Violence erupts at UCLA, police clear occupied building at Columbia as protests intensify

Geoff Bennett:

There were arrests again today at a number of college campuses after protests led to heated confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement.

Amna Nawaz:

The decision by college officials to call in police and when to do so has been debated in a number of states. Arrests played out dramatically on television overnight in both New York and Los Angeles. But they are by no means the only ones, and many don't involve students.

Demonstrations at UCLA took a turn overnight, as clashes erupted at an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters, when counterprotesters began dismantling plywood barriers around the camp.

Man:

Oh! Somebody just got ambushed.

Amna Nawaz:

Demonstrators kicked shoved and hit one another. Fireworks and pepper spray were deployed. It's unclear by whom. Police were eventually able to separate the two groups.

By morning, a calmer scene, but all classes were canceled for the day and many students were left frustrated.

Edgar Gomez, UCLA Student:

Things are not going well. People are, like, angry at each other, lots of tensions going on. I just hope things could get resolved, maybe some negotiations going on. Who knows what will happen, but I just hope things get resolved right away.

Amna Nawaz:

Across the country in New York, demonstrations also flared overnight, as police removed pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied a Columbia University building for more than 12 hours.

In a statement today, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said police were called in only after several days of negotiations failed and the building occupation — quote — "pushed the university to the brink." She went on to say — quote — "Students and outside activists breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our public safety officers and maintenance staff and damaging property are acts of destruction, not political speech."

(Chanting)

Amna Nawaz:

Blocks away, police face another group of protesters at the City College of New York.

Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said about 300 people had been arrested overnight at both campuses and underscored his concern about outside agitators joining in campus protests.

Eric Adams (D), Mayor of New York: Our goal is to make sure that we tell the right story. There are people that we have been watching and organizations that are not part of the campus. We have been very clear there are individuals and organizations that are not students. We're seeing a shift in tactics that are being used.

Amna Nawaz:

Some students expressed concern about the police response.

Meghnad Bose, Columbia University Student:

It's very difficult for me to say how many people have been injured or exactly how many people I saw getting injured. But we do know that at least some of the police action that we saw yesterday was pretty aggressive.

Amna Nawaz:

Larger protests at Columbia University were sparked in mid-April and have since spread to campuses across the country.

According to The Washington Post, police have made more than 1,200 arrests in the past two weeks alone. Confrontations with law enforcement unfolded at other schools today. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, police worked to remove tents and made at least a dozen arrests.

In New Orleans, police arrested six people at Tulane University. Seven others were suspended, as protests from coast to coast continue to sustain and in some cases grow.