Police surrounded a group of pro-Palestinian protesters who set up an encampment at UC San Diego, dismantling tents and arresting more than 60 demonstrators in the early morning hours May 6.
Law enforcement officials appeared and declared the encampment an unlawful assembly around 5:45 a.m. issuing orders for protesters to leave.
Protesters are calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, which began Oct. 7 with Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people and saw the taking of 253 hostages.
Since then, Israeli strikes have killed about 33,600 Palestinians and injured more than 76,200, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported last month. Some hostages captured by Hamas have been released, but at least 32 have reportedly been killed in captivity.
Video footage from local news outlet Channel 10 ABC captured officers removing tents, dispersing the protesters and making multiple arrests.
The joint operation involved approximately 200 campus police, as well as law enforcement from the California Highway Patrol and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla described the protest as an “illegal encampment” in a statement released Sunday, citing safety and security concerns posed by the tents erected on campus.
Mr. Khosla emphasized the encampment’s violation of both law and campus policy, labeling it as a safety hazard due to potential fire risks associated with the tents but did not mention any instances of violence.
UC San Diego transitioned all classes to remote learning May 6, with all its west campus events canceled and facilities shuttered.
Additionally, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System announced via social media that due to police activity, the UC San Diego Central Campus Trolley Station was temporarily closed, with trains bypassing the station.
