Counter protestors continue fighting in front of police line about 100ft away.

Counter demonstrators brawl with pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA, no police in sight. It’s now past 1:30am.

This has going on for over an hour

I have been here for 1hour now at UCLA watching this brawl. No police response of any kind.

Los Angeles-

Happening now at UCLA: counter protestors are clashing with pro-Palestinian demonstrators, attempting to tear down the Gaza encampment.

Pro-Israel protester throws another firework *into* the encampment where people are. LAPD helicopter overhead.

My conclusion, without claiming to give a holistic picture of the protest movement or even of the situation at UCLA: very peaceful, well organized, and reasonable protest.

10/10

But I can see how people who are more insistent and provocative can easily create videos for social media making it seem like they are being turned back because they are Jewish. I was just there for a few hours, but from what I saw it seems like nonsense.

9/10

I saw a few people who were clearly pro-Israel (one wearing a Golda Meir t-shirt, the others just saying 'it is my right as a student to access all parts of the campus'). They tried to argue their way in for a few minutes and left.

8/10

4. A lot of people aren't let into the encampment. There wasn't anyone inside who knew me and could vouch for me, so despite my keffieh I wasn't let in.

Maybe 50% of people who were trying to go in couldn't because they didn't have someone to vouch for them.

7/10

3. The pro-Israel counter protest was ridiculous. There was nobody there, just one massive screen broadcasting images of October 7th. I'm guessing there aren't enough pro-Israel students to set up an encampment or they don't actually care that much to go through the trouble

6/10

Anyone who's been at an occupation or a large protest before, especially very contentious ones, knows about the safety risks of counter protestors sneaking in to provoke and inflame, so vetting people seems reasonable.

This level of organization & precaution was impressive

5/10

2. The protestors are very well organized: medic tent, media liaisons, security people trained in deescalation, etc. No smoking, drinking, drugs allowed. As of today, people need to have someone inside vouch for them before they are let in.

4/10

This is just outside the encampment. Very peaceful, students chilling, living their student lives.

3/10

The main disruption is that students have to walk around it (maybe 5 extra minutes) to go from one side to the other. The main path that is closed is actually closed by campus security, not protestors

So not exactly the riot we are told makes the students' lives impossible

2/10

Just came back from the UCLA campus. A few quick thoughts:

1. The encampment is not very disruptive. It occupies a tiny part of UCLA's massive campus. Though it's been there for days, I saw a lot of students discovering it for the first time and asking 'what's going on?'

1/10

Rafah is being decimated, there is nowhere else left to go. Israel is now bombing more than 1.7 million civilians trapped in Rafah, Gaza's last place of refuge. A massacre is happening in Rafah right now and the world is silent.

Where the fυκ is the world! Where is humanity?

Ηοw can people not scream from their hearts & souls, the abhorrent injustice of what is happening to the Palestinians. Our media & politicians protect the state doing this to keep in with the US & Israel #Gaza #Rafah

Zionist hooligans attack UCLA anti-genocide protest encampment with fireworks

Imagine the media freakout and police repression if this was done to the hyper-protected class popularly known as 'Jewish students'

I will never work with Columbia affiliate on any academic project, collaboration, or research again. This is unconscionable. There should be a full academic boycott of Columbia until the board and president Minouche Shafik resign. This is a disgrace.

Letter to Columbia President Minouche Shafik from UCLA (& former Columbia U) Professor Robin Kelly

“In forty years, I have never seen such brazen cruelty toward students and faculty.” bostonreview.net/articles/lette…