Dozens of people were detained by law enforcement officers on the third floor of a parking garage at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Monday morning, as the campus continues to grapple with ongoing protests and unrest related to the war in Gaza. The individuals were seen sitting on the ground with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, surrounded by police, though the specific reason for their detention was not immediately clear.
The incident comes just days after officers cleared a weeklong pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus, arresting 209 people, most of whom were booked on suspicion of unlawful assembly and later released with instructions to appear in court. The university had planned to resume regular campus operations on Monday following the encampment's removal, but the latest developments have led to further disruptions.
A student-led group had called for a sit-in at Moore Hall on Instagram, set to begin at 7 a.m. However, the hall was closed an hour later, and Monday classes there have been moved online, according to the school. Students were advised to avoid the area of Royce Quad. By 9 a.m., authorities had moved the detained individuals to a different part of the parking structure and were not allowing anyone to speak to them.
In addition to the parking garage incident, a sit-in was reported later Monday morning at UCLA's Dodd Hall, where protesters, some with loudspeakers, were chanting "Free Palestine" outside the building. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed it was on stand-by at UCLA but did not provide further details.
As a result of the ongoing disruptions, UCLA sent out an alert indicating that all classes on Monday will be administered remotely, with limited campus operations. "Law enforcement is stationed around campus to help promote safety," the university said in its alert. "Student Affairs has staff on campus to support our students."
The recent unrest at UCLA was sparked by disputes between protesters at the pro-Palestinian encampment, which peaked overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday when counter-protesters supporting Israel set off fireworks and allegedly deployed pepper spray or bear repellent. The violence prompted the cancellation of all classes at UCLA on Wednesday.
In response to the ongoing issues, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block announced the creation of a new Office of Campus Safety over the weekend, which will administer policing and emergency management. Block is expected to testify before Congress on May 23 about UCLA's response to antisemitism on the campus and actions to protect Jewish students.
The developments at UCLA come as the Hamas militant group announced on Monday that it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal to halt the seven-month war with Israel. The announcement was made hours after Israel ordered Palestinians to begin evacuating the southern Gaza town of Rafah ahead of an Israeli military operation, with Israel claiming that Rafah is Hamas' last stronghold.
