U.C.L.A. Declares Encampment Illegal and Says Protesters Should Leave
Officials at the University of California, Los Angeles, declared a pro-Palestinian encampment illegal for the first time on Tuesday night and warned protesters that they faced consequences if they did not leave.
It was an abrupt turn at a campus that had been among the most tolerant in the nation, abiding by a University of California practice of avoiding law enforcement action unless “absolutely necessary to protect the physical safety of our campus community.”
After protesters established the encampment on Thursday in the shadow of Royce Hall, university officials did not intervene and said they wanted to support free speech rights while minimizing campus disruption.
But patience appeared to run out after violent confrontations in recent days between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israel supporters that required the campus police to intervene. Administrators also took issue with instances in which protesters used metal gates and human walls to control access to campus walkways and entrances, videos of which had circulated on social media.
In a statement on Tuesday, Gene Block, the chancellor, called such tactics “shocking and shameful” and said that protesters who engaged in such behavior could face suspension or expulsion.
“U.C.L.A. supports peaceful protest, but not activism that harms our ability to carry out our academic mission and makes people in our community feel bullied, threatened and afraid,” Mr. Block said. “These incidents have put many on our campus, especially our Jewish students, in a state of anxiety and fear.”