UCLA Students Express Fear After Protesters Clash on Campus

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied Royce Quad after a night when counter-protesters pulled down camp barricades.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rebuild the barricade surrounding their encampment at UCLA after clashes with counter-protesters in Los Angeles on May 1, 2024. Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images

WESTWOOD, Calif.—Students walking past a barricaded quad area May 1, where violent clashes erupted overnight on the University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, said they feared for the safety of their classmates.

Hundreds of student protesters sympathizing with Palestinians, in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, occupied Royce Quad on Wednesday afternoon, as police announced the encampment was unlawful and those who refused to leave would be subject to arrest.