Police work to clear new pro-Palestinian protest encampment at UCLA

Law enforcement officers in riot gear moved in on another encampment constructed by pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the campus of UCLA on Thursday.

Sky5 aerial footage showed the encampment on Kerckhoff Patio, which involved wood barricades, had blocked access to a campus building. The Los Angeles Police Department announced it was on tactical alert, and the university switched some classes from in-person to remote learning.

Officials declared the encampment an “unlawful assembly.” At about 12:30 p.m., officers from several agencies removed the encampment, prompting demonstrators, who are demanding the university divest from interests in Israel, to march toward the center of campus.

There were minor scuffles between police and protesters, but it was unclear if anyone was arrested.

“There is reasonable cause to find that demonstrators’ activities — including erecting barricades, establishing fortifications, and blocking access to parts of the campus and buildings — are disrupting campus operations,” UCLA administrators said in a statement. “Demonstrators have been informed that if they do not disperse, they will face arrest and possible disciplinary action, as well as an order to stay away from campus for 7 days.”

The order applies to students, non-student demonstrators and faculty, the university said.

This latest demonstration coincided with Thursday’s congressional hearing into campus protests at UCLA and other U.S. colleges and universities. UCLA chancellor Gene Block, who has come under scrutiny for a delayed police response to violence between pro-Palestinian protesters and counterprotesters, was among those who testified.

Block said public universities are in an especially tough bind as they work to shield students from discrimination while also upholding free speech. Unlike private universities, public universities are bound by the First Amendment. Even hateful speech must be protected, Block said, but UCLA draws the line when it crosses into threats and harassment.

“Tragically, it took several hours for law enforcement to quell the violence,” Block said “With the benefit of hindsight, we should have been prepared to immediately remove the encampment if and when the safety of our community was put at risk.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.