Police move in after protests over Gaza war at UCLA turn violent

LOS ANGELES - Violent clashes broke out on May 1 around pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as dozens of universities struggle to contain similar protests across the United States.

Police were deployed to the campus after pro-Israeli protesters tried to tear down a pro-Palestinian protest encampment.

Videos posted on social media showed clashes between protesters wielding sticks and poles, firecrackers exploding near groups of demonstrators and people spraying what appeared to be irritant sprays at one another.

Some people were also seen tearing down metal barricades surrounding the encampment.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the violence.

UCLA had been among the most tolerant, as pro-Palestinian protests and encampments grew at universities nationwide.

But in a sharp turn on April 30, the university's administrators declared that the encampment there was unlawful and threatened to suspend or expel any protesters who were students.

"Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight, and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support," Ms Mary Osako, a vicechancellor at the university, said in an e-mailed statement.

"The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene," she added. "We are sickened by this senseless violence, and it must end." The Los Angeles Police Department said that there had been multiple acts of violence within the large encampment on the campus.