Over 100 arrested at UC campuses; UCLA to track down suspects behind encampment attack

Over 100 protesters have been arrested at two southern California universities, as schools appear to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations interrupting the end of the academic year.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, police arrested 40 people gathered at a garage ahead of a rally, the Los Angeles Times reports. That move comes hours after police at UC San Diego cleared an encampment and arrested more than 64 people, including 40 students.

At the same time, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block says the school’s newly appointed chief safety officer will lead an investigation to identify and prosecute the “group of instigators” who led a violent attack on pro-Palestinian demonstrators last week.

The university has asked Los Angeles police, the FBI and the district attorney’s office for assistance, Block says.

On April 30, a group of counterprotesters assaulted a pro-Palestinian encampment, ripping down wooden boards used as a fence and brawling with activists in a melee that lasted several hours. Many pro-Israel students and Jewish groups distanced themselves from the attackers, claiming they did not appear to be from the school.

UCLA has moved all classes online for the entire week due to ongoing disruptions following the dismantling of an encampment last week.

At the University of Southern California, schools officials have restricted access to the campus, with only two entrances open and long lines of students having their IDs checked, the LA Times reports. An area where a pro-Palestinian encampment had been set up is not fenced off by large wooden boards.