Clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and police at UCLA

Pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles clashed, sometimes physically, with police officers on Monday as they attempted to occupy outdoor areas and rebuild a protest camp in the final days of spring quarter.

More than 20 of the protesters were arrested Monday night. Some were released after receiving misdemeanor summonses for disrupting campus grounds.

The demonstration began Monday in the form of a funeral procession that wound its way through campus as protesters read the names of Palestinians killed in the war between Israel and Hamas, the latest sign that protesters plan to continue raising their voices ahead of graduation ceremonies later this week and the University of California regents deciding on Wednesday who will be UCLA’s next chancellor.

The university has experienced a turbulent spring. On the night of April 30, there were violent attacks by supporters of Israel, followed about a day later by the clearing of a pro-Palestinian camp, during which hundreds of arrests were made.

The administration had left the encampment standing for days, but dozens of police and private security guards quickly moved in on Monday. In one case, they rushed to confront protesters who tried to barricade themselves in a courtyard. In another, two police officers pointed nonlethal weapons at protesters as another protester was arrested and taken to a campus building.

At around 8 p.m., police in riot gear from several agencies began arresting people after a dispersal order had been issued the previous evening. About 100 demonstrators stayed behind and chanted at the police.

“Our student affairs and campus safety teams are on site to ensure the well-being and safety of our community,” Mary Osako, the university’s vice chancellor for strategic communications, said in a statement Monday evening.

In April, officials initially took a cautious approach to the pro-Palestinian camp that had gathered in a distinctive courtyard on campus because they believed the University of California’s policies left a lot of room for peaceful free expression.

But tensions later escalated when supporters of Israel set up their own space nearby and confronted pro-Palestinian protesters. At the same time, pro-Palestinian activists tried to block some students from entering campus buildings and walkways, university officials said.

Several days after the camp was set up, counter-protesters attacked pro-Palestinian protesters. The night of violence was widely condemned. Campus security and police officers watched for hours as protesters were beaten and pepper-sprayed.

The university administration was sharply criticized for not immediately stopping the attack. The next night, officials ordered protesters to disperse and arrested more than 200 people while dismantling the camp.

Chancellor Gene Block, whose resignation was planned for July, narrowly escaped a reprimand and a vote of no confidence from members of the Academic Senate who were frustrated with his handling of the protest.

The University of California’s largest union, which represents about 48,000 academic staff, voted to strike in May because it feared discrimination against pro-Palestinian speech due to the response to the camp. An Orange County Superior Court judge temporarily suspended the strike on Friday after the University of California argued it was too disruptive to students.

Monday’s protest took place two days before the University of California’s expected election of Block’s successor.