Cops thwart robot delivery to new UCLA anti-Israel tent camp before clashes on campus
Cops easily thwarted an attempt by anti-Israel protesters at the University of California-Los Angeles to smuggle food into their tent camp via a robot courier on Thursday.
UCLA Protesters set up barricades and erected a new encampment on Thursday, prompting dozens of police officers to arrive on campus.
A food delivery robot could be seen coming to a halt when some mildly amused officers stopped it in front of an area it had blocked off to stop the encampment from growing, according to a video from ABC7’s Josh Haskell.
Not long after, more protesters swarmed campus to try to get in and deliver supplies to those in the encampment.
Many were able to force their way past police and security, according to the outlet.
Protesters had used available supplies like tables, metal fences, pieces of wood and other materials barricade themselves between Kerkhoff and Moore halls — a major walkway on the Westwood campus.
Campus security took up positions as the encampment began to grow. All campus entrances have been closed and supplies like food, water and medicine are not being allowed through as police try to contain the protest.
One faculty member said she was stopped from bringing the students some bags of food. The lockdown directive came from the university’s Office of Campus Safety, she said.
“We believe [the students] have the right to peacefully protest, even if it were unlawful, do they not have both the legal and the human rights obligation to give them food and water?” She told ABC7.
While the UCLA Police Department responds to on-campus matters, LAPD went on a citywide tactical alert — which readies officers for an emergency situation — as protesters continued flocking to campus, ABC7 reported.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and other university leaders testified before Congress on Capitol Hill for allowing protests and encampments on their campuses.
The Anti-Defamation League gave the California school a “D” grade on its antisemitism report card.
On Tuesday, UCLA’s police chief was reassigned following criticism over his handling of recent campus demonstrations that included a supporters of Israel attacking protesters at the encampment.
On April 30, counter-demonstrators swarmed the anti-Israel UCLA protesters, throwing traffic cones, releasing pepper spray and tearing down barriers.
Fighting continued for hours into the night before police intervened.
