Pro-Israel Demonstrators Attack UCLA Student Encampment as Protests Continue Nationwide

A large group of pro-Israel protesters attacked students at a Gaza Solidarity Encampment established at the University of California, Los Angeles, campus late Tuesday night. The escalation in violence against protesters at the California school took place as battalions of law enforcement raided Columbia University and the City College of New York on Tuesday night, arresting pro-Palestinian protesters en masse and clearing encampments established at both schools.

The aggression against demonstrators — in Los Angeles, New York, and across the nation — has only grown the protest movement, which shows no signs of abating.

Shortly before midnight, a group of about 200 pro-Israel counter-protesters arrived at UCLA’s campus and began attempting to tear down barriers surrounding the student encampment. Videos on social media show the group firing fireworks into the encampment, beating students, throwing objects, and shouting things like “second Nakba,” at the encampment — a reference to the 1948 ethnic cleansing and expulsion of Palestinians from the territory that now comprises Israel.

According to the Los Angeles Times, students in the encampment used pepper spray to defend themselves and raised pieces of plywood and umbrellas in an attempt to fortify the barrier around their camp. The incident reportedly took place as a gaggle of security officers stood by and observed the violence, with the Los Angeles Police Department only intervening after being called in by campus administrators more than an hour after the attack began.

“Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support,” Mary Osako, a vice-chancellor at the university, said in a statement. “The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end.”

The Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student newspaper, published an editorial Wednesday morning accusing university officials of failing in their responsibility to protect students.

“Will someone have to die on our campus tonight for you to intervene, Gene Block?” They wrote to the university chancellor. “The blood would be on your hands.”

Meanwhile, on the East Coast, hundreds of students were arrested in New York City as the NYPD descended on Columbia University and The City College of New York (CCNY). Police were seen entering the Columbia University campus in full riot gear and armored vehicles Tuesday evening, entering the second floor of Hamilton Hall — which was occupied by protesters on Monday —  through an elevated ramp as protesters shouted, “Shame on you!” and “Fall!”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y) addressed the mass police action in a post on X. “If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making,” she wrote.

With Columbia University as a template, student protests demanding universities divest from Israeli investments and military contractors have exploded into a nationwide movement. Columbia University President Nemat Shafik stated on Monday that the university “will not divest from Israel.” That same day Shafik threatened protesters who refused to vacate the encampment with suspension. By contrast, Brown University managed to clear its own protest encampment after negotiating with students and committing to holding a vote on divestment from companies involved in Israel’s war in Gaza in the coming academic year.

The demonstrations have added to existing pressure not just on universities, but on the Biden administration to cease providing military aid to Israel given the widespread death toll in Gaza, accusations of human rights violations by the Israeli military, and ongoing international criminal investigations into Israel’s offensive on Gaza.

The weeks-long national movement has spurred crackdowns against peaceful demonstrators by university administrators and law endorsement. Further arrests were carried out Tuesday at Tulane University, the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Police at Arizona State University said they used chemical irritants in an attempt to disperse protesters on the campus early Wednesday morning.

For some, the repression of the anti-war student movement is something to be celebrated. In a Tuesday night interview with Fox News, former President Donald Trump cheered the arrest of Columbia protesters occupying Hamilton Hall, accusing them of doing “tremendous damage” to the building.

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