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A California sheriff is condemning what he described as a "meritless" lawsuit filed on behalf of UCLA students and community members, arguing that law enforcement officers responding to a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA last year unjustly "attacked" students.
The lawsuit, filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Los Angeles, argues that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and California Highway Patrol (CHP) "engaged in a joint operation to attack and clear the UCLA Palestine Solidarity Encampment." UCLA declared the encampment to be unlawful at the time and canceled classes.
The LAPD and CHP told Fox News Digital they do not comment on pending litigation. Sheriff Chad Bianco in neighboring Riverside County, who is not involved in the suit, shared his belief with Fox News Digital that the plaintiffs are "100% completely in the wrong."
"At that time, there were numerous protests across not only our state but other states that were happening, and my frustration always is that school administration allows it and law enforcement allows it," Bianco said. "And then when it gets out of hand … then it makes for a spectacle on the news or on social media … and unfortunately, this is probably a meritless lawsuit just for publicity. This is just absolutely ridiculous. It's a gross injustice to our legal system."
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Police and other law enforcement officers entered an anti-Israel encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, on May 2, 2024. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)
Bianco added that he believes there are people with good intentions who allow for demonstrations and the right to express free speech at the schools where such protests take place, but they are afraid of being labeled as a "genocide" supporter or "bad people" by those who "take advantage of the situation."
Pro-Palestinian protesters stand with shields across from law enforcement in an encampment at UCLA on May 2, 2024. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
"The majority of those protesters are being paid. The majority of the kids that are there are thinking that they're doing something worthwhile, or they're just going along with the program, and the good people are taken advantage of," Bianco said. "The good students that are there that don't want it there, that don't want the attention, that don't want that on their campus, they are being absolutely ignored for a very, very, very small minority. The unlawful actions of that very, very small minority are completely disrupting our school systems."
Students erected the encampment on April 25 and lasted until the early morning hours of May 2, when police began dismantling it.
Police and protesters clash at UCLA. (Getty Images)
"Officers tore down the encampment walls and attacked the students and community members gathered inside," states the lawsuit filed on May 1 — exactly a year since the UCLA encampment began to shutter.
The lawsuit also says that on "April 30, pro-Israel [protesters] violently attacked the encampment and its participants with chemical irritants, fireworks, metal rods, wooden boards, and other weapons and attempted to tear down the barricades and breach the encampment, an assault that lasted for five hours before any sort of intervention by police."
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate on UCLA's campus in May 2024. (Grace Yoon/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Plaintiff Abdullah Puckett described police officers as "militarized" in a May 5 statement.
"The horrific scene of how militarized police attacked unarmed peaceful protesters—the same night I was shot by police, unprovoked, with my hands up—reflects the [violence] we have all seen [from] the IDF [as they] bomb, and commit mass murder against, unarmed Palestinian women and children," Puckett said. "This alone is enough of an argument that all links supporting Israeli militarism should be cut—especially links between the IDF and U.S. law enforcement and military."
A police officer comes face-to-face with a protester at UCLA in May 2024. (REUTERS/David Swanson)
He added that officers' actions in May 2024 are "a clear sign that if we don’t stand against the oppression that others, like Palestinians, face abroad, those methods will be used against us here in America."
The lawsuit alleges that officers used nonlethal rubber bullets, batons and other riot gear while responding to the protest, and it includes photos of some students' injuries as a result of the campus chaos last year.
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The CAIR lawsuit alleges that officers used nonlethal rubber bullets, batons and other riot gear while responding to the protest, and it includes photos of some students' injuries as a result of the campus chaos last year. (CAIR)
"Across the country, from coast to coast, universities have called upon militarized law enforcement agencies to silence student voices demanding justice for Palestine," CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik said in a statement. "Campuses that should be bastions of free thought have become battlegrounds of suppression … This lawsuit is about drawing a line. It’s about saying that students have the right to speak out without being brutalized and violently attacked by law enforcement."
Bianco reacted to statements from CAIR, saying "'militaristic' is a word that incites a type of a fear in a normal person that, oh my gosh, the military is coming in."
"It is absolutely a horrific miscarriage of our justice system that attorneys are allowed to do this," he said.
UCLA protesters form a human wall with tents and cardboard during protests in May 2024. (REUTERS/David Swanson)
Harley Lippman, executive committee member on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, similarly told Fox News Digital that the "protesters' encampment created an inherently volatile situation by erecting barriers, restricting campus access and disrupting university operations, all actions that fall outside the scope of protected speech and gave officers clear legal grounds to intervene."
"This lawsuit faces significant legal hurdles that suggest it is designed more for publicity than legal success," he added. "Courts have consistently upheld qualified immunity for officers responding to dynamic protest situations, with the Supreme Court repeatedly emphasizing that police use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, not with perfect hindsight. While the lawsuit might achieve limited success on some peripheral claims or potentially reach a settlement to avoid protracted litigation costs, complete success appears highly unlikely given both the current legal landscape regarding qualified immunity and the substantial evidence that protesters were violating reasonable time, place and manner restrictions."
Police arrest a student during protests at UCLA in May 2024. (REUTERS/David Swanson)
Meanwhile, Wade Stern, president of the Federated University Peace Officers Association, which represents 350 sworn police officers serving the University of California's 10 campuses across the state, issued a Wednesday statement describing the allegations in the lawsuit as "baseless and inflammatory."
He further described law enforcement's dismantling of the encampment as a "necessary and carefully coordinated response to a dangerous and escalating situation."
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"The encampment had grown increasingly volatile following violent clashes between opposing groups. It immediately threatened campus safety, public order, and the rights of all students and faculty to access a safe and secure learning environment," Stern said. "Law enforcement's actions, including those of UCLA Police Department officers and outside agencies brought in to support the operation, were measured, lawful, and in accordance with departmental policies and training."
Stern noted that students and protesters "ignored" "repeated warnings" from officials to "disperse from an illegal encampment that had descended into chaos and violence."
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An anti-Israel protest at UCLA was forcibly dispersed by authorities. (Getty Images)
The officers' response was meant to "prevent further injury" and "restore order" for those on campus experiencing disruptions to their studies.
"It is telling that the lawsuit disregards the extensive documentation of violence that occurred within and around the encampment before police intervention," Stern said. "Officers were subjected to physical resistance, and in some cases, direct attacks. The suggestion that this was a ‘violent attack’ by police on a group of peaceful demonstrators is not only false—it is a dangerous distortion of reality."
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Students are accusing officers of assault, battery by a police officer, negligence and conspiracy, as well as Bane Act and Ralph Civil Rights Act violations.
Bianco said he believes similar violent clashes between students and police will continue unless leaders "stand up and say we're not doing this anymore."
UCLA and CAIR did not respond to requests for comment.
