Violence broke out at an encampment at Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus after days of peaceful assembly in response to the Israel-Hamas war, a contrast to arrests and turmoil at other American schools.

According to UC Berkeley police, just before 7 p.m. on Wednesday, a tussle occurred between two opposing groups and one group attempted to take a flag of the other, resulting in injuries to at least two people. Medical personnel were called to the scene.

UC police also said additional injuries have been reported.

The Berkeley student camp-in was called by a coalition of groups, including the Black Student Union, the Jewish Voice for Peace at UC Berkeley and the Indigenous Graduate Student Association. 

In an online statement, they are demanding: “an immediate end to the Zionist colonization of Arab lands, including the genocidal siege of Gaza; full freedom and equality for Palestinians, from the river to the sea; and the right of return for Palestinian refugees to their homes and properties.” 

They are also asking UC to boycott, divest and sanction “from all companies profiting from the colonization of Palestine.”

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.