By Rich McKay
(Reuters) – Los Angeles police in riot gear swarmed a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Southern California early on Sunday to clear away demonstrators, after warning everyone to leave the area or be arrested, officials and media reported.
“If you are in the center of campus, please leave,” police said on the social media site X. “People who don’t leave will be arrested. We will issue another alert when it is clear to return.”
Police entered the encampment about 5 a.m. local time and began removing tents, the Los Angeles Times and other media reported. It was unclear if any arrests were made, and a spokesperson for the police provided no further information.
The anti-war protests have been staged at campuses across the nation in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which it launched after a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that Israel says killed 1,200 people. Israel has killed over 34,600 people in retaliation, according to Gaza health authorities, and flattened the Palestinian territory.
The protests have roiled campuses at numerous schools and police have arrested hundreds of protesters and cleared campuses such as Columbia University, University of Virginia, Northeastern University and many more.
Students and other protesters have called on universities to divest of their financial ties to Israel and push for a cease-fire. Last month, Los Angeles police arrested 93 people at USC after they cleared an earlier encampment.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
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