Just when you thought the days of 2020’s “Summer of Love” were behind us, a sequel unfolds on the sunny, yet now tumultuous, campus of UCLA. In what could be dubbed “Summer of Love 2.0”, the scene was anything but loving as protesters clashed in a chaotic spectacle that would make any Hollywood director jealous.
The original “Summer of Love”, a term coined amidst the fiery protests of 2020, seems like a walk in the park compared to the sequel nobody asked for but we all got anyway. This time, the battleground was none other than the esteemed University of California, Los Angeles, where what began as a protest quickly descended into a free-for-all melee. It was fists, sticks, and pallets flying everywhere – a real smorgasbord of chaos. The police? Nowhere to be seen, presumably deciding this was one party they didn’t fancy crashing.
Video footage from the event shows scenes reminiscent of a block party gone wrong, if that block party was organized by people who forgot the ‘party’ part and focused solely on the ‘block’ (and maybe each other’s blocks, too). ABC7 and Citizen Free Press provided visuals of the madness, capturing a spectacle that words can barely do justice.
The cops literally just let the protestors have at it on UCLA campus. pic.twitter.com/ALGBiTFJKv
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 1, 2024
100+ Californian Jews and their allies have arrived at the “Liberated Zone” on the UCLA campus and are tearing it down.
It comes after the pro-Hamas students and activists beat a Jewish girl unconscious on campus grounds a few hours earlier. pic.twitter.com/dlNKQvg2wf
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 1, 2024
The group of around 100 young Californian Jews and their allies continues to tear down the encampment at UCLA.
The arrived on campus after a young Jewish girl was beaten unconscious by the pro-Hamas students and activists occupying campus grounds pic.twitter.com/2vxOJFA2iC
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 1, 2024
UCLA ????: FIGHTS continue through the night. Dozens injured , multiple bleeding, still ZERO law enforcement present. Both sides drag their wounded and fresh protestors replace them on the front. Total Anarchy. pic.twitter.com/Fl6T35zJRc
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) May 1, 2024
The crux of the conflict appeared to center around what was described as a “liberated zone”, which sounds incredibly grandiose until you realize it was just a space on campus where the decor included overturned bike racks and strategically placed pallets. It was here that over 100 California Jews and supporters arrived, not to join the fray, but to dismantle the makeshift barricades that had been erected, effectively putting an end to the “liberation” with a dose of reality.
As the dust settles on this latest episode of public discord, one can’t help but ponder the implications. The absence of the police during the fracas raises questions about strategy and public safety. Meanwhile, the community is left to pick up the pieces, both literally and figuratively, wondering if this is becoming the new norm.
“Summer of Love 2.0” may not have the romance or idealism of its namesake, but it certainly captured the nation’s attention. Beneath the surface of our society’s seemingly tranquil veneer, tensions simmer, waiting for a spark. In the end, one can only hope that the sequels to come are less about conflict and more about genuine resolution. But as history often tells us, hope is one thing; reality, however, is quite another.