Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass vowed Wednesday to prosecute pro-Israel vigilantes who attacked the illegal “Palestine Solidarity Encampment” at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) overnight.
In a statement, Bass said she wanted those involved in the violence held responsible, noting actions reportedly taken by both the vigilantes and the pro-Palestinian activists — though only the vigilantes were said to use fireworks.
Mayor Bass said:
This morning, I met in person with LAPD, LASD, CHP, CalOES, UCPD and other regional agencies at the UCLA incident command post about the absolutely detestable violence on campus last night. LAPD is supporting regional law enforcement on next steps to ensure our students and campus are safe.
There must be a full investigation into what occurred on campus last night. Those involved in launching fireworks at other people, spraying chemicals and physically assaulting others will be found, arrested, and prosecuted, as well as anyone involved in any form of violence or lawlessness.
I want to make sure the message I delivered to law enforcement and other officials earlier today is clear: Free speech will be protected. Violence and bigotry will not.
I have spoken with Governor Newsom and want to thank him for his continued support.
Bass did not speak out against the lawlessness and violence practiced by the residents of the encampment for nearly a week, including an assault on this journalist, and efforts to bar Jewish students and others from access to campus.
Newsom only offered his first comment on the UCLA violence on Wednesday, having also maintained a silence for days while the pro-Palestinian activists assaulted journalists and obstructed students, faculty, and the public.
As Breitbart News reported, about 100 pro-Israel vigilantes attacked the barricades around the “encampment” — including both the wooden barricades erected by the activists, and the steel barricades apparently added by UCLA.
Los Angeles County prosecutor George Gascón is notoriously lax on violent crime. And Mayor Bass is preoccupied with the endless task of clearing encampments — not of activists, but of homeless people, whose number is growing.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Photo: file
