Violence reported at UC Berkeley's Sproul Plaza encampment
Student groups of multiple faiths joined an encampment protest against the Israel-Gaza war on the steps of UC Berkeley’s Sproul Hall. April 23, 2024 (Ruth Dusseault / Bay City News Service)
BERKELEY, Calif. - Violence broke out Wednesday evening at an encampment at Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus after days of peaceful assembly in response to the Israel-Hamas war, a contrast to arrests and turmoil at other American schools.
According to UC Berkeley police, just before 7 p.m., a tussle occurred between two opposing groups and one group attempted to take a flag of the other, resulting in injuries to at least two people. Medical personnel were called to the scene.
UC police also said additional injuries have been reported.
The Berkeley student camp-in was called by a coalition of groups, including the Black Student Union, the Jewish Voice for Peace at UC Berkeley and the Indigenous Graduate Student Association.
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In an online statement, they are demanding: "an immediate end to the Zionist colonization of Arab lands, including the genocidal siege of Gaza; full freedom and equality for Palestinians, from the river to the sea; and the right of return for Palestinian refugees to their homes and properties."
They are also asking UC to boycott, divest and sanction "from all companies profiting from the colonization of Palestine."