Los Angeles police officers, dressed in riot gear, made over 200 arrests and cleared out an illegal pro-Hamas protest encampment at the University of California (UCLA) on Thursday.

As per AFP, students wearing white helmets linked arms and formed a line to face off against the officers. To disperse the mob gathered outside the illegal encampment, police used flashbangs and had to overcome barricades of plywood, dumpsters, and metal fences. In another part of the encampment, police had to disperse students equipped with umbrellas and plastic shields who chanted “Free Palestine!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

LAPD had given demonstrators ample time to disperse beforehand, with officers spending hours beforehand threatening arrests over loudspeakers. Shortly thereafter, UCLA announced that classes would be held remotely on Thursday and Friday due to the “emergency on campus,” and warned students to avoid the protest area, according to the report.

Meanwhile, at the University of Pennsylvania, anti-Israel protestors are going on their 8th day of an illegal encampment on campus. Demonstrations reportedly covered the face of a sculpture of Ben Franklin and raised a Palestinian flag. Interim President Larry Jameson had previously ordered the protesters to dismantle their illegal encampment, citing university violations and instances of harassment and intimidation, but the protesters persisted, arguing that the university needs to take a stand against Israel’s ‘human rights’ violations.

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