UCLA canceled classes Wednesday after a night of violent protests between pro-Palestine and -Israel demonstrators escalated with the presence of tear gas, fireworks and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Accounts from those on the ground said that individuals from both sides were seen kicking and beating each other with pipes, sticks, umbrellas and other makeshift weapons.
UCLA Daily Bruin reporter Anna Dai-Liu told CNN that at “around 11:00 p.m., fireworks were fired, tear gas was sprayed.”
“We have reporters who were gassed and reporters who were assaulted,” she told Sara Sidner on “CNN News Central” on Wednesday. “So, it has been a rather chaotic day of events at UCLA.”
Explaining that all Bruin reporters were stationed on the counter-protester side of Royce Quad, Dai-Liu added that tensions rose with the appearance of “many more people,” not all of them UCLA students, who began “pushing into the barricades” built by pro-Palestine student protesters. Images of the violence indicate that the use of pepper spray and fireworks were largely seen on the counter-protester side through the late hours into Wednesday morning.
Dai-Liu also noted the suspected presence of bear spray and tasers before LAPD units — protected with helmets and face shields — intervened and broke up the opposing parties.
“It is definitely violent in ways that previous demonstrations by the counter-protesters weren’t,” Dai-Liu said. “We are hearing from sources on the ground that it was largely one-sided. It’s a bit difficult for us to ascertain, obviously, among the chaos that is still going on.”
Watch Dai-Liu’s full CNN appearance, below:
In addition to canceling Wednesday classes “due to the distress caused by the violence,” UCLA leadership encouraged students in a statement to avoid the area of Royce Quad where the havoc occurred around the encampment. The university has also closed its library until Monday and Royce Hall, which was vandalized, until Friday. Police remained stationed on campus overnight into Wednesday.
“Student Affairs will have essential staff on campus to support our students who have been impacted by this tragedy,” UCLA’s statement concluded.
In a public memo “affirming our values in a challenging time” published Tuesday, UCLA chancellor Gene D. Block upheld students’ right to peacefully protest, but denounced “activism that harms our ability to carry out our academic mission and makes people in our community feel bullied, threatened and afraid.”
“I recognize that the suffering in the Middle East has had a profound impact on our campus, and we continue to hope for a peaceful resolution,” Block said. “While Bruins hold a variety of perspectives on this conflict, we must all protect the wellbeing of our peers and maintain an environment safe for learning. This is a commitment I call on our community to uphold as we navigate the weeks ahead.”
Tuesday’s late night action at UCLA occurred as campus protests against Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and pro-Israel counter-protests erupt nationwide, most prominently at Columbia University in New York City, where upwards of 300 arrests were made that same day.
