UCLA protests: At least 27 people arrested after pro-Palestinian camps formed on campus, police said

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A total of 27 people were arrested after setting up several pro-Palestinian camps on the UCLA campus on Monday, which police said were illegal, according to a statement from UCLA administration.

At least six University of California Police Department employees and other security officers were injured in clashes with protesters, including one person with a head injury, Rick Braziel, UCLA’s vice chancellor for campus security, said in a statement Tuesday.

UCPD Captain Scott Scheffler said at least five of those arrested suffered minor injuries such as soreness, bruising and shoulder pain.

As a result of their camps, the group damaged a well, sprayed paint on brick paths, tampered with fire protection equipment, damaged garden furniture, ripped out cables from electrical installations and destroyed vehicles, a police statement said.

The university administration is currently trying to find out how many of the 27 arrested are students. The students who were arrested face disciplinary action, Braziel said.

“This was completely unacceptable,” Braziel said. “The demonstration disregarded our values ​​as a community, violated our campus rules and broke the law. These actions hurt people, threatened the safety of our community and devastated our campus.”

As protests against Israel’s handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza spread across college campuses this spring, UCLA’s campus became a scene of brutality on April 30 when violent counterprotesters attacked pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

A CNN analysis found that some of the most dramatic attacks captured on video that night were carried out by people outside UCLA – not the university’s students and faculty who were ultimately arrested.

But on Monday, a group of about 100 people belonging to a student organization registered at UCLA set up camp at the top of the Janss Steps around 3:15 p.m., the UCPD said.

The group refused to leave the area after initial warnings, but left after the UCPD issued several dispersal orders. The protesters retreated to Kerckhoff Terrace, where they “established an unauthorized and unlawful encampment with tents, canopies, and barricades with patio furniture,” according to police.

The group also entered Moore Hall and disrupted final exams nearby, police said.

According to police, another round of dispersal orders led the group into the courtyard between Dodd Hall and the law school, where they set up a third camp.

Graeme Blair, an associate professor at UCLA and a member of the Justice in Palestine faculty, said one student was hospitalized after being injured by a rubber bullet – which Blair said was fired as students were in the encampment near Dodd Hall, the Los Angeles Times reported. Blair, who has participated in the protests, criticized authorities and said students had been following orders to disperse the protests throughout the evening. CNN has reached out to Blair for comment.

A UC police representative declined to comment on the arrests or say whether “non-lethal” weapons were used, the Times reported.

UCLA police did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on the arrests and the use of rubber bullets on Tuesday.

On Monday evening, around 8 p.m., around 25 people were arrested for intentionally disrupting university operations, the police said in a statement.

Those individuals were issued citation requests, banned from UCLA campus for 14 days, and released, police said.

Another person was previously arrested for obstructing a police officer during the setup of the first camp. That person was cited and released, the UCPD said.

By Monday, 10:30 p.m., there were still about 150 protesters in the area.

The university expects further protests at various locations during the graduation ceremonies, but it will “not tolerate violence,” Braziel said, adding that university policies “support an effort that does not compromise security or disrupt university operations.”

“Protecting UCLA faculty, staff, students and visitors and creating an environment that is conducive to teaching, learning, working and living remains our priority. The campus community belongs to all of us and we must model the respect we expect from others,” Braziel said.

Tensions have been simmering on UCLA’s campus over the university’s response to protesters and counterprotesters in recent months, with faculty members divided over whether Chancellor Gene Block “failed to ensure the safety of our students and grossly mishandled the events.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNN’s Amanda Musa contributed to this report.