Police in riot gear entered the UC Santa Cruz campus early Friday and ordered pro-Palestinian protesters who had blocked the main entrance to the campus to disperse.
Video taken after midnight showed a line of police with batons raised at the UC Santa Cruz encampment, just feet from protesters linking arms. Many protesters wore helmets and goggles and covered their faces with keffiyehs and masks.
“Leave the area immediately,” a law enforcement officer ordered protesters. But his instructions were drowned out by the crowd.
“Cops off campus!” protesters chanted. “Glory to the martyrs!”
At 5 a.m., protesters appeared to remain in the camp, calling for reinforcements.
“SHOW NOW,” Students for Justice in Palestine UC Santa Cruz said on Instagram. “5AM AND WE ARE STILL HERE. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER. GET HERE BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.”
It was not immediately clear if any protesters had been arrested. Inquiries to UC Santa Cruz and local law enforcement agencies were not immediately answered.
The confrontation came after protesters blocked the main entrance to campus this week and university leaders switched to remote learning. The students have joined forces with hundreds of striking academic workers at UC Santa Cruz, who allege that the University of California's response to pro-Palestinian protesters has violated their free speech rights.
“We call on these protesters to immediately reopen full access to campus and return to protesting in a manner consistent with both our community values and our code of student conduct,” university leaders wrote Thursday in a message to the community. of the campus. “Denying access to instruction is not freedom of expression.”
