Police dismantle UC Irvine encampment, arrest protesters

Student protesters presenting divestment demands face police in riot gear. Image: ucidivest/Instagram

IRVINE – UC Irvine was cleared of pro-Palestinian protesters Wednesday, an encampment was dismantled and multiple arrests were made, including faculty members, following a takeover of the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall.

Protesters surrounded the physical sciences lecture hall about 2:30 p.m., prompting campus police to request aid from Orange County sheriff’s deputies and Irvine police, among other neighboring agencies, said Tom Vasich, a university spokesman.

Protesters were led in chants of “We won’t move” and “shame” and some wore scarves or face masks and had goggles and hard hats, according to The Orange County Register.

The university sent a message to students at 5:57 p.m. declaring, “Anyone currently in buildings in the vicinity of the protest are advised to exit buildings & leave area at this time… If able, please leave immediately & continue to avoid the protest area until further notice.”

A large contingent of police and sheriff’s deputies descended on the campus and began arresting protesters and dismantling the encampment by early evening after declaring an unlawful assembly and ordering the crowd to disperse.

Some shoving between police and protesters was spotted as officers moved further into the encampment area and eventually started to remove some protesters. At least two people who were taken into custody identified themselves as UCI faculty members, The Register reported.

Approximately 300 protesters remained at 7 p.m. By 8 p.m. protesters has been funneled by advancing police to Aldrich Park, a large green lawn area nearby. An announcement was made about 8:10 to disperse within five minutes.

Many in the remaining crowd left at that point, according to The Register. By 8:33 p.m., police had cleared Aldrich Park and only a few lingering people remained on campus. Police remained in a line formation in various spots and asked anyone coming by to leave, The Register reported.

The university announced at 8:25 p.m. that it would move to remote instruction on Thursday and “unless specifically noted, all employees should work remotely”

The protest, which included an encampment similar to those that have been established on campuses across the country, had been largely peaceful as the students have been negotiating with university officials.

The situation intensified over the past week, particularly after some protesting students received suspension notices from the university, including some who were involved in negotiations with UCI administrators.

In a statement posted on social media Wednesday, the UCI Divest protest group said it is “reclaiming the university for Palestine and for the people.”

“Exactly one week ago to the day, UC Irvine issued temporary suspensions to many students in the encampment, including the majority of the student negotiation team,” according to the group.

“Students barred from returning to their own campus residence halls, cannot come to campus at the peak of midterms and finals, and are already facing the emotional toll of seeing the university militarize itself before it even accepts ending the genocide and killings of the students’ family members and friends.”

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Numerous tents were erected around the physical sciences building, and banners were hung from the building’s balcony listing the groups’ demands for divestment. Some small skirmishes were visible on the outskirts of the encampment perimeter as at least one counter-protester tried to confront participants.

An unknown number of protesters also took positions inside the building, and video from the scene showed access doors secured with electrical cords – which were quickly removed by police.

UCI Divest added in its statement that university officials have called for a resumption of negotiations with protesters, “but how can we negotiate if our negotiators are barred from physical and virtual presence at UCI?”

In a statement issued Monday, UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said the university “cannot selectively waive our rules against encampments or other relevant policies for this situation and not other situations.”

Some protesters who were arrested and led away complained to media at the campus that they had done nothing wrong and were involved in a peaceful protest. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued a statement on X noting that failure to disperse after police declare an unlawful assembly is a crime.

Spitzer said “the right to peaceful assembly is a constitutional right and we encourage protesters to exercise their right to peaceful assembly; however, criminal activity which transcends peaceful assembly, including violence and vandalism of any kind, will not be tolerated. Any evidence of criminal activity, including failure to obey lawful orders to disperse, will be investigated and thoroughly reviewed to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed.”

Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Don Wagner, a former Irvine mayor, praised law enforcement for their response to the unrest.

“I would urge the students to all stand down and respect the declaration from UCI that this is an unlawful assembly and go back to class,” Wagner told City News Service. “I certainly hope nobody gets hurt. I would
like to see this end quickly and peacefully, unlike what we saw at UCLA, and I’m watching to see what happens, but I understand and appreciate the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s response and expect them to do it as gently and as professionally as possible.” (CNS)