OAN’s James Meyers
9:18 AM – Wednesday, May 1, 2024
An anti-Israel protest at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), turned horrifically violent on Tuesday night, with fights breaking out and firecrackers being thrown at tent encampments on campus.
The anarchy broke out when a group of pro-Israel people showed up to the campus to remove the anti-Israel and pro Palestine camp, according to KTLA.
The news outlet claimed that the pro-Israel group threw a firecracker at the anti-Israel protesters and said they took out “what may have been bear spray.”
The firecrackers were also then thrown toward a barrier set up by campus police, sending multiple people running for cover, according to video captured by Fox 11.
However, it took almost three hours for police to respond to the violent clashes between both sides, as UCLA did not request the LAPD’s help until midnight.
The latest chaos on another college campus came hours after UCLA declared the campus encampment by anti-Israel protesters illegal and warned they would be punished if they didn’t leave, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
After hours of violence, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D-Calif.) condemned the protesters before announcing the LAPD had been called in to help stop the anarchy.
“The violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable,” Bass, who was in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, wrote on X. “LAPD has arrived on campus.”
Additionally, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) has not commented on the chaos at UCLA.
“We want to maintain the right to protest without any hate,” Newsom said earlier Tuesday when asked about the demonstrations during a news conference, according to Fox News.
Meanwhile, the LAPD did confirm they made it to the campus to disperse the madness, claiming the department was working with other agencies to restore order on the campus.
“We can confirm that LAPD officers have been deployed, and are currently on the UCLA campus, to assist in restoring order. We are working in partnership with UCLA PD and other law enforcement agencies.”
“Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support,” UCLA’s Strategic Communications Office said in a release, according to KTTV.
“The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end.”
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