Violence erupted at the University of California, Los Angeles after pro-Israeli counter-demonstrators attacked a pro-Palestinian campus encampment.

Bubbling tensions on the campus boiled over following the alleged breach of a “buffer zone” between the rival groups.

Fireworks and tear gas flew through the night sky as masked counter-protesters attempted to tear down barricades, and struck campers with sticks and bats.

Protesters have said that police were slow to respond after violence started.

Law enforcement called to the scene was guarding the space as morning broke.

The overnight clash at one of America’s top public colleges took place only hours after police in New York had raided and cleared a Columbia University building taken over by students.

Protests at Columbia against the war in Gaza have inspired similar actions at universities – small and large, public and private – in more than two dozen states, with protesters demanding that institutions cut financial ties with Israel and companies profiting from the war.

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