LA Police which failed to protect student peace camp, raids, makes arrests

Footage shows dozens of protesters lined up on the ground with their hands cuffed next to two police busses

Muslim Network TV Desk

LOS ANGELES – In a violent operation early Thursday morning, riot police broke up an encampment of students supporting Palestinians at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), using stun grenades and rubber bullets.

The operation led to the arrest of numerous protesting students who were seen kneeling with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

The confrontation began when the officers broke through the makeshift defenses erected by the protesters around the camp.

The university’s main campus newspaper, The Daily Bruin, reported injuries to its staff and criticized the administration’s response to the protest.

Just 24 hours earlier, pro-Israel attackers had used sticks, bear spray, and fireworks against the camp. But police did not act against the attackers.

The incident not only exacerbated tensions on campus but also prompted criticism of the police’s inaction.

Local Muslim organizations have accused the university and the police of failing to protect the “Free Palestine” protesters from attack.

“The community needs to feel that the police are protecting them and not allowing others to harm them,” said Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).

According to The Daily Bruin, at least one university professor was among those arrested. Despite the crackdown, protesters vowed to continue their demonstrations and condemn what they call the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

At 1:20 a.m. local time, police officers entered the camp via Janss Steps, while the students remaining in the camp chanted, “We’re not leaving!” and “Who are you protecting?”

Clashes broke out as the officers, equipped with body armor, helmets, and shields, dismantled barricades.

Flares flew into the air and ignited with piercing explosions, and smoke filled the air from fire extinguishers sprayed at police by protesters.

Dozens of protesters were lined up on the ground with their hands cuffed next to two police busses. The number of students arrested is not yet known.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block confirmed the attack but has not yet released details about the administration’s delayed response.

Hundreds of other free-Palestinian activists who had gathered outside the tent city taunted police with shouts of “all cops are bastards,” some banging on drums and waving Palestinian flags as officers marched onto the campus grounds.

This wave of campus activism is part of a broader movement demanding U.S. universities divest from Israeli investments or companies that profit from Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, protesters say.

The protests have led to numerous arrests and have been both supported and condemned across political lines, reflecting the deeply divisive nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the US academic and public spheres.

Earlier on Tuesday evening, New York City police arrested dozens of free-Palestinian protesters holed up in an academic building at Columbia University, a protest encampment that the Ivy League college had been trying to disperse for nearly two weeks.

Columbia University Minouche Shafik had asked police for help to remove the protesters who had occupied the college’s Hamilton Hall, which was renamed after Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl killed by Israel in January.

“It is with the utmost regret that we ask the NYPD for assistance to remove all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all encampments on campus,” Shafik wrote in a letter to the New York Police Department.

Meanwhile, at George Washington University in Washington, tensions flared between free Palestinian students and visiting Republican lawmakers.

Across the U.S., demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine have led to the arrests of hundreds of students at various universities, starting with Columbia University on April 17 to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza.

The International Criminal Court is currently hearing allegations of genocide by Israel in Gaza, including allegations of mass bombings and withholding aid.