Violent clashes at UCLA as police dismantle pro-Palestinian protest encampment

Hundreds of helmeted police breached barricades at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) campus early on Thursday. The police dismantled the camp, arrested protesters, and removed them from the UCLA campus.

Supporters of the student protesters called the university's decision to bring in police and other law enforcement agencies "illegitimate" and "outrageous".

"I think in a place like UCLA where they tell you this is a place to have a free exchange of ideas and to learn about the world, yet when you stand up for Gaza, this is what happens?" Luna Hernandez, a community organizer, stated.

During the pre-dawn crackdown, loud explosions were heard from flash-bang charges or stun grenades fired by police during the clash. Later in the morning, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol confirmed that there were no injuries on both ends after police swarmed the site.

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