Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Wednesday night, and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers arrived in riot gear to clear an “encampment” that had lasted a week. did.
BREAKING: LAPD sources say the LAPD has just launched a citywide tactical alert as tensions rise on the UCLA campus. Scores of LAPD officers in riot gear have now arrived on campus near the encampment. pic.twitter.com/cjLlS0iofH
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 2, 2024
Early Wednesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Police Department warned activists that they would be arrested if they did not leave the “camp.” Activists cheered and decided to stay as supporters flocked to UCLA from other parts of the city seeking moral support.
Activists held a rally chanting “Liberate Palestine” as riot police gathered near the encampment and a prison bus reportedly waited on nearby Wilshire Boulevard. “Shi, sepde!“A united nation will never lose.”
They also chanted “From the river to the sea/Palestine will be free,” which is widely considered an anti-Semitic chant. Approximately half of the world’s Jews live in Israel, the historic and religious homeland of the Jewish people for thousands of years.
And they shouted, “Long live the intifada!” and the “Intifada Revolution.”term intifada Refers to the Palestinian uprisings of the 1980s and 2000s. The latter was a brutal terrorist operation that killed more than 1,000 Israelis, most of them civilians.
Since setting up the camp last Thursday, the encampment had occupied the central campus plaza in front of Royce Hall, barricaded it and forcibly denied access to students, journalists, and the public. The journalist was assaulted by masked guards at the encampment. UCLA appears to have delegated security authority to encampment security personnel. Jewish students were unable to pass through the area, fearing for their safety.
UCLA enforcement refused to call police to campus until pro-Israel vigilantes attacked the encampment overnight Tuesday and Wednesday, tearing down barricades and clashing with activists for hours.
Activists claimed on social media that police were siding with the “Zionists” and deliberately failed to protect them. In fact, UCLA security guards guarded the camp for days while the administration banned police.
Early Wednesday morning, camp members held a press conference to complain about the lack of police protection. (Ironically, as FOX News’ Bill Melgin pointed out, one of the activists’ demands is to “abolish” campus police.)
Anti-Israel demonstrators at UCLA just held a press conference and said they were the victims of “life-threatening assault” at the hands of “Zionists” last night. They complained that police did not intervene sufficiently, but their demands include “an abolition of police enforcement.” pic.twitter.com/bt5aQY3NZf
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 1, 2024
Members of the Jewish community were alarmed by the encampment and its rabid anti-Semitic rhetoric. The area near UCLA is home to a large number of Jews, especially immigrants from Iran.
The overnight clashes finally prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) to respond to the situation. Mr Bass vowed that those responsible for the night’s violence would be prosecuted. UCLA President Gene Block added that students found to have participated in vigilante activities will be arrested and subject to disciplinary proceedings. It was a quick response compared to the week of leniency shown toward the encampment.
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.
