UCLA medical student, professor lambast university for letting anti-Israel protests grow: ‘Absolute insanity’

UCLA medical student Eliana Jolkovsky joined “Fox & Friends” Thursday as police dismantled the anti-Israel encampment and made arrests.

“What is happening on my campus is absolute insanity and chaos. I don’t know how the school has let it come to this point. Law enforcement should have came on day one, because on day one, these protesters were chanting for an intifada, which means violence against Jews,” Jolkovsky said.

Jolkovsky said there is a lot of propaganda on social media fueling antisemitism and a “cult mentality” among her classmates.

“TikTok has been a major brainwashing machine in this pro-Palestinian movement especially… People saying that Zionists are racist, white supremacist baby killers. They’re calling me a white colonizer. I’m an Asian American Jew.”

Jolkovsky said she has a sense that some of the protesters are not students, saying that some looked like they were in their 30s and 40s.

However, Jolkovsky said, she would not allow “hateful antisemitism” to stop her from pursuing her education. 

“That’s what they want. I think UCLA needs to really step up and keep their Jewish students safe.”

UCLA professor Nir Hoftman told “Fox & Friends” that police should have been allowed on campus right away, detailing that he was tackled and his AirPods were stolen by agitators when he attempted to walk across the quad. 

“This was never peaceful,” Hoftman said. 

“Jews were not allowed to go into the campus. Jews were not allowed to go to the library. Jews are not allowed to go to classes. It was never peaceful. This is total breakdown of law and order,” he said, adding that he went to the university police station on Friday and Monday to “beg” for officers to intervene.

He said officers explained that university leaders had given a directive for them not to respond.

Hoftman, who is Jewish, said this is a bigger issue of “law and order.”

“As someone who is Jewish and as terrible as antisemitism is, this is the bigger issue,” Hoftman said.

“Apparently, at UCLA, it’s OK to be teaching antisemitism, and it’s OK to be teaching things that are against the way of the American way of life. You know, they’re teaching that capitalism is evil, that the Whites are oppressors and things that just, in my opinion, are not really how America works.”

Despite this, Hoftman says he plans to stay at UCLA and that “we will take it back.”

Anarchy broke out overnight at the University of California, Los Angeles, after anti-Israel protests escalated into a clash between opposing groups. Police wearing face shields and riot gear were ultimately called to the scene to restore order.

Police did not immediately confront those causing the campus chaos, until the Los Angeles Police Department arrived at campus just before 2 a.m. local time.

Hundreds of officers moved in on the encampment from both sides of Royce Hall as police gathered in preparation for the raid, which came amid a nationwide movement calling on colleges and universities to divest from Israel.

Protesters were seen attempting to resist by shining bright flashlights into the eyes of officers as they tore down plywood and metal barricades. Several people were seen being detained by police and hauled away with their hands zip-tied behind their backs.

It is unclear how many people have been detained. 

Fox News’ Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.