UCLA protesters were filmed engaging in combat training moments before police stormed and arrested hundreds at a pro-Palestinian camp.
Police raided the Gaza solidarity camp at the California school on Wednesday night after students defied orders to leave. At least 132 protesters were arrested and one officer was injured during the tense confrontation between protesters and police dressed in riot gear.
Now, drone footage taken just before officers burst in shows students learning hand-to-hand combat techniques.
The group can be seen handing out instructions through a megaphone while a balaclava-wearing member appears to enact self-defense tactics, in scenes that reminded some online commentators of jihadist-like training.
UCLA protesters were filmed engaging in militant-style combat training moments before police attacked.
Drone footage taken just before a nighttime clash on Wednesday shows students learning hand-to-hand combat techniques taught by a balaclava-wearing protester.
The Gaza camp appeared in front of Royce Hall as protesters urged UCLA to divest from companies that profit from Israel’s war against Hamas.
The filmed group acted out various scenarios to a crowd that gathered in a circle around them. At one point, one of the group members approaches another and appears to hit him in the head.
A second demonstration shows an individual appearing to act like pulling someone’s leg after being kicked.
Aerial shots show rows of tents packed tightly together in the sprawling camp.
Palestinian flags are waved everywhere, while signs and banners are placed against the metal fences surrounding the camp.
Some of the protesters were seen wearing helmets, goggles and breathing masks in anticipation of the siege, a day after the university declared the camp illegal.
According to a CHP spokesperson, objects, including water bottles, were thrown at officers as they descended on the settlement Wednesday night.
Initially, a small group of police were forced to retreat by pro-Palestinian protesters before busloads of riot police arrived and broke through the camp barrier.
Objects, including water bottles, were thrown at officers as they descended toward the UCLA settlement, according to a CHP spokesperson.
At least 132 protesters were arrested and one officer was injured during the tense confrontation between protesters and police dressed in riot gear.
The mob of protesters resisted police attempts to disperse them as they took signs and shields from the group.
An LAPD protester stops a protester as he walked through the encampment early Thursday.
An activist is immobilized and taken away from the scene by an agent.
The crowd of protesters resisted police attempts to disperse them as they took signs and shields away from the group.
As police helicopters flew overhead, the sound of stun grenades, which produce a bright light and loud noise to disorient and stun people, could be heard as police advanced, amid chants of: “Where were you last night?” ?
Those arrested were booked into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s downtown Los Angeles jail. It is unclear how many of the people arrested are students and teachers.
In the morning, the square was strewn with remains of the destroyed camp: tents, blankets, food containers, a Palestinian flag and an upside-down helmet.
Police remained on hand for the first half of the day while the area was cleared of debris.
Classes have been moved to remote learning and Royce Hall will remain closed through Friday, university administrators confirmed.
Students were warned they could face consequences, including expulsion or criminal charges, if they remained on site. Staff were also told they could face disciplinary action.
Students have demonstrated or set up tents at dozens of universities in recent days to protest Israel’s war on Gaza and to call on their institutions to divest from companies that profit from the war against Hamas.
Dozens of protesters camped out in front of Royce Hall in scenes reminiscent of those seen on other campuses
Those arrested were booked into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s downtown Los Angeles jail. It is unclear how many of the people arrested are students and teachers.
In the morning, the square was strewn with remains of the destroyed camp: tents, blankets, food containers, a Palestinian flag, an upturned helmet.
Protesters have called on President Joe Biden, who has supported Israel’s right to defend itself, to do more to stop the bloodshed in Gaza and demanded that schools divest from companies that support Israel’s government.
Many of the schools, including Columbia University in New York City, called in the police to quell the protests.
Biden broke his silence on Thursday’s protests after the UCLA raid, saying Americans have the right to protest but not to unleash violence.
“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest,” he said at the White House.
‘It is against the law. Vandalism, breaking and entering, breaking windows, campus closures, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations: none of this is peaceful protest.’
Police remained on hand for the first half of the day while the area was cleared of debris.
Classes have been moved to remote learning and Royce Hall will remain closed through Friday, university administrators confirmed.
Students were warned they could face consequences, including expulsion or criminal charges, if they remained on site.
The scenes at UCLA were reminiscent of those on campuses across the United States, including Columbia and CUNY, which were raided by New York police on Tuesday.
In Portland, Oregon, police entered the Portland State University library Thursday morning, where protesters had barricaded themselves since Monday.
Several dozen protesters ran out of the building and pounced on a phalanx of riot police, who arrested them.
In New Hampshire, police arrested about 100 protesters in separate incidents at Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire overnight, dismantling the encampments.
The protests follow the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and dozens taken hostage, and the subsequent Israeli offensive that killed some 34,000 people and created a humanitarian crisis.
