UCLA campus protest: What was found inside the pro-Palestinian encampment after police cleared it
LOS ANGELES - Police dismantled the pro-Palestinian fortified encampment built by demonstrators in the heart of UCLA’s campus early Thursday morning, allowing reporters to get a look inside.
The tense and chaotic scene took place before sunrise and saw officers in riot gear surge against the crowd of demonstrators.
Authorities removed barricades and began dismantling the fortified encampment after hundreds of protesters defied orders to leave. The protesters formed human chains as police fired flash-bangs. Protesters and police shoved and scuffled as officers encountered resistance. Numerous demonstrators were taken into custody.
As the scene began to clear, a FOX 11 crew was able to get a look inside what was left of the encampment.
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Trash and debris littered the ground. There was a handwashing area and multiple areas for preparing and eating food. A bathroom section included sanitary wipes and toilet paper.
Protest signs were scattered around the camp. So were masks, orange vests, helmets, and gloves that were all available to the protestors. A bin stocked with batteries was found for use in flashlights and lanterns.
The FOX 11 crew found a sign that read "Protection Kits 4 6PM Tonight." The kits listed goggles, kneepads, rags, ponchos, flashlights, umbrellas, and face shields as the items included. Written on the bottom of the sign were the words, "Viva La Resistanca!," translated to "Long Live The Resistance" in English.
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As FOX 11 searched what remained of the camp, several protestors were led away with their hands bound. Officers spent hours threatening arrests over loudspeakers if people did not disperse.
Police cleared protest encampments at school campuses across the country this week including camps at City College of New York, the University of Buffalo, Portland State in Oregon, and Tulane University in New Orleans. Officers also broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed Columbia University.
The college demonstrations began in April to protest Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which followed Hamas launching a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.
The Assoicated Press contributed to this report