Pro-Israel counter-protesters clashed Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning with people in the pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA.
I am at the UCLA quad, where things have been very tense all day after school law enforcement has asked protesters to leave and a large group of counter protesters has thrown fireworks. Both groups are facing off with lots of media & some cops nearby. pic.twitter.com/1nOGKDn85l
— Emily Holshouser (@emilyytayylor) May 1, 2024
Just after 11 p.m. Tuesday, TV helicopter reports showed projectiles were thrown and fireworks were lit, with possible tear gas fired, and some opposing protesters in scuffles. Some of the combatants were armed with large sticks.
Broadcast reports showed one person was injured and taken away in an ambulance, while through around 1 a.m. there was a minimal police presence and no indication anyone had been arrested.
Around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, a group appeared to be trying to dismantle the Palestinian encampment, with some people trying to take down fences at the encampment. At one point, a group of protesters took a metal barricade and ran through the crowd with it.
Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA Strategic Communications, provided an emailed statement to the Daily Bruin, the campus newspaper, on the events of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, “Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support. The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end.”
Numerous students and others were observing the chaotic scene without participating, many taking cell phone photos and making videos.
#LIVE Protesters at UCLA are carrying barricades and pushing them into opposing groups: police are still not on scene https://t.co/XnraAnIQZk https://t.co/j0jYMWDxCy pic.twitter.com/B9FDYyw60d
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) May 1, 2024
City News Service contributed to this story.
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