Police Disperse Pro-Palestinian Encampment at USC
During the early hours of Sunday, Los Angeles police officers in riot gear arrived at the University of Southern California to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment following a dispersal warning.
Live footage from USC's campus depicted officers establishing a perimeter around the encampment area, devoid of any visible protesters. Tents and debris were abandoned at the site.
The LAPD initiated the operation at around 4 a.m., urging protesters to vacate the area voluntarily. This action came after USC's announcement on the social media platform X, cautioning individuals at the campus center to depart to avoid potential arrests.
Upon the officers' arrival, protesters were engaged in chants and drumming activities.
"Today, we witnessed significant police presence on campus. Earlier, there was an encampment with approximately 100 members," mentioned Zain Khan, a USC student journalist. Khan reported that most protesters left peacefully after the LAPD issued the dispersal warning on campus.
In a statement, Joel Curran, Senior Vice President of Communications with USC, said:
Earlier in the week, USC's president, Carol Folt, said the school had started disciplinary investigations against individuals who "violated our policies and the law." She has not revealed how many individuals were under investigation. The disciplinary investigations followed the April 24, arrests of 93 people on-campus after a confrontation between protesters in the encampment and police.
Student protests have erupted at USC over the conflict in Gaza and the university's controversial decision to revoke the valedictorian, Asna Tabassum's, graduation speech. Tabassum, a Muslim student known for her vocal support of Palestinians, had her speech canceled in mid-April due to safety concerns following threats received by the university. Some Jewish organizations had objected to Tabassum's selection as the commencement speaker.
In response to the escalating tensions, university administrators decided to cancel the entire main stage event scheduled for May 10, where 65,000 attendees were expected to gather to honor the graduating class. However, other commencement activities, such as individual school and college graduation ceremonies, will proceed as planned from Thursday through Sunday. Since late April, access to the campus has been restricted to individuals not affiliated with the university.
