UCLA police chief temporarily reassigned after violence at pro-Palestine encampment

The police chief for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been temporarily reassigned after violence erupted at pro-Palestine protests on the university’s campus.

In a statement “about campus security processes,” Mary Osako, the vice chancellor for the university’s strategic communications, said the school named Gawin Gibson as the acting chief of police Tuesday.

“John Thomas as been reassigned temporarily, pending an examination of our security processes,” the statement said. “As we said on May 5, UCLA created a new Office of Campus Safety that is leading a thorough examination of our security processes aimed at enhancing the well-being and safety of our community.”

It’s not known where Thomas was reassigned and if he still works for the university’s police department, or when he would be returning to his previous position.

UCLA was one of many universities across the country to grapple with pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus. Students set up an encampment while calling for their school to divest from Israeli companies or companies that provide weapons to Israel in the ongoing war with Hamas.

Pro-Israel counterprotesters clashed with the demonstrators in late April. Counterprotesters attempted to breach barriers erected by the university to separate the two protest groups, resulting in physical altercations.

Thomas told the Los Angeles Times in early May that he tried "everything I could" to keep students safe during the altercation. Still, his response was criticized, and the university ordered a review of its safety procedures, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

Police began dismantling the pro-Palestine encampment, and there were some 200 arrests on April 30, the AP noted.

After the altercation, Osako released a statement denouncing the clash and said the university is “heartbroken” that violence broke out since the school has a “long history” of being a place for peaceful protests.

The Hill has reached out to the UCLA Police Department for further comment on Thomas’s reassignment.