More protesters were arrested as classes resumed at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Monday. The university was the site of some of the most tense moments in the wave of student protests at American universities over the war in Gaza.
UCLA Campus Police Lt. Richard Davis said the protesters who were arrested in the campus parking deck were charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. A UCLA spokesperson later announced that 44 people were taken into custody.
Student organizers said the arrests occurred as pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted a sit-in in Moore Hall. Around 9:45 a.m. local time, about 30 protesters were sitting in a corner of the parking deck with their hands tied behind their backs. They were then taken to a sheriff's bus.
The university sent a message to students, faculty and staff to avoid Moore Hall and switched to remote learning.
Another group of demonstrators gathered at nearby Dodd Hall, where about 40 people gathered Monday morning, chanting “Information, get out, we won't stop, we won't rest.” They then moved outside to Bruin Plaza, near the center of campus, where about 150 protesters had gathered by late morning.
Despite the arrests of student protesters across the United States, UCLA administrators initially took a lenient attitude toward pro-Palestinian camps at the school. But the peace was shattered late Tuesday. Video analyzed by the New York Times showed pro-Israel counter-protesters attacking students in the camp, beating them with sticks, using chemical spray and setting off fireworks as weapons.
No arrests were made in connection with the attack, and police allowed it to continue for several hours without intervention. But on Thursday, officers from three law enforcement agencies arrested more than 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators and dismantled the camp.
The university announced Sunday that it had instituted a new safety position on campus as it investigated the cause of clashes between protesters.