Dueling Protesters Clash at UCLA
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Fighting broke out between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protesters at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) on Tuesday night.
The Details: Videos show pro-Israel protesters tearing down barricades erected by the pro-Palestine group; at one point, firecrackers were thrown at the barricades. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the "violence" is "absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable." The LAPD arrived on campus and broke up much of the fighting early Wednesday morning.
For Context: As the protest groups were clashing at UCLA, police in New York cleared a pro-Palestine encampment at Columbia University and arrested dozens of protesters. Similar protests continue on college campuses across the country.
How the Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum, especially on the left and in the center, focused on reports of pro-Israel protesters trying to tear down "protective" barriers erected by pro-Palestine protesters. Fox News (Right bias) called the scene a "battlefield" after "pro-Israel counter-protesters went to the university overnight to confront the anti-Israel protesters." Many sources on the left and in the center have drawn parallels between the ongoing pro-Palestine protests and the anti-Vietnam War protests of 1968.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
UCLA protests turn violent as fights break out and firecrackers explode in ‘tent city’
An anti-Israel protest at the University of California, Los Angeles turned violent late Tuesday night as fights broke out and firecrackers were thrown at the makeshift tent encampments.
The commotion broke out at UCLA in Westwood after several agitators attempted to break down a barricade set up on campus.
One agitator blasted pepper spray into multiple people’s faces, leading to a brawl, according to video captured by Fox 11.
Firecrackers were then thrown toward a barrier set up by campus police, sending multiple people running for cover.
From the Left
Dueling protesters clash at UCLA hours after police clear pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia
Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.
After a couple of hours of scuffles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and slowly separated the groups. That appeared to quell the violence.
From the Center
UCLA campus protests over Gaza war erupt into violent clashes between rival groups
Police deployed in force on the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) campus on Wednesday morning after Israel supporters attacked a camp set up by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Witness footage from the scene, verified by Reuters, showed people wielding sticks or poles to attack wooden boards being held up as a makeshift barricade to protect the pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom held placards or umbrellas.
On the other side of the country, police in New York arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators holed up in a building at Columbia University and...
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