Dozens of protesters in UCLA encampment seen being detained by police

From CNN staff

CNN crews at the site of the UCLA encampment have seen dozens of protesters being detained by California Highway Patrol officers early Thursday.

Protesters were attempting to reinforce the barricade while police in protective gear were breaking through it.

Officers are taking the detained protesters to buses that police staged in a parking lot roughly a mile from the campus.1 hr 43 min ago

Police begin detaining protesters as they make entry into UCLA encampment

From CNN’s Emma Tucker

Flashbangs were heard as California Highway Patrol officers began tearing down the barricades outside the UCLA encampment early Thursday morning and detaining pro-Palestinian protesters on the site.

The officers from CHP’s special operations unit were seen in video footage in police riot gear with helmets, gas masks, zip ties and getting their batons ready as they entered the encampment, while screams were heard from behind the barricades.

Some protesters were kneeling on the ground with their arms zip-tied behind their backs as officers detained them and continued bringing more protesters outside the encampment.

CNN’s Nick Watt, who is on scene at UCLA, said detained students are being taken to nearby buses on the campus.1 hr 9 min ago

UCLA issued alert to students that police ordered evacuation of encampment area

From CNN’s Taylor Romine

UCLA issued a safety alert shortly before 3 a.m. PT (6 a.m. ET) asking students to avoid Dickson Plaza, the area where the pro-Palestinian protester encampment is set up.

“Police have ordered an evacuation of Dickson Plaza due to an unlawful assembly,” the alert said.

“DO NOT re-enter the area of Dickson Plaza & follow the direction of public safety personnel.”

“The University of California Los Angeles has declared the encampment and all unauthorized tents and structures in Dickson Plaza to be unlawful. The University requires that everyone must leave the encampment and adjacent areas, as well as all unauthorized structures and tents immediately, until further notice,” the alert said.

Those who do not disperse “will be in violation of the law” and could face sanctions if they do not leave, the university said. 41 min ago

Police moving back into UCLA encampment, pulling apart barricades

From CNN’s Emma Tucker

Law enforcement officers began early Thursday morning pulling aside barricades put up outside the encampment on the UCLA campus, CNN footage from the scene shows.

The officers, who were seen wearing California Highway Patrol vests from its special operations unit, were holding onto protective umbrellas as they appeared to be making their way back into the encampment.

Police have warned the protesters that if they stay in encampment they will be liable for arrest and might get hurt, but a large number of protesters remained.

As officers were moving in, shouts could be heard from inside the encampment, saying “hold the line, hold the line!”

Meanwhile, some protesters are gathered on the iconic UCLA Janss Steps in what appears to be an attempt to prevent law enforcement from easily accessing the encampment, CNN video from the scene shows.

Protesters can be seen sitting next to one another on the steps. People sitting at the bottom of the stairs are seen holding open umbrellas. 

Watch the scene:

Australian student protests are another example of US campus divisions over Gaza going global

From CNN’s Hilary Whiteman and Angus Watson

The grassy expanse of the University of Queensland’s Great Court has long been the center of student life at the Australian state’s biggest university.

Now it’s a gathering point for rival camps pitched about 300 feet from each other – one populated by supporters of the Students for Palestine UQ, and another smaller cluster of tents with the Israeli flag among others strung between trees.

These camps are among protest sites at seven universities around Australia – from Melbourne and Sydney in the country’s southeast, to Adelaide in its center, and Perth along the western coast.

They were erected in solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli siege in Gaza and student protesters in the United States, but some Jewish groups say they’re causing unnecessary tension on campus and the country’s federal opposition leader has called them “racist” and “antisemitic.”

So far, violent scenes that have erupted at universities across the US involving protesters, counterprotesters and law enforcement have not been repeated in Australia. But some students worry events could move in that direction.

At the nation’s biggest camp, simmering tensions could flare on Friday, when Jewish groups hold the first major counter-rally at the University of Sydney (USYD) under the slogan “March for a safe campus.”

“We are uniting to urge the University of Sydney to take decisive action to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment for everyone,” said the event organizers Together for Israel and Stand With Us.

In response, the Sydney branch of Students for Palestine issued a call-out on Facebook to “defend” the camp.

“We need everyone to come to the camp tomorrow to defend it from a Zionist rally that is being organized to intimidate us,” it said in a post. “Our cause is one for justice and peace!

Members of Students for Palestine told CNN their protest “encampment” includes a diverse array of students and does not tolerate any form of discrimination.

Fuente: CNN Nota en progreso