During a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, police officers were seen wielding batons in a video shared by Los Angeles Times reporter Angie Orellana Hernandez.

The footage, which garnered over 335,000 views on Hernandez’s profile, showed a protester being escorted away by USC Department of Public Safety officers.

Subsequent videos displayed demonstrators surrounding a police car with the detained individual inside, demanding their release. USC has implemented campus restrictions, requiring identification for entry.

The rally, held at USC’s Alumni Park, saw students and non-students alike issuing demands, including divestment from organizations linked to Israeli policies.

The protest, organized by the USC Divest from Death Coalition, aimed to show solidarity with Palestinians and resist university suppression of pro-Palestinian activism, Newsweek has reported.

Despite warnings from authorities to refrain from hanging signs or using megaphones, the encampment was cleared by USC Department of Public Safety officers.

The demonstration persisted into the afternoon as students marched around the encampment under the watch of law enforcement.

Written by B.C. Begley