California police clear protest camp at UCLA, arrest activists

Hundreds of police officers in riot gear swarmed the site of a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), on May 2, arresting defiant demonstrators and dismantling their encampment.

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department tore through barricades on one side of the encampment and pulled apart plywood and other materials that protesters had used to build a wall around themselves.

Prior to moving in, police urged demonstrators in repeated loudspeaker announcements to clear out of the protest zone, which occupied a central plaza about the size of a football field.

"If you fail to leave and remain present in the encampment or unauthorised tents or structures, you will be in violation of the law, and those who choose to remain could face sanctions," UCLA said in an early morning alert before police closed in on the encampment.

After massing around the campus for hours, officers eventually moved through the area in lines, holding batons.

Dozens of loud explosions were heard during the clash from flashbang charges, or stun grenades, fired by police as they moved into the camp.