Los Angeles, California - Pro-Israel groups attacked student protesters demonstrating in solidarity with Gaza on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, early Wednesday morning.

Journalists present at the UCLA's Gaza Solidarity Encampment set up last week said the counterprotesters – some of whom appeared not to be students – spent the night antagonizing and provoking the pro-Palestinian protesters.

Videos captured the sounds of crying babies and the Israeli anthem being blared at ear-splitting volumes, with fireworks and firecrackers being repeatedly hurled into the encampment.

On X, investigative journalist Joey Scott posted footage that showed people tearing down the metal barricades surrounding the camp and clashing with students who tried to push them away.

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He and others reporting from the scene also said bear mace had been sprayed, and that neither campus security nor police were anywhere to be seen as situation deteriorated over multiple hours. This was in stark contrast with the scene at Columbia University in New York just hours earlier, when dozens of NYPD cops arrived to break up pro-Palestinian students' protest.

The LAPD was "responding immediately to (the university Chancellor's) request for support on campus," said Zach Seidl, a spokesperson for the city mayor, while members of the California Highway Patrol were also reportedly present and setting up skirmish lines.

Protests against Israel's months-long war on Gaza have swept college campuses across the nation, with university administrators and authorities resorting to an increasingly heavy-handed crackdown.