Police tear down barricades at UCLA protest encampment; India urges its citizens to 'respect local laws'

Clashes broke out between the police and demonstrators on Thursday (May 2) at the University of California, Los Angeles, where the officers in riot gear tore down barricades at a protest encampment.

This is the latest in a spate of incidents after unrest erupted in the campuses of the United States over Israel's war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The police personnel dragged tents away from the protest site and detained several students dressed in white helmets.

Loud explosions were also reportedly heard during the clashes from the stun grenades or flash-bang charges that were fired by the police.

On another side of the encampment students holding umbrellas, helmets and plastic shields squared up against police in anxious silence, with a few erratic chants of "Free Palestine!" and "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!"

"This is a peaceful protest, there are no counter-protestors tonight, so to call the police on them is despicable. This city should support them," LA resident Jack Bedrosian, who came to show support, told news agency AFP.

UCLA officials on the other hand have announced that the campus will remain shut except for limited operations on Thursday and Friday.

Hundreds arrested

Police in the last 24 hours have arrested hundreds of protesters of whom majorityhave called for divestment from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza.

Announcements broadcast on the University of California Los Angeles campus on Wednesday (May 1) told demonstrators to disperse or they would be arrested.

California's governor's office criticised the slow response of law enforcement to a violent incident at UCLA. The incident involved a clash between a pro-Israeli group and a pro-Palestinian student encampment.

A masked pro-Israeli group assaulted a pro-Palestinian student camp before the police officers were called to the campus.

Governor Gavin Newsom's spokesperson said the limited and delayed police intervention was unacceptable.

India's MEA reacts to protests

Meanwhile, India's Ministry of External Affairs, reacting to the protests in the US campuses said that so far neither the Embassy nor any Consulate has been approached by Indian students seeking assistance.

"Neither the Embassy nor any Consulate has been approached by Indian students or their family seeking assistance..We expect all our citizens at home and abroad to respect local laws and regulations", MEA on disciplinary action on Indian students at US universities @WIONews https://t.co/hWd1GtXdAf — Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) May 2, 2024

"Neither the Embassy nor any Consulate has been approached by Indian students or their families seeking assistance..We expect all our citizens at home and abroad to respect local laws and regulations", said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

(With inputs from agencies)