At least 25 people were arrested during protests over the war in Gaza Monday evening on the UCLA campus.
The UCLA chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine began a vigil at 2 p.m. Monday in Bruin Plaza. They attempted to set up an encampment on campus, and minor skirmishes were seen as officers began taking positions to push out the group that was near Dodd Hall.
The protest included a funeral-procession-like march with people carrying fake bloody bodies and body parts. The group gathered in the Dickson Plaza area, the site of a large encampment earlier this year that stayed in place for more than a week before it was dismantled by police in an operation that resulted in more than 200 arrests.
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After several hours of peaceful protest, the situation became chaotic when protesters began chanting the names of thousands of people who have died in the Gaza Strip. Police said protesters damaged property and block access to buildings. Protesters also dyed the water in a plaza fountain red.
"As a result of the unauthorized and unlawful encampments at the three locations, the group damaged the Shapiro fountain, spray-painted brick walkways, tampered with fire safety equipment, damaged patio furniture, stripped wire from electrical fixtures, and vandalized vehicles," UCLA campus police said in a statement.
Police had previously ordered protesters on several occasions to disperse. At about 1:30 a.m., the majority of the protesters had left the area.
The protest was the latest of several over the war in Gaza on the Westwood campus.
“The names of the over 36,000 people that have been murdered when the LAPD basically came in by force and we all had to make a line of defense to make sure that they didn't arrest people,” said Michele Xai, a protester. “They started shooting rubber bullets at the students…they arrested it seems like 22 students when we were defending the camp and now we are waiting where they are going to take them to go get them out…"
The UCLA protests reached a flashpoint on April 30 when counterdemonstrators attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones, releasing pepper spray and tearing down barriers. Fighting continued for several hours before police stepped in, and no one was arrested. At least 15 protesters suffered injuries.
Sporadic disruptions continued following the dismantling of a pro-Palestinian encampment and some 200 arrests. The university closed fore a day, then shifted to online classes. On May 6, about 40 people were arrested during protests on the campus over the war in Gaza.
The violence led UCLA Chancellor Gene Block to announce a newly created Office of Campus Safety to administer policing and emergency management. On May 23, Block testified before Congress about UCLA's response to antisemitism on the campus and actions to protect Jewish students.
NBCLA's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.
