UCLA had canceled all-day classes on Wednesday after a violent clash between camp residents and a group of masked counter-protesters who suddenly invaded the tent city late Tuesday night.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a written statement that officials had allowed camping on campus for several days because it had previously been peaceful, but that clashes with pro-Israel mobs had clearly harmed students.
Block said of the camp, “It created unsafe conditions on our campus and it harmed our ability to accomplish our mission.” “This needed to end.”
Taylor Gee, a 30-year-old pro-Palestinian protester and UCLA law student, said many protesters felt “particularly disappointed” by the police action on Thursday, given the slow police response the night before.
He said, “Them coming out the next night to remove us from the camp, it doesn't make any sense, but it also means the same thing in the world.”
UCLA officials said the campus, with about 52,000 students, will be closed except for limited operations on Thursday and Friday.
