Police battle anti-Israel protesters, deploy flashbangs to clear out UCLA encampment

(Daily Caller News Foundation) – Police began detaining anti-Israel protesters at an encampment at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) early Thursday morning following several violent clashes.

Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers with riot gear used flashbangs and tear gas as they moved in on the encampment set up at a plaza on the UCLA campus, Fox News reported. UCLA announced the cancellation of classes Wednesday after violence broke out between pro-Israel and anti-Israel protesters, with at least one individual being taken to the hospital via ambulance, according to reports. 

Police detained several students with zip ties. CNN reported that detained students were moved to buses as the police set about clearing the encampment.

The California Highway Patrol stated that multiple people had been arrested, according to The New York Times.

Video posted to X by Sergio Olmos, a Calmatters investigative reporter, early Wednesday morning showed fights breaking out among the two sides and reported the use of pepper spray.

The anti-Israel protesters oppose Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack by the radical Islamic terrorist group Hamas that killed over 1,200 people.

In New York City, police removed protesters from a similar encampment at Columbia University who occupied Hamilton Hall on the Ivy League school’s campus.