The University of California in Los Angeles was reeling on Wednesday following a late-night violent attack by counter-demonstrators on a pro-Palestinian protest encampment, as the state’s governor condemned a slow response from law enforcement to some of the worst violence seen since students across the US intensified their protests in support of Gaza.
As the Los Angeles mayor called the violence “abhorrent” and California’s governor said he was monitoring the situation, UCLA announced it was cancelling all classes on Wednesday “due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night”.
“The limited and delayed campus law enforcement response at UCLA last night was unacceptable – and it demands answers,” the office of the California governor, Gavin Newsom, said in a statement.
Gene Block, UCLA’s chancellor, has finally addressed the violence that rocked the campus last night, describing the counter-protesters as “instigators” who attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment. “However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable,” he said.
