Los Angeles police clear pro-Palestinian camp at USC, make no arrests

(Patria) - Los Angeles police cleared a pro-Palestinian camp at the University of Southern California (USC) but made no arrests on Sunday amid unrest at universities across the United States over the war between Israel and Hamas, Reuters reported.

Various American universities with commencement ceremonies held on Sunday were bracing for possible protests after dozens of people were arrested on campuses the previous day.

After USC requested assistance, officers entered the camp around 5 a.m. local time and worked with the university’s Department of Public Safety to remove tents as dozens of student demonstrators peacefully left the area, police said.

USC President Carol Folt said the “occupation had progressed in a dangerous direction in
the past few days,” prompting her to call for police intervention. She said the camp was cleared peacefully, without arrests, in 64 minutes.

The Los Angeles Police Department also said in a statement that “there were no arrests, no use of force, and no officers or demonstrators were injured.”

In an intervention at USC last month, police arrested 93 people without incident, while demonstrators surrendered without resistance. The USC experience contrasted with other campuses where protests have emerged as political flashpoints during an election year in the U.S. as President Joe Biden seeks a second term. Police have arrested more than 2,000 people during protests on dozens of campuses nationwide.

Across town at UCLA, where pro-Israel demonstrators clashed with students last week at a pro-Palestinian encampment, and where police arrested more than 200 people in clearing the camp a day later, Chancellor Gene Block announced on Sunday the creation of a new Campus Safety office and appointed a leader, former Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel, who will report directly to Block.

“Our campus has been shaken by events that have disrupted that sense of security and eroded trust within our community,” Block said. Under growing political pressure, Biden on Thursday broke his silence on campus unrest over the Gaza war, saying Americans have a right to demonstrate but not to incite violence.

Many colleges, including Columbia University in New York, have called in police to quell protests.

At the University of Texas at Austin on Sunday, drones deployed by police hovered overhead as about 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered with about 50 observers, local media reported. Speakers advised fellow demonstrators to remain peaceful and stay away from police.

Students and other demonstrators have called on universities to divest their financial ties to Israel and advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza.