Several police officers destroyed a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of California, Los Angeles unleashing flash bangs, detaining obstinate protestors.
The pre-dawn police crackdown at UCLA was the latest flashpoint in rising tensions on American college campuses, where protests over Israel's war in Gaza have resulted in student conflicts with one another and with law officials.
"I'm a student here. I'm an English major," one student said to television cameras, as police dragged him away. "Please don't fail us. Don't fail us."
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police made several announcements urging people to evacuate the protest zone before moving into the area which occupied a major square the size of a football pitch.
After hours of massing, cops proceeded across the area in lines, wielding batons, as demonstrators, some wearing white helmets, joined arms to try to stop their progress.
Live TV video showed authorities ripping down tents, breaking down barriers, and dispersing the encampment, while arrested protestors sat with their hands secured behind their backs with zip ties.
In New Hampshire, police detained over 100 protestors in separate events at Dartmouth University and the University of New Hampshire overnight, breaking up encampments.
In Portland, Oregon, police stormed the Portland State University library on Thursday morning and began arresting protestors who had been locked inside since Monday.
Biden broke his silence on the demonstrations, stating that Americans had the freedom to protest but not to resort to violence.
"Destroying property is not a peaceful protest," he stated in the White House. "It is against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, window smashing, campus closures, and forced cancellation of classes and graduations are not examples of nonviolent protest."
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