LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police arrested pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses across the country overnight, notably at the University of California, Los Angeles, where chaotic scenes played out early Thursday as officers in riot gear surged against a crowd of demonstrators.
Police removed barricades and began dismantling demonstrators’ fortified encampment at UCLA after hundreds of protesters defied orders to leave, some forming human chains as police fired flash-bangs to break up the crowds.
The California Highway Patrol said at least 132 protesters were arrested. Some sat with their hands behind their backs on the sidewalk, their hands bound with zip ties. Others were loaded onto Los Angeles County Sheriff’s buses and taken to a downtown inmate processing center, spokeswoman Julia Tafoya said. She did not know how many were arrested.
The action came after officers spent hours threatening arrests over loudspeakers if people did not disperse. A crowd of more than 1,000 had gathered on campus, including inside a barricaded tent encampment. Protesters and police shoved and scuffled as officers encountered resistance. Video showed police pulling off protesters’ helmets and goggles as they were detained.