Demonstrators restore a protective barrier at an encampment on the UCLA campus, the morning after clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. | AP/Jae C.
The escalating demonstrations have pushed elected officials and college leaders into the fraught position of publicly engaging on such a divisive topic. They’ve also prompted theEfforts to restore pre-Oct. 7 normalcy by breaking up protests have often backfired.Social media has accelerated demonstrations in a way not seen during international conflicts in decades past.
“While the University affirms the right of our community members to express diverse viewpoints, a boycott of this sort impinges on the academic freedom of our students and faculty and the unfettered exchange of ideas on our campuses,” the system said Not all protesters are students. Of 32 people who were arrested for occupying two academic buildings at Cal Poly Humboldt, 13 were students, one was a faculty member and 18 were other non-students,. The University of Texas reported that in one recent round of arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters, 26 of 55 were unaffiliated with the university.
Democrats in Los Angeles and in the state writ large have stridently criticized what transpired at UCLA Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said “the limited and delayed campus law enforcement response” was “unacceptable.” Videos and news reports show attackers stomping on pro-Palestinian activists and using what appears to be pepper spray.