State and local police cleared a pro-Palestinian “encampment” at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) on Monday after several days in which activists occupied an area on campus and invited outside activists to join them.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that there had been “dozens” of arrests:
In an abrupt escalation of tensions, police in riot gear swooped in and cleared an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at UC San Diego and arrested 65 people in an early-morning raid Monday, prompting skirmishes with hundreds of protest supporters.
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Throughout Monday morning, hundreds of police clashed with protesters near the university’s iconic Geisel Library, after authorities quickly dismantled a tent village and arrested dozens. Afterward, a few hundred protesters headed downtown to rally outside the county jail, chanting “Let them go” and demanding their release.
California Highway Patrol officers and San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies were seen in photos of Monday’s action.
URGENTE: La Universidad de California en San Diego (UCSD) llama a la Patrulla Fronteriza de Estados Unidos al campus para reprimir las protestas pro Palestina. pic.twitter.com/GK01igE946
— Palestina Hoy (@HoyPalestina) May 6, 2024
There had been a pro-Israel counter-demonstration on campus the day before — not a surprise, given that UCSD is located in Torrey Pines, an area with a large and observant Jewish community.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 5: Pro-Israel women, wrapped with an Israeli flag, attends a counter-protest as pro-Palestinians set up an encampment at University of California San Diego (UCSD) in San Diego, California, United States on May 5, 2024. (Photo by Grace Hie Yoon/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The UCSD encampment lasted less than a week. Universities across the nation are beginning to crack down on the encampments, which are thought to be funded by left-wing donors. Some have capitulated to protesters’ demands.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
