Authorities arrested protesters while breaking up a pro-Palestinian camp this Wednesday afternoon that they were installing on the campus of the University of California at Irvine (UC Irvine).
Videos posted on social media showed protesters hanging banners in the Physical Sciences and Sciences conference room around 2:30 p.m. later while setting up tents outside the building.
In a text message alert, UC Irvine called the actions a “violent protest” and urged students to avoid the area.
zotALERT: Anyone currently in buildings in the vicinity of the protest are advised to exit buildings & leave area at this time. Please disregard all previous orders to shelter in place. If able, please leave immediately & continue to avoid the protest area until further notice.
— UC Irvine (@UCIrvine) May 16, 2024
“Please ignore all previous orders to shelter in place. If possible, leave immediately and continue to avoid the protest area until further notice,” UC Irvine posted on social media.
Keep reading: Police break up pro-Palestinian demonstration at Pomona College graduation, at Shrine Auditorium
The authorities They had not reported the number of people they arrested during this afternoon’s operation at UC Irvine.
Officers from several law enforcement corporations created a skirmish line near the protesters, who were positioned both inside and outside the camp’s wooden barriers.
At approximately 4:00 pm, it was possible to observe when several protesters were detained by officers.
Keep reading: UCLA returns to in-person classes after weeks of pro-Palestine protests
An hour later, when the authorities began to enter to dismantle the camp, there were moments of tension when groups of protesters showed their anger at the arrests, so several fights broke out.
The authorities removed the tents and they piled them in a corner while they cleared the area.
The officers went to the second floor of the Physical Sciences lecture room and arrested anyone they found, while They removed the banners and posters that the protesters placed on the balcony.
Keep reading: USC faculty censure university officials for response to Gaza protests
On campus, some protesters tried to reinforce their barricades before the advance of the officers who knocked them down.
Given the situation, UC Irvine determined to cancel classes for the rest of the day and recommended that staff work remotely this Thursday.
Protesters They asked the university to end its relations with Israel due to the military offensive they have maintained in Gaza after the attack by the Hamas group on October 7, 2023.
Keep reading: USC begins graduation ceremonies after riots over pro-Palestine demonstrations
Last week, UC Irvine suspended several students who protested for what it called “multiple conduct violations” after another demonstration took place on campus.
Among the students who were suspended were members of a group that had been negotiating his demands with UC Irvine administrators.
“It’s a shame that peaceful protests for freedom of expression are always met with violence. Taking up space on campus or in a building is not a threat to anyone. UCI leaders must do everything possible to avoid creating a violent scenario. These are your unarmed students,” Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan wrote on X.
Keep reading: Pro-Palestinian protesters set up camp on Cal State University Los Angeles campus
In recent weeks, several universities in California and the United States had similar manifestations.
Beginnings of May, The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) police set up a pro-Palestinian camp on Royce Quad in a protest that escalated tensions and violence.
Keep reading: Protesters arrested in UCLA parking lot; university returns to remote classes
Similar scenes were had at the University of Southern California (USC)a private university, for demonstrations that occurred a week earlier.
During the operations that the authorities had, around 200 people were arrested at USC and more than 90 people were arrested for the protests at UCLA.
Keep reading:
· Authorities remove pro-Palestinian camp on University of Southern California campus
· More than 200 people arrested during pro-Palestine camp removal at UCLA
· Pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israeli groups have more clashes at UCLA