Officers remove pro-Palestinian encampment from UC Santa Barbara campus

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – Videos and social media posts show UCSB campus police removing a pro-Palestinian encampment over Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

An Instagram account named "UCSB Liberated Zone!" livestreamed and posted reels early Sunday morning that shows dozens of officers on the site while some chanted in protest of the removal.

"Police arrived in riot gear," according to a press release posted on the Instagram account. The release describes the moment officers began to enter the encampment stating that campus police, Santa Barbara police officers, and Santa Barbara County Sheriff deputies began, "slashing and tearing down tents, throwing chairs, and ripping through the camp perimeters."

UCSB provided Your News Channel with the following statement:

On Sunday morning, following repeated messages by the University’s administration that the encampment was illegal and a violation of campus policies, police cleared the area and the campus removed a number of tents that had remained.

Several individuals who remained at the site on Sunday morning and were given multiple warnings to leave the area before and during the clearing of the tents. 

While most of the individuals complied with the warnings, five individuals declined to disperse and were taken into police custody. Once the tents were removed, the University resumed normal operations. 

We do not have any additional information to share at this time.

UC Santa Barbara

Those taken into police custody were released after spending 10 to 12 hours in custody according to the UCSB Liberated Zone's Instagram page.

This encampment was set up on May 1 on the lawn between North Hall and the library, the same day a Pro-Palestinian and May Day rally took place on campus. Organizers of the rally said on social media they were not affiliated with the encampment.