Counter-demonstrators clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters at UCLA, prompting police to intervene and restore order. Similar incidents occurred in New York, Wisconsin, and Arizona, where groups were evicted from buildings and encampments. The unrest at UCLA involved swinging pipes, pepper spray, and fireworks, leading to chaos that lasted for hours. Police from multiple agencies were deployed to UCLA after the university declared the “Palestinian Solidarity Encampment” unlawful. In other locations like the University of Arizona and the University of Wisconsin, police used force to disperse protesters and make arrests. The wave of protests has spread to over 50 universities and colleges in more than 30 states, marking a significant period of campus unrest not seen since the anti-apartheid and Vietnam War protests of the 1980s and 1960s/70s, respectively. Authorities believe that the protests are being orchestrated by non-student agitators with expertise in causing civil disturbances. In New York City, police arrested hundreds of protesters, including some at Columbia University and City College of New York, with Mayor Eric Adams identifying “outside agitators” leading the demonstrations. The presence of these “professional agitators” has raised concerns among officials about the safety of students, staff, and the public, leading to police intervention to restore order on campuses nationwide.
“I’m not going to wait until it is done to acknowledge the existence of it,” he stated.
Violence broke out on UCLA’s campus around midnight on May 1 following the university’s declaration of the encampment as illegal and news of NYPD dispersing protesters from Columbia’s Hamilton Hall.
The chaos involved direct confrontations between organized counter-demonstrators and pro-Palestinian protesters using team tactics and makeshift weapons.
According to various media reports, including UCLA’s campus newspaper, a large pro-Israel group—many dressed in black with white masks and goggles, carrying pipes and lumber—entered the campus chanting “USA! USA! USA!” and attempted to dismantle the makeshift plywood barricades surrounding the ‘Palestinian Solidarity Encampment’ set up four days earlier.
“Horrific acts of violence took place at the encampment tonight, prompting us to seek law enforcement for assistance,” stated UCLA Vice Chancellor Mary Osako.
However, there are questions as to why it took the police over an hour to respond to UCLA’s request for help and why, as witnesses claim, they allowed violent clashes to continue until well past 3 a.m.
In Los Angeles, as well as in New York and other places, the violence is being attributed to “outside agitators.”
At UCLA, university and law enforcement officials claim that the counter-demonstrators were organized non-students led by “outsider agitators.”
The “Palestinian Solidarity Encampment” referred to the alleged instigators as “Zionist aggressors” and stated that “most of them are not students.”
