LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police have thwarted an attempt by pro-Palestinian protesters to set up a new camp at the University of California, Los Angeles, where officers cleared a previous camp that was attacked by counterprotesters this spring.
Rick Brasiel, UCLA’s vice chancellor for campus safety, said in a statement that officers made 27 arrests late Monday during the protests.
According to UCLA police, two were charged with willful interference with university operations and one with obstructing an officer. Both were ordered to stay away from UCLA for 14 days and have since been released.
Students who are arrested will face disciplinary action, which could include being banned from campus and from taking final exams or attending graduation ceremonies, Braziel said.
Protesters moved to different locations and repeatedly attempted to set up tents, canopies and barricades, disrupting final exams in the neighborhood. Police said protesters destroyed a fountain, spray painted a brick sidewalk, tampered with fire equipment, broke patio furniture, stripped electrical appliances and vandalized vehicles.
Braziel said an attack occurred during the protest that left six UCLA police officers injured and one security guard beaten and bleeding from the head.
“Simply put, these non-peaceful protests are abhorrent and cannot continue,” Brasiel said in a statement.
Protest camps have popped up on college campuses across the United States and Europe, where students are demanding that their universities stop doing business with companies that support Israel and its war efforts. Organizers aim to call for an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which they call a genocide against Palestinians.
UCLA has been repeatedly thrown into turmoil by protests and the university’s response to the situation.
At one point, a pro-Palestinian camp was attacked by counter-protesters, but police did not respond immediately, and dozens were arrested as the camp was dismantled. In response to the incident, the campus police chief was transferred and a new campus safety office was established. Subsequent attempts to set up new camps were blocked.
Monday’s protest came just days before the University of California Board of Regents is scheduled to meet at UCLA and hold graduation ceremonies this weekend.