Violence erupts on U.S. campuses as protesters clash over war
— A brawl erupted at University of California, Los Angeles after pro-Israeli protesters tried to remove barricades at a pro-Palestinian encampment, while activists at the University of Wisconsin in Madison clashed with police officers who destroyed their tents in a day of escalating violence on U.S. college campuses over the war in Gaza.
The chaotic scenes unfolded on Wednesday after police burst into a building occupied by anti-war protesters at Columbia University in New York on Tuesday night, breaking up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school.
After a couple of hours of scuffles between dueling demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields separated the groups and restored calm. Later, pro-Palestinian protesters rebuilt a barricade around their encampment. There were no counter-protesters in sight and law enforcement officers were deployed throughout the campus.
In Madison, police with shields removed all but one tent and shoved protesters, resulting in a scrum. Four officers were injured, including a state trooper who was hit in the head with a skateboard, according to University of Wisconsin police spokesman Marc Lovicott. Within hours, protesters had erected more tents at the campus.
More than 30 people were arrested, most of them released without charges, but four were charged with assaulting police.
Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza have spread across U.S. campuses in a student movement unlike any other this century. The ensuing police crackdowns echoed actions decades ago against a much larger protest movement protesting the Vietnam War.
It is playing out in an election year in the U.S., raising questions about whether young voters — who are critical for Democrats — will back President Joe Biden’s re-election effort, given his staunch support of Israel.
There have been confrontations with law enforcement and more than 1,300 arrests. In rare instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.
The clashes at UCLA erupted when the pro-Palestinian protesters tried to expand their encampment late Tuesday. Counter-protesters then tried to pull down the parade barricades, plywood and wooden pallets surrounding the encampment. In the chaos, firecrackers exploded. Police left the scene around 11:30 p.m., and officers in riot gear showed up at 1:45 a.m. to establish a perimeter.
Pro-Israeli protesters threw traffic cones and chairs, released pepper spray and tore down barriers around the encampment. Some from the pro-Palestinian camp hopped over the barriers and scuffled with the counterprotesters.
Authorities have not detailed injuries. No one was arrested, and it’s not clear if all the demonstrators were students.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said anyone who engaged in illegal behaviour at UCLA should be held accountable, including “criminal prosecution, suspension or expulsion.”
UCLA senior Edgar Gomez, who ventured outside his dorm to watch the ruckus unfold, said he saw counter-protesters tearing up Palestinian flags, and pepper spray hung in the air as the two sides fought. “I’ve never seen this happen before,” said Gomez, adding that he isn’t with either group. “I’ve never seen people get so heated.”
The university requested help and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said city police officers were sent in. Newsom’s spokesperson, Izzy Gardon, said the California Highway Patrol was also deployed.