Sword found during dueling pro-Palestine, pro-Israel protests at UCLA
LOS ANGELES - A large sword was confiscated on UCLA's campus during dueling protests between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel demonstrators.
A video shared by Sean Beckner-Carmitchel showed the moments where a man walking a dog was being questioned by police as one of the officers picked up the sword off the ground on Monday afternoon.
The man was detained as a result of police finding the large sword. It appears no one from the UCLA campus was hurt from the sword.
The startling discovery comes as pro-Palestine demonstrators are in Day 5 of on-campus protests in Westwood. The demonstrations have drawn counter-protests from opposing views (pro-Israel) and people with zero affiliation with UCLA. The encampment setup had grown over the weekend and have since been surrounded by metal fencing and people in security uniforms who are not affiliated with the school.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- APR. 29: Violence escalates between pro-Palestine, pro-Israel supporters at UCLA encampment
- APR. 26: Inside look at fenced-in pro-Palestine demonstrations
The campus protests initially stemmed from organizers with Justice in Palestine and the UC Divest Coalition calling for UCLA to divest funds set aside towards Israel.
Last Friday, UCLA's vice chancellor for strategic communications issued the following statement:
"Yesterday morning, demonstrators established a physical encampment on a lawn in Royce quad, joining similar groups that have set up presences at universities across the country," said Osako. "UCLA’s approach to the encampment is guided by several equally important principles: the need to support the safety and wellbeing of Bruins, the need to support the free expression rights of our community, and the need to minimize disruption to our teaching and learning mission. These same long-standing principles have allowed UCLA to uphold a history of peaceful protest. It’s also important to note that we are following University of California systemwide policy guidance, which directs us not to request law enforcement involvement preemptively, and only if absolutely necessary to protect the physical safety of our campus community. We’ve taken several steps to help ensure people on campus know about the demonstration so they can avoid the area if they wish. This includes having student affairs representatives stationed near Royce quad to let Bruins and visitors know about the encampment, redirect them if desired and to serve as a resource for their needs."