The University of California, Los Angeles was engulfed in turmoil when demonstrations against Israel ignited a clash between two conflicting factions.

“Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support,” Mary Osako, a senior UCLA official said. Online footage depicted individuals hurling chairs and wielding sticks and weapons to assault one another, as reported by Fox News. The incident transpired during the late hours of Tuesday extending into Wednesday morning.

A group of pro-Palestinian protesters set up a tent encampment and fortified it with barricades, plywood, and wooden pallets. Pro-Israel organizations attempted to dismantle these barricades, as reported by the Associated Press. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed her strong condemnation of the violence, deeming it “utterly reprehensible and unjustifiable” in a statement on X, previously known as Twitter. She also mentioned that the Los Angeles Police Department had deployed officers to the location. The university reached out to the department for assistance, according to their statement.

“After a couple of hours of scuffles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and slowly separated the groups,” the AP reported. “That quelled the violence, and the scene was calm as day broke.”

“At the request of UCLA, due to multiple acts of violence within the large encampment on their campus, the LAPD is responding to assist UCLA PD, and other law enforcement agencies, to restore order and maintain public safety,” it said.