| Submit your comments on this article |
| Fifth Column |
| Chaos at UCLA as 'horrific acts of violence' break out between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel activists with 'all-out brawls' and fireworks hurled into crowds hours after cops cleared protesters from Columbia University in dramatic raid |
| 2024-05-01 |
| Chaos ensued deep into the night on campus at UCLA as pro and anti-Israel protesters clashed in scenes of 'horrific acts of violence' that devolved into 'all-out brawls' which also saw a firework thrown into a crowd of people. This mayhem mirrored scenes seen at college campuses across the country, including at Columbia University in New York City, where after activists ignored pleas to dismantle their camps, the police were forced to move in and arrest students. The violence at UCLA began when a group of pro-Israel activists showed up on campus with the intention of removing the anti-Israel and pro Palestine camp, reports KTLA. The channel said that the pro-Israel side threw a firework at the protesters and deployed 'what may have been bear spray.' Local media broadcasts showed the protesters cowering, covering themselves with umbrellas from the spray. So far, at least one person was taken away by an ambulance for treatment. At around 12:30am, after hours of confrontations and violence, Mayor Karen Bass confirmed that the LAPD had been called in. Reports from the UCLA student newspaper, the Daily Bruin, have revealed the cops are still present at the scene. Helmeted riot police were pictured arriving on the UCLA campus in their protective gear as they tore down barriers and attempted to enter the pro-Palestinian encampment. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were then engulfed in tear gas as they tried to regroup and rebuild their barricade. Around 100 pro-Israel counter-protesters attempted to seize the barricade and stormed the ongoing Palestine solidarity encampment in Dickson Plaza, reports the Daily Bruin. It also shared in an Twitter/X update that: 'As police stand watching the demonstrations and skirmishes between protesters, more and more officers are filing behind them, some wearing has masks. A few officers are standing near Haines Hall. The account added: 'Police on scene remain at a standstill watching a chaotic scene at Dickson Plaza. "Resistance is justified when Palestine is occupied!" shout protesters through a megaphone. The newspaper reported that some counter demonstrators chanted 'USA, USA!' as they followed police to the encampment site. The Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter/X that it was responding at the university's request due to 'multiple acts of violence' within the large protest encampment. In an email sent by the vice chancellor of strategic communications at the school, Mary Osako reportedly wrote: 'Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight. 'The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end'. Following the hours of violence, a university professor and former police officer hit out at the 'inexplicable delay' in officers appearing on the the scene at UCLA. What we have here has been an ongoing riot for hours,' Brian Levin, professor emeritus at California State University, and founder of the Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism, told Sky News. 'It's gone on so long that a local columnist said 'even the helicopters had to refuel'. So there's been an inexplicable delay with regard to law enforcement getting onto the scene in any meaningful way.' He added: 'There were probably a couple of hundred counter-protesters that lobbed fireworks, as well as apparently bear spray, at folks in the encampment on the pro-Palestinian side. Then both sides went after each other'. Protests have also broken out at the University of Arizona, with reports stating a protester was hit in the head with a rubber bullet as police arrested four. They also deployed 'non-lethal' chemical munitions within the university grounds in a bit to break up the violence. A statement from the university read: 'University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins has directed University officials and the University of Arizona Police Department, to immediately enforce campus use policies and all corresponding laws without further warning. 'The UAPD is supported by members of the Tucson Police Department, Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the state’s Department of Public Safety. 'The University will continue to act in the best interests of our students, faculty and staff to ensure their safety.' The Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza, and the ensuing Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave, have unleashed the biggest outpouring of U.S. student activism since the anti-racism protests of 2020. A the nearby University of Southern California, school president Carol Folt confirmed that a swastika was found drawn on campus on Tuesday. 'I condemn any anti-Semitic symbols or other forms of hate speech as deplorable. Clearly it was drawn there right now just to incite even more anger at a time that is so painful for our community,' she said in a brief statement. The Chancellor at the University of California in Los Angeles said late Tuesday that law enforcement was engaged to investigate 'recent acts of violence' by a group of demonstrators and increased security in the area. 'We have seen instances of violence completely at odds with our values as an institution dedicated to respect and mutual understanding. In other cases, students on their way to class have been physically blocked from accessing parts of the campus,' Chancellor Gene Block. Block also indicated that disciplinary processes cold be underway involving some students who are involved. LA Times - Violence breaks out at UCLA after officials declare pro-Palestinian encampment ‘unlawful’ |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #11 I still have my Kenosha Hat Trick t-shirt. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2024-05-01 23:19 |
| #10 ^I think not. Remember Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, WI? Guns confiscated from anti-Israel protesters at UT Austin, University of South Florida |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-05-01 15:09 |
| #9 ^ You'd only have to shoot a few and things would miraculously settle down. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2024-05-01 14:55 |
| #8 These are the same Marxist idiots that rioted during the summer of love in 2020. Just shoot the fuckers and be done with them. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2024-05-01 12:31 |
| #7 Policebreak through barricade at University of New Mexico encampment, haul away activists |
| Posted by: Frank G 2024-05-01 12:27 |
| #6 Slow Joe doesn't know how to handle this. His own son is 50 and still living at home. |
| Posted by: Angealing+B.+Hayes4677 2024-05-01 12:20 |
| #5 1968. History may not repeat, but this year is gonna rhyme. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2024-05-01 08:03 |
| #4 So Biden will have this resolved by mid-September. Presidential Debates Commission sticking to original schedule amid Trump's calls for earlier debates |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-05-01 07:29 |
| #3 White House considers accepting some Palestinians from Gaza as refugees amid Israel-Hamas war |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-05-01 07:22 |
| #2 Again, I believe this is just the opening rounds of what is to come in the Oct-Nov pre-election timeframe. If Trump cannot be defeated in the courts beforehand, the process must be upended and destroyed. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2024-05-01 06:15 |
| #1 Coast-to-coast NYC turns into a tinderbox as anti-Israel protesters face off with cops at CUNY and threaten to march on NYPD HQ... as police tear down Palestine flag and raise Old Glory |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-05-01 05:49 |