Elected officials joined members of Los Angeles’ Jewish and Muslim communities on Wednesday in condemning the violence that erupted at the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the campus of UCLA overnight.
“There must be a full investigation into what occurred,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement after meeting with law enforcement officials, including University of California police. “I want to make sure the message I delivered to law enforcement and other officials earlier today is clear: Free speech will be protected. Violence and bigotry will not.”
Hostilities outside the encampment had been simmering since demonstrators took over Royce Quad last Thursday, setting up dozens of tents and surrounding themselves with metal fences and wood pallets.
As with campus protests in California and elsewhere, the demonstrators are calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and demanding the university sever financial and educational ties with Israel.
Physical confrontations on UCLA’s campus had been relatively minor until late Tuesday night when pro-Israel counter-protesters lobbed fireworks at the encampment and attempted to dismantle the barricades.
For at least two hours, campus police stood by as both factions traded punches, hurled items at each other, and dispersed pepper spray and fire extinguishers in a chaotic scene that wasn’t contained until around 2 a.m. when LAPD officers arrived.
The president of the University of California system, Michael Drake, said 15 people were injured, one of whom required hospitalization.
“Those involved in launching fireworks at other people, spraying chemicals and physically assaulting others will be found, arrested, and prosecuted, as well as anyone involved in any form of violence or lawlessness,” said Bass.
Demonstrators say they believe UCLA Chancellor Gene Block’s statement on Tuesday labeling the encampment as “unauthorized” provided an opening for counter-protesters to take matters into their own hands.
On Wednesday, Block expressed only condemnation.
“However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable,” UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement. “It has shaken our campus to its core.”
Block also vowed a “thorough investigation” that could lead to arrests and expulsions and said the university is evaluating its security response.
The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles said it was “appalled” by the counter-protesters’ actions but ultimately blamed the university for allowing the encampment to remain.
“The abhorrent actions of a few counter-protestors last night do not represent the Jewish
community or our values. We believe in peaceful, civic discourse,” the Federation’s statement read. “Unfortunately, the violence at UCLA is a result of the lack of leadership from the Chancellor and the UCLA administration … We call on the Chancellor and UCLA to immediately close the encampment and reestablish deterrence.”
UCLA canceled all classes Wednesday and increased security with the help of other agencies, including the California Highway Patrol.
The Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have largely avoided talking to the media throughout the week-long protest. A spokesperson, however, spoke out Wednesday to criticize the slow police response.
“Many of us got injured. We could have died last night,” an appointed spokesperson, Alicia Verdugo, told reporters. “It was extremely, extremely dangerous.”
Verdugo also shared her group’s aim and was blunt with her views on the solution to the Mideast conflict.
“People are dying in Gaza and the West Bank, and we will not rest until that stops … the destruction of Israel will put an end to the siege on Gaza and an end to the occupation,” she said.