Police dispersed a group of pro-Palestinian protesters at UCLA and set barriers around Lois Hall.
From 150 to 200 demonstrators gathered on the UCLA campus site, first at Lois Hall on Wednesday at about 7:30pm and eventually at Westwood Village at about 10:30pm, one hit security guards and two others intervened with police trying to break up the demonstration.
The demonstration was organized by a group called UCLA’s Students for Palestinian Justice. They had planned to display the documentary film “The Embampments” on campus. The first film is Wilson Plaza at 7:30pm, about protests on university campuses around the country.
The group of demonstrators marched to De Neve Plaza, blocking traffic from Gary Avenue to Le Conte Drive before heading to Westwood Plaza and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Wednesday night’s demonstration comes a year after a pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups clashed on campus.
Steve Lully, deputy prime minister for UCLA’s campus and community safety, said protesters were violating internal UCLA policies by setting up screens and trying to show the documentary.
“We tried to stop them from doing that,” Lurie told NBC 4.
SJP posted on social media about police attempts to disband the demonstrations.
“A few minutes ago, police had charged a group of protesters who had hit batons, rubber bullets, guns and motorcycles. This hit students. We were gathering to honor Palestine.
The SJP had planned to hold a rally at Dixon Plaza, but changed plans when UC police closed Wednesday and blocked access with metal barriers after one of the protesters was arrested around 2:30pm, according to daily Bruin reports.
“To celebrate the year since the camp at UCLA, we encourage you to solidify the documentary and watch it,” SJP said in a post to its Instagram account.
Lurie said metal barriers and barricades remained on Thursday. Thousands of healthcare, research and technology workers at the University of California will host a day’s strike at UC facilities across the state.
More than 20,000 University of California technical workers, represented by the University of California’s professionals and technical employees union, are planning a picket at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center from 8am.
Lurie said he does not expect the protester camp to return to UCLA.
“I’m not worried about the camp coming back,” Lurie said. “Because we don’t allow that.”
But it “indicates that there are protesters and protesters who are hoping to come back here… that won’t happen,” he added.
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