California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) criticized the recent violence at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) that occurred six days after pro-Palestinian activists set up an unauthorized encampment, using force to prevent others from entering. Newsom, along with University of California president Michael Drake and UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, had initially stayed silent on the issue. However, Block finally condemned the encampment on Tuesday and warned that students involved could face consequences.
The activists took over the central plaza of UCLA, setting up barricades and physically assaulting a journalist who tried to film the protest. They also restricted access to the public space, only allowing entry to those with wristbands and blocking passage to certain individuals. There were scuffles with pro-Israel counter-protesters and incidents where pro-Israel attendees, including children, were forced to walk through an aggressive crowd of pro-Palestinian activists.
After a night of clashes between pro-Israel vigilantes and pro-Palestinian activists, with delayed police intervention, Newsom finally spoke out against the violence, vandalism, and lawlessness. The situation drew comparisons to the Black Lives Matter riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020, where Joe Biden took three days to condemn the violence. Joel B. Pollak, Senior Editor-at-Large at Truth Voices, highlighted the incident and drew attention to the delayed response from Newsom and other officials.
