Violence broke out between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters, and police in riot gear arrived but did not immediately intervene.

NEW YORK (AP) — The pro-Palestinian demonstration that paralyzed Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion, with police carrying riot shields bursting into a building that protesters took over the previous night and making dozens of arrests. On the other side of the country, clashes broke out early Wednesday between dueling groups at the University of California, Los Angeles.

New York City officers entered Columbia’s campus late Tuesday after the university requested help, according to a statement released by a spokesperson. A tent encampment on the school’s grounds was cleared, along with Hamilton Hall where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window.

Meanwhile, violence broke out at UCLA overnight between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters. Police wearing face shields formed a line but did not immediately intervene.

The clashes took place just outside a tent encampment, where pro-Palestinian protesters erected barricades and plywood for protection — and counter-protesters tried to pull them down.

  • @[email protected]
    63•7 months ago

    For anyone interested, one of the last live streams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD-ohHo8crg Most of the others went to sleep after the masked israeli agitators left when the cops started moving in.

    The camp people did a pretty good job at deescalating but when you have 30+ random masked people trying to tear down your camp, throwing stuff at you and beating up old people trying to deescalate then its tough to stay calm.

    Pretty telling tho that police was present for 4+ hours and did nothing while people were getting assaulted. Eventually they will probably attempt to clear the camp under the pretense of violent acts happening, when the only violent people were the ones outside the camp.

    • @IndustryStandardOP
      58•7 months ago

      The line “violence broke out” struck me as odd. The mention of the violence taking place because Pro Israel protesters were in the Pro Palestine side tearing down barricades came much later in the article. This drastically changes the dynamic of the violence. “Violence breaks out” when a person wearing a keffiyeh defends themselves.

      • @firadin
        6•7 months ago

        “Violence” is not an actor, violence does not “break out”. It’s a phrase used to hide the actors who instigated the violence, either due to a lack of knowledge or due to willful obfuscation. We have videos of what happened, so we know which it is.

      • @eldavi
        -1•7 months ago

        deleted by creator

        • @[email protected]
          5•7 months ago

          For less controversial things it can work. But also “peaceful” is a really weird term for protests. Blocking and barricading increasingly important infrastructure is still technically peaceful, but it will definitely have an effect if you keep it up long enough.

        • borari
          2•7 months ago

          Not really, at least not unless there’s a contingent of protestors who are willing to utilize a diversity of action in tandem with the nonviolent protestors. This contingent existed alongside MLK, Ghandi, etc., pretty much every example held up as a successful “nonviolent” protest.

    • @firadin
      22•7 months ago

      There’s a reason the Black Panthers were armed when they distributed free food to poor black children.

  • @[email protected]
    45•7 months ago

    Just remember… the administration of Brown University opened a dialog about divestment (to my knowledge they haven’t committed to anything yet) and somehow, magically, they aren’t having these problems.

    Universities serve their students, it isn’t the other way around.

    • Flying Squid
      23•7 months ago

      What happened here is horrible, but hyperbole is not helpful. Hundreds of people were murdered by the Chinese military in Tianenmen Square. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake that it doesn’t end up like that. People are already being murdered by the thousands in Palestine.

      • @thedirtyknapkin
        17•7 months ago

        you’re right, this is more like the 1968 Columbia protests. you know, the one where they put flowers in the barrels of the rifles.

        America has its own long and storied history of killing protestors and strikers. we don’t need to look anywhere else for analogies.

    • @[email protected]
      1•7 months ago

      Believe it or not, the Tiananmen Square massacre was part of a power struggle between reformist and authoritarian factions of the CCP.

      Per diplomatic cables from multiple observers, regular army units refused to supply the rural units brought in for the massacre and even threatened to open fire if they didn’t leave.

      You can guess who won the power struggle but the point is, things are in an even worse place in the US and liberals couldn’t give less of a shit while conservative leaders openly call for Kentanamen State Square 2.

      There’s no reformist party or power struggle, it’s literally just the entire US government vs the people.

      It is time for the tree of liberty to be watered.

  • @neonred
    -6•7 months ago

    So, let me get this straight. I will make a list of things I do not understand and I hope you can clear these points up to me. Please reference them in your reply so I understand to which of these points you are referring to.

    1. Some activists assemble in front of an university.
    2. They are enraged about a political situation on the other side of the world.
    3. That involved countries there have nothing to do with either the University or the country they are now protesting in.
    4. They set up camp.
    5. They break up doors and enter the University’s rooms with force.
    6. They destroy property within the University.
    7. The University watches and endures this for several days.
    8. Finally, after financial and other losses, the University calls Police to end all this.
    9. The protest was neither registered nor was is coordinated; no spokesperson or head was named or is available.
    10. Police was shouted at, attacked, and met with overall and disproportionate anger, hostility and force.
    11. What exacty has this whole action brought to the initial intention of the protesters? Did they reach their goals or got closer to these?

    I am exposing myself here because I do not understand the situation and am wondering why everybody is wondering the Police had to mop this up.

    • @Zron
      16•7 months ago

      Point 3: the university provides funding to weapons manufacturers that are selling weapon systems to the IDF, the protesters very clearly stated they wanted this funding to stop. The US is also very clearly involved in this conflict, as they are a primary supplier of arms and equipment to the IDF, and the government has vetoed or abstained from every UN vote to do something about the Gaza situation.