MEANWHILE AT UCLA: Police disband pro-Hamas encampment formed as chancellor testified before Congress on anti-Semitism
On Thursday, pro-Hamas protesters at UCLA formed a second encampment while the university’s chancellor, Dr. Gene Block, was testifying on campus anti-Semitism.
The protesters, who blocked access to a building on campus, were demonstrating in support of university divestment from companies who have ties to Israel.
On Thursday, pro-Hamas protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) formed a second encampment while the university’s chancellor, Dr. Gene Block, was testifying before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce concerning anti-Semitism.
Police disbanded the encampment within a few hours of it starting, with some minor physical altercations between protesters and law enforcement, according to KTLA.
The protesters, who blocked access to a building on campus, were demonstrating in support of university divestment from companies who have ties to Israel.
Two senior UCLA officials — Vice Chancellor Michael Beck and Associate Vice Chancellor Rick Braziel — issued a statement during the day telling the protesters that they could not conduct their demonstration on campus.
“The Office of the Administrative Vice Chancellor, in partnership with the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety, has withdrawn consent to remain on campus for the demonstrators on Kerckhoff patio, asking them to disperse immediately,” Beck and Braziel wrote in their statement.
The two officials continued to note that the pro-Palestine protesters were disruptive to the operations of the school because they were blocking access to various parts of campus.
“There is reasonable cause to find that demonstrators’ activities — including erecting barricades, establishing fortifications and blocking access to parts of the campus and buildings — are disrupting campus operations,” Beck and Braziel explained in their statement.
The administration’s message also threatened arrest and disciplinary action if the students did not conclude the protest and leave the premises.
“Demonstrators have been informed that if they do not disperse, they will face arrest and possible disciplinary action, as well as an order to stay away from campus for seven days,” Beck and Braziel stated. “This order would apply to non-affiliates, as well as students, faculty and staff.”
[RELATED: Northwestern, Rutgers, and UCLA leaders all claim they don’t know who started encampments]
UCLA’s response to end the May 23 encampment was much quicker than the initial campus occupation that resulted in multiple nights of violent protests.
When Chancellor Block testified before Congress that same day, he indicated that he wished the administration had acted sooner to take down the first encampment.
“Tragically, it took several hours for law enforcement to quell the violence,” Block explained to the congressional committee. “With the benefit of hindsight, we should have been prepared to immediately remove the encampment if and when the safety of our community was put at risk.”
Campus Reform has contacted UCLA for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
