The University of California, Los Angeles erupted into chaos as protests against Israel sparked two opposing groups to battle each other.
“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.
Online videos showed people throwing chairs and using sticks and weapons to beat each other, according to Fox News. The event occurred late Tuesday into Wednesday morning.
The violence unfolded by a tent encampment occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters, who erected barricades, plywood and wooden pallets at the edge of the camp. Pro-Israel groups tried to pull the barricades down, per the Associated Press.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the violence “absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable” in a post on X, formerly Twitter. She added officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were on the scene. The university said it had requested help from the department.
Police in riot gear arrived and ultimately restored order.
“After a couple of hours of scuffles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and slowly separated the groups,” the AP reported. “That quelled the violence, and the scene was calm as day broke.”
LAPD posted on X that officers were called to the campus by the university.
“At the request of UCLA, due to multiple acts of violence within the large encampment on their campus, the LAPD is responding to assist UCLA PD, and other law enforcement agencies, to restore order and maintain public safety,” it said.
Protests have occurred nationwide and started at Columbia University in New York City. The protests are n response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
“Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there,” per the AP.
