Chaos at UCLA as violent clashes break out between pro-Palestinian and ... trends now

Chaos ensued deep into the night on campus at UCLA as pro and anti-Israel protesters clashed in scenes that devolved into 'all-out brawls' which also saw a firework thrown into a crowd of people. 

This mayhem mirrored scenes seen at college campuses across the country, including at Columbia University in New York City, where after activists ignored pleas to dismantle their camps, the police were forced to move in and arrest students. 

The violence at UCLA began when a group of pro-Israel activists showed up on campus with the intention of removing the anti-Israel and pro Palestine camp, reports KTLA.  

The channel said that the pro-Israel side threw a firework at the protesters and deployed 'what may have been bear spray.' 

Local media broadcasts showed the protesters cowering, covering themselves with umbrellas from the spray. So far, at least one person was taken away by an ambulance for treatment. 

Reports from the scene around midnight indicated that college security was ordered to stand down and that the Los Angeles Police Department has no presence on the campus.  

One person on campus who is not a student but is providing aid to protesters , John Fenoglio, told KTLA that he believes in the protesters calls for for UCLA to divest from Israel. 

'When you've had genocide carry on for this long, people are just not going to be able to live side by side with two governments in the way that it's been suggested and I think that a free Palestine is the only way forward,' he said. 

The Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza, and the ensuing Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave, have unleashed the biggest outpouring of U.S. student activism since the anti-racism protests of 2020. 

A the nearby University of Southern California, school president Carol Folt confirmed that a swastika was found drawn on campus on Tuesday. 

'I condemn any antisemitic symbols or other forms of hate speech as deplorable. Clearly it was drawn there right now just to incite even more anger at a time that is so painful for our community,' she said in a brief statement.  

The Chancellor at the University of California in Los Angeles said late Tuesday that law enforcement was engaged to investigate 'recent acts of violence' by a group of demonstrators and increased security in the area.

'We have seen instances of violence completely at odds with our values as an institution dedicated to respect and mutual understanding. In other cases, students on their way to class have been physically blocked from accessing parts of the campus,' Chancellor Gene Block. 

Block also indicated that disciplinary processes cold be underway involving some students who are involved. 

The school's graduation events are set to take place between May 8 and May 11. During those events, there will be a clear bag policy in place.  

Many of the demonstrations across the country have been met with counter-protesters accusing them of fomenting anti-Jewish hatred. 

The pro-Palestinian side, including Jews opposed to Israeli actions in Gaza, say they are being unfairly branded as anti-Semitic for criticizing Israel's government and expressing support for human rights.

Earlier on Tuesday, New York City police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators holed-up in an academic building on Columbia University campus late on Tuesday and removed a protest encampment the Ivy League school had sought to dismantle for nearly two weeks.

Shortly after police moved in, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik released a letter in which she requested police stay on campus until at least May 17 - two days after graduation - 'to maintain order and ensure that encampments are not re-established.'