UCLA pro-Palestine protesters clash with police as chancellor testifies before Congress
LOS ANGELES - A second pro-Palestinian encampment was established on UCLA's campus Thursday, accompanied by protests on the same day Chancellor Gene Block testified before Congress on Capitol Hill.
SkyFOX video of the scene showed several protesters putting up large pieces of plywood and metal barriers, and assembling tables, chairs, and tents in the courtyard between Kerckhoff and Moore halls. There is also a giant chain with a padlock.
The group Students for Justice in Palestine posted on Instagram that it had established "a second encampment at Kerckhoff patio," adding, "we need support in numbers ASAP." But the group warned the action could lead to arrest.
"Please take the time to assess your risk before coming," the group warned.
Campus security was visible in the area, with UCLA PD putting out a call for mutual aid. The Los Angeles Police Department went on a citywide tactical alert.
Ethan, a PhD student, explained to FOX 11 why he and the other students are in this for the long run.
"We're here because the UC still has not divested the $32 billion that they invest in arms occupation and genocide, supporting Israel's attack on the Palestinian people. That may be acceptable to the UC administration, that may be acceptable to [UCLA chancellor] Gene Block to have blood on their hands. But the students, the workers, the faculty allies, we find that morally reprehensible. So we will continue fighting, doing what we can to pressure the school to divest that money out of genocide," he said.
By 1:15 p.m., the protesters clashed with police as they made their way toward Murphy Hall. The group quickly moved on and made its way to Dodd Hall, with protesters making their way inside. Police eventually moved in and cleared the building out, with most protesters gone by 5:30 p.m.
There were no reports of arrests.
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This comes as House Republicans summoned the leaders of UCLA, Northwestern University and Rutgers University to testify about concessions they gave to pro-Palestinian protesters to end demonstrations on their campus.
Block testified before the House Committee on Education and Workforce about the university's response to an earlier pro-Palestinian encampment — which was dismantled in early May, leading to the arrests of 209 people. The committee grilled Block and the leaders of Northwestern and Rutgers universities about their handling of protests and alleged failures to protect Jewish students for antisemitism on campus.
In his opening remarks, Block conceded some shortcomings in the university's response to the original encampment, saying it should have acted to remove the protesters sooner.
"With the benefit of hindsight, we should have been prepared to immediately remove the encampment if and when the safety of our community was put at risk," Block told the committee. "We've since taken decisive action. I've created a new office of campus safety that reports directly to me.
"Finally, we will hold accountable all those who engaged in violence or violated our policies," Block said. "No student should be threatened or excluded based on their beliefs or identity. While we will always have to strive hard to meet this obligation, we must also maintain our commitment to academic freedom and free speech."
Block is set to retire at the end of July.
Just a day ago, the police chief at UCLA was reassigned "pending an examination of our security processes," according to a statement from the school. There was no immediate word on what position Thomas had been assigned to. He has been the campus police chief since January.
City News Service contributed to this report.