UCLA officials on Thursday called for the dispersal of pro-Palestinian demonstrators after a small group of demonstrators used tables, metal barriers, plywood and other objects to create a barricade blocking part of the campus between Kerckhoff and Moore -halls closed.
The protest came as UCLA Chancellor Gene Block was in Washington to testify before Congress about efforts to combat anti-Semitism at the university.
By noon, police and security teams were seen scuffling with protesters on campus.
“There is reasonable cause to believe that the demonstrators’ activities – including erecting barricades, erecting fortifications and blocking access to parts of the campus and buildings – are disrupting campus operations,” said Administrative Deputy Chancellor Michael Beck said Thursday in a joint statement with Associate Vice Chancellor Michael Beck. Chancellor for Campus Safety Rick Braziel.
School officials said protesters who did not disperse would face arrest and possible disciplinary action, as well as an order to stay away from campus for seven days.
The University of California’s policy for handling protests and civil disobedience requires each campus to seek help from other UC schools before seeking outside help. Block testified Thursday that he initially did not call the Los Angeles Police Department and other agencies in early May, but that rising tensions at the camp led to his decision to do so.
