(Daily360.com) A violent confrontation occurred at UCLA when pro-Israel protestors attempted to remove the anti-Israel encampment on university grounds. The police came to take down the barricades and disperse the pro-Palestinian occupation while using tear gas in the process. About 100 pro-Israel protesters tried to take the barricade as the other side tried to rebuild.
Then, the clash turned into a brawl with police standing by watching the chaos unfold. The riot continued for hours into the night. A local journalist said the conflict occurred for many hours and long enough that a helicopter on the scene needed to get more fuel. It also raised alarms at the slow speed it took for the police to play a role in stopping the violence.
Fifteen demonstrators were injured during the violent overnight chaos as the high-ranking school officials and campus police were heavily criticized for not responding more quickly to the violent protests.
The protests continued for a second straight evening on the night of May 1. Shortly after 6 in the evening, the police spoke over a loudspeaker to tell the pro-Palestinian demonstrators that the encampment is illegal and everyone needs to disperse. The announcement led to cheers from the protesters.
A video was posted on X showing protesters connecting their arms to stop the police from breaking up the protest. The police forcibly moved the demonstrators back and the time stamp was 5:08 AM on the morning of May 2. Another video posted shortly before shows an officer pointing “impact munitions” at a protester who was crouched on the ground while covering her face.
Just after 5:30 AM PST, police were seen arresting protesters and taking them away from the scene. Two buses were also spotted that were filled with demonstrators that were removed from the protest by police. Less than an hour after the arrests were reported, several protesters gathered while 40 officers stood nearby. The protesters left shortly after without police intervention.
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