to the news source, the pro-Israel group pulled out “what may have been bear spray” and hurled a firework at the anti-Israel demonstrators.
Moreover, Fox 11 footage shows that campus police threw the firecrackers in the direction of a barrier, forcing several people to run for safety.
But because UCLA did not call the LAPD for assistance until after midnight, it took nearly three hours for police to arrive at the scene of the violent altercation between the two parties.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the most recent unrest on a different college campus occurred just hours after UCLA ruled the anti-Israel protestors’ campus encampment to be unlawful and threatened to punish them if they persisted.
After denouncing the protestors, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D-Calif.) called in the LAPD to help quell the chaos after hours of bloodshed.
The violence that is occurring at UCLA this evening is very disgusting and unacceptable, Bass wrote on X on Tuesday while she was in Washington, DC. “The LAPD is here on campus.”
Furthermore, Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom has not made any remarks on the mayhem at UCLA.
When questioned about the protests earlier on Tuesday at a press conference, Newsom responded, “We want to protect the freedom to demonstrate without any hate,” according to Fox News.
In the meantime, the LAPD acknowledged that they arrived on campus to quell the chaos and stated that they were collaborating with other organizations to bring peace back to the university.
“We can confirm that LAPD officers have been dispatched and are currently on the UCLA campus to help restore order. We are working with the UCLA Police Department and other law enforcement organizations.”
Chaos ensues on UCLA campus as fights break out and firecrackers being tossed at a pro-Palestine encampment site. https://t.co/Chh0LxXVCM pic.twitter.com/J8w5i6p5al
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) May 1, 2024
According to KTTV, a communiqué from UCLA’s Strategic Communications Office stated, “We promptly called law enforcement for mutual assistance support after horrific acts of violence happened at the campsite tonight. Medical staff and the fire department are present at the location. This needless violence disgusts us, and it has to stop.”
