Tensions on the University of California, Irvine, campus rose Wednesday after a group of several hundred pro-Palestinian protestors invaded a lecture hall and surrounded it, according to school officials.
According to UC Irvine’s emergency alert, the university requested mutual aid from local law enforcement agencies, which led to the dispatch of the Irvine Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to the area.
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Authorities were spotted putting demonstrators in zip ties and leading them away from the main demonstration area.
Police removed barricades from the campsite and urged individuals to evacuate the premises.
Protesters entered the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall on the UC Irvine campus around 2:30 p.m. local time, according to the institution.
Classes for the rest of the day were postponed, and school officials advised anyone in the immediate neighborhood to evacuate until further notice.
“Anyone currently in buildings in the vicinity of the protest is advised to exit buildings and leave the area at this time,” UC Irvine posted in an update on X. “Please disregard any earlier directives to shelter in place. If possible, please leave immediately and avoid the protest location until further notice.”
By Wednesday night, police had dispersed the campus encampment.
UCI announced that classes on Thursday will be remote.
“UC Irvine will begin remote instruction on Thursday, May 16. Unless otherwise stated, all workers should work remotely. Resident students can still use dining facilities. Protest activities continue. “Please avoid the area until further notice,” said a statement on the school’s X page Wednesday night.
According to the university, pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been on the UC Irvine campus since April 29, when they established an encampment.
Wednesday’s disturbance follows weeks of rallies at universities around the country demanding divestment from firms that financially support Israel.
On Tuesday, UC Chief Investment Officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher reported that investments in corporations targeted by students in their call for divestment total $32 billion, or about one-fifth of the UC system’s total assets.
Last month, the president of the University of California said that the institution would not boycott or divest from Israel.
