An aggressive anti-Israel protest at UCLA on Monday prompted chaos and clashes with police, resulting in vandalism, some injuries, and the arrest of 25 activists.
“The individuals are in the process of being cited, issued 14-day stay away orders from UCLA property, and released,” the UCLA Police Department said in a statement to ABC 7, which noted police also said the group “spray-painted brick walkways, tampered with fire safety equipment, damaged patio furniture, stripped wire from electrical fixtures, and vandalized vehicles.”
A security officer was injured after being hit multiple times on the forehead with a cellphone by a protester, video of the incident shows.
One video posted on social media that has gone viral shows a loud and aggressive protester being snatched by police as part of the enforcement.
⚠️ ‘Free Palestine’ rabid mobs attacking @UCLA administrators now – screaming “You are not safe!!” 🇵🇸
The direct result of the culture of lawlessness and tolerance for the intolerable. If you give an inch it’s over and UCLA gave 300 yards these past 6 months. | @MayorOfLA https://t.co/vKGlSftU5u pic.twitter.com/Y7F5G0ITVE
— Ron M. (@Jewtastic) June 11, 2024
Another social media video documents a rabbi being physically assaulted by someone who smacks the phone out of his hand as he recorded the UCLA protest. He picked up his phone and can he heard being ridiculed by some protesters and called a “pedophile rabbi.”
Also Monday night, a video shows a crowd of aggressive pro-Hamas protesters surround and chase a group of UCLA administrators, yelling at them “shame on you,” “fuck you,” and you’re not safe.”
A citizen journalist was also surrounded and dragged by a group of protesters, “shoving him into a trash can and then hitting him on the face while screaming ‘Fascist pig go home,'” according to another social media post.
Monday’s protest, which took place during finals, marks the third pro-Palestinian demonstration in a month at the campus.
Monday’s began with protesters marching around campus and dying the waters of a large campus fountain red and setting up various encampment zones, moving from location to location after police declared the set ups unlawful and told the protesters to disperse or face injury from non-lethal weapons or arrest, the Daily Bruin reported.
After sunset, the police began detaining and arresting individuals. The Los Angeles Times reported:
Associate professor Graeme Blair, who is a member of Faculty for Justice in Palestine, said one student went to the hospital for treatment of wounds from a rubber bullet, which he said was fired when students were in the camp near Dodd Hall. He criticized authorities, saying the students had been following dispersal orders throughout the evening. … [UCLA police said] the group tampered with fire safety equipment, stripped wires from electrical equipment and caused other damage on campus.
UCLA already faces two separate lawsuits accusing the school of allowing rampant antisemitism to foment. Both were filed in the last month by Jewish students.
In early May, police in riot geared cleared out another pro-Palestinian encampment and arrested hundreds of protesters at UCLA. In April, Jewish students were blocked from certain parts of campus, a Jewish professor assaulted, and pro-Israel demonstrators were pepper-sprayed.
MORE: UCLA becomes hotbed of anti-Israel hate
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