L.A. police on tactical alert as new protest encampment grows at UCLA

Police in Los Angeles were placed on heightened alert on Thursday as Pro-Palestinian demonstrators constructed a new encampment at UCLA, blocking access to part of the university’s campus. Some classes were switched from in-person to remote learning.

Sky5 aerial footage showed barricades on Kerckhoff Patio near Moore Hall being guarded by demonstrators in bright-colored vests.

“They’ve also put up the wooden barricades at the entrance to that courtyard,” KTLA’s Eric Spillman observed. “It looks like they are blocking access to that part of the campus.”

Tents and canopies were set up behind the barricade.

“It looks like authorities are allowing the protesters to stay. At least for the time being,” Spillman said.

Los Angeles Police Department Officer Drake Madison later confirmed that the Department was on a tactical alert due to the situation. UCLA safety personnel were on site and monitoring the situation.

The encampment resulted in UCLA moving some in-person classes to remote learning.

“Access to Ackerman, Kerckhoff and Moore Hall has been restricted due to demonstration activity … Work and classes in Ackerman, Kerckhoff and Moore will be held remotely through noon today,” according to Bruin Safe Online.

The encampment emerged as UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testified before a congressional committee about the events that occurred late last month when violence erupted at an encampment that was allowed to grow for several days.

“The Committee has a clear message for mealy-mouthed, spineless college leaders: Congress will not tolerate the dereliction of your duty to your Jewish students,” the committee’s chair, Rep. Virginia Foxx, said in a statement. “No stone must go unturned while buildings are being defaced, campus greens are being captured, or graduations are being ruined.”

The April encampment also forced classes to be taught remotely and kept students from accessing areas of the school, such as the library, as students were preparing for midterms.

Some students said that pro-Palestinian demonstrators would ask them if they were “Zionists,” and if they said yes, they would be denied access.

The tension culminated in a violent clash between pro-Israeli counter-protestors and the demonstrators on April 30.

The counter-demonstrators threw traffic cones and released pepper spray in fighting that went on for hours before police stepped in, drawing criticism from Muslim students, political leaders and advocacy groups.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.