LOS ANGELES — About 2,000 pro-Israel counter-demonstrators gathered at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Sunday, protesting near a “Palestinian Solidarity Encampment” that was set up on campus last week.
By the time they arrived, many had to fight their way through about 100 pro-Palestinian activists, some of whom were from the camps. Local Black Lives Matter activists also called on their supporters to oppose the pro-Israel demonstrators.
Families, including young children, endured shouts, jeers and beatings from a pro-Palestinian mob, with no UCLA security personnel separating them.
A UCLA official told Breitbart News that the university does not have enough personnel to provide security for pro-Israel protesters. However, dozens of guards were guarding the “encampment.”
Other access routes to the central square were blocked. A private security guard told Breitbart News that the activist’s personal security guard, who wore a fluorescent jersey, had the authority to “supervise” her.
In other words, UCLA was effectively delegating security to pro-Palestinian activists. As Breitbart News reported on Friday, they are the same people who removed the media from the camp and attacked journalists who dared to invade public spaces.
Inside the pro-Israel protests, there was a tense yet festive atmosphere.The lawsuit began with stars and stripes and Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem. There were speeches from campus leaders and representatives of the local Jewish community, followed by celebratory Israeli music, to which the crowd responded with song and dance.
On April 28, 2024, approximately 2,000 pro-Israel demonstrators protested opposite the “Palestinian Solidarity Encampment” at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. (Joel Pollack/Breitbart News)
At the far end of the crowd, opposite the pro-Palestinian demonstrators, two pro-Israel demonstrators held up photos of Israeli hostages. Of these, 133 are still held by Hamas, and it is believed that around 100 of them may be alive.
A pro-Israel counter-demonstrator holds up a photo of an Israeli hostage as a pro-Palestinian demonstrator holds an anti-Israel banner, UCLA, Los Angeles, April 28, 2024 (Joel Pollack/Breitbart News )
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators briefly moved into the pro-Israel crowd, leading to several scuffles as the two sides faced off outside the rally with no security other than Palestinian activists in fluorescent jerseys. there were.
At one point, pro-Palestinian activists tried to seize an Israeli flag and a scuffle broke out, but it quickly broke up.
Joel B. Pollack/Breitbart News
Pro-Israel demonstrators began taunting a number of masked pro-Palestinian activists with chants of “Show your face!”
Many of the pro-Palestinian signs were extremist, Islamist, or otherwise offensive. One Palestinian activist held a placard that read, “Fuck Biden.” America is shit. ”
Anti-American signs on the Palestinian side as pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators clash, UCLA, Los Angeles, April 28, 2024 (Joel Pollack/Breitbart News)
The barricades surrounding the “encampment” also featured several offensive slogans, including some that echoed the anti-police rhetoric of the Black Lives Matter movement. So far, the camp has continued peacefully, although one panel said, “Fuck UCPD,” referring to campus police.
Anti-police slogans posted on a wooden barricade at UCLA’s Palestine Solidarity Encampment in Los Angeles, April 28, 2024 (Joel Pollack/Breitbart News)
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators appear to have vandalized UCLA grounds. The slogan “Say no to genocide” was spray-painted on one sidewalk. however, daily bruincampus newspaper, report On Saturday, activists at the encampment received a large delivery of food and were allowed to use the campus bathroom.
There were occasional moments of civil dialogue at the fringes of the protests, but there was far more heckling.
Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters debate on the sidelines of a protest at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, April 28, 2024 (Joel Pollack/Breitbart News)
UCLA is located in the heart of one of the most pro-Israel neighborhoods in the country, surrounded by Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Westwood, which are home to many Jews, including Persian Jews who fled Iran’s Islamic Revolution. lives there.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of a recently published e-book.The Zionist conspiracy (and how to join it)‘ is now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
