This post was updated May 3 at 12:42 a.m.
For the Daily Bruin’s full coverage of the UC Divest Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine encampment at UCLA, see here.
Hundreds of Palestine solidarity encampment protesters – including students and faculty – were arrested Thursday morning in Dickson Plaza, authorities said, in a move to clear Dickson Plaza of the encampment site.
As the sun rose, hundreds of officers of municipal and state law enforcement agencies continued their sweep of the UC Divest Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA encampment, capping off weeklong protests that have resulted in altered class schedules, hundreds of arrests and injuries.
“We’re California Highway Patrol, SRT (Special Response Team) team members, but we also were working in conjunction with other departments such as UCLA police, LAPD and LASD,” said Alec Pereyda, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol, on Thursday morning. “It wasn’t just us – everyone is out here working.”
[Related link: Hundreds of protesters detained after police breach pro-Palestine encampment at UCLA]
Police continued to arrest encampment protesters into early Thursday morning, with many ticketed for trespassing and loaded onto buses for further processing. Authorities from UCPD – joined by several squads from the LAPD and CHP – issued several dispersal warnings after the university called the encampment an unlawful assembly Tuesday.
Dozens of protesters in support of the encampment also remained gathered early in the morning on Janss Steps and the surrounding hill, continuing to express their support for the arrested members of the encampment and chanting phrases such as “The whole world is watching” and “We’re not leaving.”
Hundreds of loud blasts of noise believed to be flash-bangs, various plumes of gas, debris from the encampment and lingering tear gas were all seen during the late-night operation conducted by several CHP officers to take down the encampment despite resistance from protesters.
Some arrested protesters appeared to be loaded into buses marked as Los Angeles County Sheriff prisoner transport. It was not immediately clear what, if any, processing or charges detainees might face next.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department affirmed its commitment to protecting free speech and other constitutional rights. They did not address questions about where arrested protesters would be transported or their charges.
“We have been in close communication with our law enforcement partners and are assisting them with providing security while ensuring a peaceful environment for everyone involved,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement to the Daily Bruin.
A UCLA spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment. The LAPD’s media relations department did not immediately return a request for comment.
Contributing reports by Gabrielle Siegel, Daily Bruin senior staff.
