LOS ANGELES: Hundreds of helmeted police cordoned off the pro-Palestinian protest site at the University of California, Los Angeles on Thursday morning.
The pre-dawn police raid at UCLA is the latest in a series of heightened tensions on US campuses, as protests against Israel’s war on Gaza have seen students clash with law enforcement.
“I’m a student here. English major,” a student told television cameras as police dragged him away. “Please don’t give up on us. Don’t lose us.”
Before moving on, police urged protesters to clear the protest zone, which filled a central square the size of a football field.
After officers gathered for several hours, protesters, some wearing white helmets, marched through the area holding batons to block their advance.
Live footage showed officers tearing down tents, pulling down barricades and removing carpets, while arrested protesters were handcuffed behind their backs.
Students have rallied or set up tents in dozens of schools in recent days, demanding that President Joe Biden, who supports Israel’s right to defend itself, do more to stop the bloodshed in Gaza and that schools divest from companies that support the Israeli government.
Many schools, including Columbia University in New York, called on the police to break up the demonstration.
In New Hampshire, police arrested about 100 protesters overnight at Dartmouth University and the University of New Hampshire in separate incidents.
In Portland, Oregon, police entered the Portland State University library early Thursday morning and began arresting protesters who had been blocking the interior since Monday.
Biden broke his silence on Thursday’s protests, saying Americans have the right to protest but not to spread violence.
“Destroying property is not peaceful protest,” the White House said. “This is against the law. Vandalism, vandalism, breaking windows, closing the campus, forcing students to cancel classes and canceling alumni – none of this is a peaceful protest.”
But Biden also rejected the idea of putting the National Guard on college campuses.
Biden, who is seeking re-election against Republican incumbent President Donald Trump in November, has come under fire amid criticism from the left and right over his Israel policy.