UCLA officials called for the dispersal of pro-Palestinian protesters Thursday after a small group of demonstrators used tables, metal fences, plywood and other objects to create a barricade that blocked off a section of campus between Kerckhoff and Moore halls.
The protest came as UCLA Chancellor Gene Block was in Washington to testify before Congress about efforts to combat antisemitism at the university.
By the afternoon, police and security teams were seen scuffling with protesters on campus.
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“There is reasonable cause to find that demonstrators’ activities — including erecting barricades, establishing fortifications, and blocking access to parts of the campus and buildings — are disrupting campus operations,” Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck said in a joint statement Thursday with Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety Rick Braziel.
School administrators said demonstrators that did not disperse would face arrest and possible disciplinary action, as well as an order to stay away from campus for seven days.
Despite orders to disperse, protesters continued to march through campus and converged at Dodd Hall around 2 p.m. They made their way inside the building, locking the doors. Students were seen leaving the building amid the chaos, as protesters said they were allowing students to enter and exit the building.
By 3 p.m., LAPD officers left the campus as protesters remained.
The University of California’s policy for handling protests and civil disobedience requires each campus to first seek help from other UC schools before calling in outside law enforcement. Block testified Thursday that, in early May, he did not initially call the Los Angeles Police Department and other agencies, but said increasing tensions at the encampment led to his decision to do so.