Similar college campus demonstrations are increasingly being met with police action across the US.
ADVERTISEMENTPolice in riot gear arrived at the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) this week after violent clashes broke out between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters.
People threw chairs, shoved and kicked one another, while some beat each other with sticks.
Before the police arrived, a group piled on one person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them until others pulled them out of the scrum.
Security was tightened on Tuesday at the campus after officials said there were “physical altercations” between factions of protesters.
The clash occurred near a tent encampment where pro-Palestinian protesters had erected barricades, which counter-protesters then tried to pull down.
“Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support,” Mary Osako, a senior UCLA official, told the campus newspaper the Daily Bruin.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spoke to the university’s chancellor and said police would respond to the school’s request, according to a post on social media platform X from her spokesperson Zach Seidl.
Police have swept through other campuses across the US over the last two weeks, leading to confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests.
In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders have struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.