The police set up another pro-Palestinian university camp this Friday. Around 80 people have been arrested this morning by authorities on the campus of the University of California Santa Cruz. The rector of the center assured that she has been forced to request police support after several calls for the protest to be removed from the center’s main entrance were ignored. The presence of the security forces has caused moments of tension and even beatings of students by the uniformed officers, who responded to the call prepared with anti-riot equipment.
The police began arriving at dawn in the area, located 120 kilometers south of San Francisco. Videos posted on social networks They show those in uniform with helmets and face shields. They faced the members of the camp and pointed their batons at them. The young people were chained with their arms to avoid breaking ranks and waiting for the authorities to take the first step. The protesters had ignored demands to break up the protest and leave the area. Before the crash, the police removed symbols, banners and removed objects that blocked the way to the university.
The pro-Palestinians repudiated the presence of the authorities and shouted to leave the campus. There were also some messages of support for the “martyrs” of Gaza. After several minutes of confrontation, when day had dawned, the police proceeded to arrest those who did not leave the area. Live broadcasts showed the struggles with the protesters to break the human chain. Some students have told journalists present at the site that they were hit with clubs in the chest and ribs.
Images also show several police officers subduing young people lying face down on the floor. The authorities tied their hands with plastic shackles. By 1:00 p.m. the majority had already been arrested. A count by the Associated Press agency assures that more than 3,000 people have been arrested in this type of protests since April 18.
Cynthia Larive, the rector of UC Santa Cruz, has assured that the protest affected the community. “This decision [de llamar a la policía] “It was not taken because these individuals are demonstrating, but because they have decided to do so through illegal actions,” he points out in a statement. Among these, he mentions road blocks, barricades and obstacles built with construction materials and wooden planks. This has reportedly affected operations within the centre, which has about 20,000 students.
Larive cites a case that occurred on Tuesday, when an emergency vehicle was prevented from entering the center, where a child required medical attention. “Minutes and seconds can be the difference between life and death in emergency situations and actions like this show a lack of consideration for our community,” says the academic.
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The rector has followed the same steps that most of the system’s rectors have taken, requesting the support of the police to remove the camps and arrest those who resist leaving them. The students condemn the war in Gaza and demand the university, one of the most popular centers in the American West, to eliminate investments in companies that maintain commercial ties with Israel. The repression of this type of camping has been the main response since the camp in Los Angeles was removed a day after a group of agitators beat pro-Palestinian protesters.
The repression by the university authorities has caused rejection by the academic body. Professors and campus employees have joined a strike since May 20. This has been followed by workers from Santa Cruz, Los Angeles and Davis, in the center of the State. On June 3 there will be a new protest against the rectors at the Santa Barbara and San Diego centers. Two days later, Irvine faculty will join, although the call also includes assistants, researchers and other employees. The University of California considers this an illegal strike and has threatened punishment, and even dismissal, for those who follow it. This is despite the fact that the personnel who have demonstrated belong to a section of the United Auto Workers union, one of the largest union organizations in the country.
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