Police stop Gaza demonstrations in Los Angeles – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

Early local time in Los Angeles, police have removed many of the protesters on the campus of the University of California (UCLA), according to the BBC.

132 people are said to have been arrested in the morning hours, writes CNN.

– You have the right to demonstrate, but not the right to create chaos.

That’s what President Joe Biden says in a speech in the morning hours.

The president has said little about the demonstrations at American universities recently.

– As president, I will always defend freedom of expression, but also the rule of law.

Biden says in his speech that he will always defend peaceful protests, but that the law must be followed. This is how he criticized the violence and destruction during the demonstrations.

When asked if the demonstrations have changed his position towards Israel, he answered flatly no.

The barricades, which consisted of tents and loose objects, have at the same time been dismantled and removed from the university grounds. This is reported by the BBC, which quotes the local police.

The arrested protesters have been taken away in buses.

Shoot with rubber bullets

Police with shields and batons fill the area outside UCLA. Chaos reigns between the police and hundreds of protesters. It shows TV images from the university.

Several media write that the police have fired rubber bullets at the crowd. Loud bangs have also been heard at the scene.

Earlier on Thursday, the BBC wrote that the police moved into the tent camp in the area, where most of the protesters stayed.

Pictures from the university show that several of the tents are empty and that there are few people in the area.

The arrested protesters have been led away with their hands tied behind their backs.

The Los Angeles Police Department has yet to publicly comment on the operation.

They used flares to disperse the crowds gathered outside the camp. The AFP news agency reports that helicopters hovered over the area.

Refused to remove

On the night of Wednesday, violent clashes broke out on the grounds of UCLA. Just after 11 o’clock Norwegian time, the police entered the university.

They had then threatened to break in for several hours, if the demonstrators did not remove themselves.

Between 300 and 500 protesters are said to have stayed inside the university campus.

This is reported by the local TV station KABC-TV. Around 2,000 people are said to have gathered outside the barricades to show their support.

The raid was led by California Highway Patrol officers, who carried shields and batons.

– This is a peaceful protest, there are no counter-demonstrators tonight, so calling the police on them is abhorrent. This city should support them, says LA resident Jack Bedrosian to the AFP news agency.

The protesters said they refused to remove themselves from the tent camp that has been set up.

– Don’t let us down, a pro-Palestinian student is said to have said as he was taken away by the police, according to the channel.

Student rebellion at the boiling point

The student uprisings against the war in Gaza are at the boiling point at several universities in the United States.

The campus has almost 52,000 students, including undergraduates and graduates. According to UCLA officials, the area will remain closed, except for limited operations Thursday and Friday.

The police have declared the demonstration an illegal assembly.

Earlier, the police moved into Columbia University in New York. The university has been a center of protests recently. The students were threatened with expulsion, but still refused to leave the area.

US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken believes the students’ demonstration is part of democracy.

– It is a characteristic of democracy that citizens show their views, concerns and anger. I think it reflects the strength of our country,” Blinken said in a statement.

Condemns the violence

The clashes between the students and the police came as a reaction after pro-Israel students fired rockets at the pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

The BBC reports that the governor of California, Gavin Newson, is reacting to the fact that the police took too long to arrive at the scene.

– The police’s limited and delayed intervention is unacceptable, says the spokesperson to Newson.

The governor condemns the violence at UCLA.

– The law is clear, freedom of expression does not include inciting violence, vandalism or lawlessness, writes Newson on X.