One day after violent clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters, hundreds of Los Angeles police officers decided to dismantle the camp set up at the University of California (UCLA).
According to the Associated Press news agency, police removed barricades on the UCLA campus after hundreds of protesters defied orders to disperse, which were repeated for hours over loudspeakers.
A Reuters reported, citing the local television station KABC-TV, that 300 to 500 people were inside the camp, while around 2,000 others gathered outside the barricades in support.
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The police crackdown took place before dawn, when officers in tactical gear began entering the UCLA campus. Police destroyed the camp’s barricade made of materials such as plywood, pallets, metal fences and trash cans and cleared the way toward dozens of protesters’ tents. Protesters used umbrellas as shields.
On Wednesday, there were violent clashes between groups with different views on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which forced the university to announce the interruption of face-to-face classes this Thursday and Friday. “We must protect the well-being of our colleagues and maintain a safe learning environment,” UCLA said on social media.
The clashes at UCLA and in New York, Columbia University, are part of the largest demonstration of student activism in the US since the anti-racism protests and marches of 2020.
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(With Reuters)
