There was a really different sort of escalation at UCLA last night. Instead of police vs. protesters, this was two angry groups skirmishing with one another on the campus for several hours before police finally arrived. There's a backstory here which explains why things escalated. It started with word circulating on campus that members of the pro-Palestinian protest group had taken a Jewish student hostage. This video reportedly shows the moment a Jewish student tried to escape the camp and was prevented from leaving.
I believe this is one of the first videos of the incident.
— Stephanie🕊 (@stephsvox) May 1, 2024
In this video you can see he’s trying to escape a protestor blockade preventing access. He is running from them and they chase him down and surround him. Like they’re on a hunt. I don’t know what’s happening now….… https://t.co/aB7wEIcCuD pic.twitter.com/t5yCXVp0J9
Also yesterday a student who goes by ThatKoreanJew on Instagram posted video which they claimed showed a Jewish girl being injured as members of the pro-Palestinian camp tried to step on her Israeli flag.
To be clear, I can't verify what happened here but the story that was spread was that the girl was taken to the ER and had a concussion.
JUST IN: Jewish girl at UCLA sent to the ER after being beaten unconscious by pro-Palestine protesters.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 30, 2024
The incident reportedly happened at Dickerson Plaza.
According to ‘ThatKoreanJew’ on IG who is a medical student at UCLA, the girl was surrounded by 5 people.
She suffered a… pic.twitter.com/ctv1hAl6Wu
Finally, yesterday UCLA declared the pro-Palestinian camp unlawful. In response the group announced "self-defense training," apparently planning on fighting with police.
🚨BREAKING🚨 UCLA has declared camp unlawful, and protestors are engaging in “self defense” training right now according to their telegram group. pic.twitter.com/JUxvpXxFRK
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) May 1, 2024
There was even video showing them doing some kind of fight training yesterday.
BREAKING🚨: Using a drone I was able to get EXCLUSIVE UCLA Pro Palestine encampment footage. They are TRAINING protestors in hand to hand combat as LAPD expected to tear down the encampment as soon as tonight, and potential fights with police expected.
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 1, 2024
The school has deemed the… pic.twitter.com/SmLSX6cPjG
So the bottom line is that you had a pro-Palestinian group that seemed pretty aggressive and belligerent and then last night you had a growing group of counter-protesters who showed up at the UCLA campus last night, possibly because they'd heard the stories about the young woman sent to the ER or the young man allegedly held hostage. The result was two groups that wanted to fight.
UCLA 🚨: Pro Israel protestors have just rolled in a second loudspeaker. The Pro Israel side has tripled since the last video and tensions are very high between both sides. More security has been called to the barrier separating both sides. pic.twitter.com/RyDuPtwtfG
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 1, 2024
By 11:30 the barriers between the two groups had been torn down. Members of both opposing groups started throwing things and squaring off.
BREAKING 🚨: SECURITY HAS ABANDONED THEIR POSTS, Armed men now fighting and launching items at each other from either side of the encampment. Total chaos, there’s ZERO police presence. pic.twitter.com/mHtgHivjlY
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 1, 2024
By midnight there were scuffles and people were getting hurt but security had completely backed off.
UCLA UPDATE 🚨: Still ZERO law enforcement present, dozens of people needing medical assistance, and this man appears to be bleeding profusely in his right arm. Security ordered to stand down, no LAPD presence. A Jewish woman said multiple men assaulted her, no security help. pic.twitter.com/32pMZqtLCa
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 1, 2024
Reporter Anthony Cabassa described it as total anachy.
UCLA 🚨: FIGHTS continue through the night. Dozens injured , multiple bleeding, still ZERO law enforcement present. Both sides drag their wounded and fresh protestors replace them on the front. Total Anarchy. pic.twitter.com/Fl6T35zJRc
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 1, 2024
Sergio Olmos was also there recording the chaos.
Counter protestors are in a full on brawl with pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UClA.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) May 1, 2024
Some counter protestors have been using sticks to try strike the hands of demonstrators holding the fence.
Both sides are using pepper spray in exchanges.
No police in sight. pic.twitter.com/9RzYw3mwmn
The brawl just kept going on, with no response from police.
Counter demonstrators brawl with pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA, no police in sight. It’s now past 1:30am.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) May 1, 2024
This has going on for over an hour pic.twitter.com/0SuAXFfmK4
Police did eventually arrive but even then they just sat back and watched for a while. Mayor Bass had a late night tweet saying police had arrived.
The violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) May 1, 2024
LAPD has arrived on campus.
But the brawl had been going for more than 2 hours at this point and it kept going as police watched.
Counter protestors at UCLA continue to fight pro-Palestinian demonstrators in full of police, who arrived 30min ago but have not intervened.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) May 1, 2024
There have been dozens of minor injuries tonight, mostly pepper spray and melee wounds. pic.twitter.com/FjmoCNgsmc
Eventually, about an hour after police arrived at the scene, they moved in to separate the combatants.
Police at UCLA have formed a line about a hundred feet from the encampment. Counter-protestors have left, there have been no visible arrests so far.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) May 1, 2024
I saw the brawl last 2.5 hours, police arrived 1 hour ago. pic.twitter.com/osVYS8ioeY
UCLA🚨: Police have separated both sides for now, and it appears arrests are about to begin. Still small groups near the Pro Palestine encampment. pic.twitter.com/XPB8NNasba
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 1, 2024
Naturally, the pro-Palestinian camp began shouting slogans at the police.
UCLA 🚨 3:03 am - LAPD closing in on Pro Palestine encampment as they chant “PIGS GO HOME!”. pic.twitter.com/iMXz2M41Xk
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 1, 2024
And that was it for the night. There was no more brawling but also no arrests. Police just separated the groups and left it at that.
Ironically, the protesters who were training to fight off the police issued a message last night blaming the school for not sending in the police sooner to protect them.
In another statement released at 3:30 a.m., protesters inside the encampment said the university has not done enough to protect students, and they repeated earlier calls for the university to meet their demands.
“The life-threatening assault we face tonight is nothing less than a horrifying, despicable act of terror,” they said in the statement. “Law enforcement simply stood at the edge of the lawn and refused to budge as we screamed for their help.”
This is always how it goes. Leftists declare a "Liberated Zone" where police are not welcome, and then scream about the lack of security when violence breaks out.
Fox News interviewed a Jewish student about the riots last night. He said the people who showed up were local Jews who were sick of the way fellow Jews were being treated by the pro-Palestinian protesters.
"The reason why this is happening is because Jews in L.A. have had enough. They've seen how these pro-Hamas protesters are treating Jewish students on campus, and they said, 'Fine, if the UCLA administration is not going to do anything, if LAPD is not going to do anything, we're going to do something about it,'" Eli Tsives said while appearing on "Fox & Friends."...
"The average age of those people was around, 26 [through] 29. They were all a lot older and, they were just, L.A. residents, Jewish L.A. residents that have noticed how these pro-Hamas protesters are treating Jewish students at UCLA, and they said, ‘Enough is enough.’"
Hopefully, UCLA will finally allow the LAPD to shut the camp down. What more are they waiting for?
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