VIDEO Hundreds of police force encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California / Arrests on other US university campuses

Hundreds of police entered the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) after dark on Wednesday, preparing to evacuate a camp of pro-Palestinian demonstrators attacked the previous night by supporters of Israel, writes Reuters.

11:50A CNN crew on campus saw law enforcement enter the UCLA encampment where pro-Palestinian protesters are housed.

UCLA, the latest hotbed of tension on US college campuses

The events at UCLA are the latest flashpoint of rising tensions on American college campuses, where protests over Israel’s war on Gaza have sparked clashes between students, school administrators and law enforcement.

Officers in tactical gear positioned themselves on the UCLA campus near the tent camp surrounding the demonstrators.

Some protesters were seen wearing helmets, goggles and respirators in anticipation of the raid, a day after the university declared the camp illegal.

Hundreds of other pro-Palestinian activists who gathered outside the tent city booed the police, shouting “Shame on you”, some beating drums and waving Palestinian flags as the officers marched towards the campus.

Demonstrators, many of them wearing traditional Palestinian headscarves, also chanted slogans calling for the “liberation of Palestine”.

A much smaller group of demonstrators waving Israeli flags urged police to close the camp.

But police officers have so far stood by for hours without taking action.

Pro-Palestinian camp attacked by “instigators”

UCLA has already canceled classes for Wednesday following a violent clash between pro-Palestinian protesters and a group of masked counter-protesters who staged a surprise assault on the tent camp late Tuesday night.

Members of the pro-Palestinian group said they were attacked with fireworks and beaten with clubs and sticks. University officials blamed the unrest on “instigators” and promised an investigation. Eyewitnesses said some of the attackers were waving Israeli flags.

The standoff lasted two or three hours until early Wednesday morning before police restored order.

A spokesman for California Gov. Gavin Newsom later criticized “campus law enforcement’s limited and delayed response” to the unrest, calling it “unacceptable.”

As heavily increased police forces entered the campus on Wednesday evening to evacuate the camp, some of the protesters were heard shouting: “Where were you yesterday?”.

UCLA officials said campus operations will resume on a limited basis Thursday and Friday.

Protests and clashes on other university campuses

Wednesday night’s police operation came a day after New York City police arrested scores of pro-Palestinian activists who occupied a building at Columbia University and removed a tent city from the Ivy League school’s campus.

Police arrested a total of about 300 people at Columbia and the City College of New York, Mayor Eric Adams said.

At least 90 pro-Palestinian protesters — students and off-campus people — were also arrested Wednesday at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire, the Hanover Police Department said.

In recent days, students have protested and set up tent camps in dozens of US schools, demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and calling on schools to stop investing in companies linked to or operating in Israel.

Many of the schools called in the police to quell the protests.

Demonstrations across the country were met by counter-demonstrators who accused pro-Palestinian activists of promoting hatred against Jews.

The pro-Palestinian camp, including Jews who oppose Israeli actions in Gaza, say they are unfairly labeled anti-Semitic for criticizing the Israeli government and voicing support for human rights.

The issue has gained political attention in the run-up to November’s US presidential election, with Republicans accusing some university administrators of turning a blind eye to anti-Semitic rhetoric and harassment.