Escalating orders to “hold the line” and “pass the helmets forward” could have come from police commanders on the UCLA campus.
But instead, they were from the leaders of a programPalestinian student camp while trying to organize troops.
Almost no journalists have had access to the camp, which has been occupied mainly by students for the past week.
I was there to witness his final stance from the inside.
They were outnumbered by the police and outclassed in terms of weight and hardware. While police had rubber bullets and riot shields, protesters had wooden pallets and umbrellas for protection.
But for hours they resisted the advance, tying tarpaulins with string and cable ties to reinforce the perimeter around the camp.
See more information: Why are college students protesting in the US?
When this was taken down by the police, they linked arms in defiance, shouting “shame on you” at the police.
Riot police began tearing down barricades from the outside and were met with chemical spray from protesters. One officer vomited violently after breathing in the substance.
The air was thick with smoke and the sound of flashbangs fired by police was constant.
Rubber bullets were fired into the crowd and as a result I saw at least one man being taken down on a stretcher.
Some students were thrown to the ground and arrested one by one. “This is ridiculous,” shouted one of them, as he was led away.
Between 200 and 300 people were detained, according to two police sources.
Police make arrests
Most, if not all, are expected to be cited and released for misdemeanors, including trespassing, vandalism and/or assaulting law enforcement officers.
There will also be a close examination of the size and strength of the police response and whether it was necessary.
After all, this was a largely peaceful protest, with students calling on the university to cut funding ties with Israel.
The violence only turned violent on Tuesday night, when counter-protesters attacked the pro-Palestinian faction, throwing objects and fireworks at the edge of the camp.
For almost three hours the police were nowhere to be seen and the students were left bloodied and beaten.
Police officers stand in front of the protesters. Photo: Reuters
The violent scenes two nights in a row at UCLA and across the country as this movement spreadtook President Biden speak publicly about the subject for the first time.
“Violent protest is not protected. The peaceful protest is on,” he announced at the White House.
“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest – it is against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, closing campuses, forcing classes and graduations to be canceled: none of this is peaceful protest.”
I saw what was done at UCLA’s Royce Hall, one of the grandest buildings at one of America’s most prestigious universities.
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The beautiful stone arch is now covered in pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel graffiti, with “f*** Israel” on the walls and “Free Gaza” spray-painted on the floor.
Protesters will say the property damage is nothing compared to the situation of the people of Gaza.
But the way they make their statement is undoubtedly divisive.
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