‘None of this is a peaceful protest’ – Biden gets tough as police crack down on pro-Gaza demonstrations in U.S. universities

Police detain a protester at UCLA, during a pro-Palestinian rally. Photo: Reuters

Lisa Richwine

Hundreds of helmeted police swarmed the site of a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of California at Los Angeles in the early hours of yesterday, firing flash bangs, arresting defiant demonstrators and dismantling their encampment.

The pre-dawn police crackdown at UCLA marked the latest flashpoint in mounting tensions on US college campuses, where protests over Israel’s war in Gaza have led to student clashes with each other and with law enforcement.