Violence erupts at UCLA: Clashes between pro‑Israel and pro‑Palestine groups

On Wednesday, on a college campus in Los Angeles, riots broke out. Supporters of Israel attacked protesters in favour of Palestine. The situation became so dangerous that the crowd began to disperse only after law enforcement intervened. The police arrived at the scene after three hours.

Since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, regular demonstrations in favour of Palestine have been held all over the world. The same was true at the University of California campus in Los Angeles, USA, where a pro-Palestinian protest was held.

Riots erupted between competing protest groups. According to media reports, people were beaten and hit with sticks.

ABC7 Eyewitness News reports that protesters sometimes used barricades as weapons. Before the police arrived, the group attacked one person lying on the ground, kicking and beating them until others pulled them out of the fray.

The clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators lasted about three hours before the police intervened. Everything started before 11:00 PM on Tuesday when counter-demonstrators surrounded the pro-Palestinian camp. Fireworks were thrown inside the camp.

Law enforcement did not intervene immediately. Officers stepped in to disperse the crowd only about 3:00 AM. After law enforcement intervened, the situation calmed down.

Mary Osako, UCLA's Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications, said the university is outraged by this senseless violence and must be ended. She added that the university immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid.

Bass talked with the university's chancellor and said that the police would respond to the school's request. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom's office declared it closely monitors the situation.

The University of California authorities had previously announced that protests in favour of Palestine and the resulting tent city on campus grounds are illegal.