LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) — As California law enforcement agencies work to clear protesters from an encampment at UCLA, some on campus say more work needs to be done to protect students.

“I think it’s a result of campus authorities struggling to find the balance between allowing the pro-Palestinian students and those in that one encampment to express themselves and at the same time protecting the campus overall,” said Benjamin Radd, a lecturer on Middle East politics.

The Los Angeles Police Department arrived on campus, donning riot gear and gas masks, after a request from the university for assistance.

“What we’re seeing is an utter breakdown of, I think, that ability for the campus to really serve the community as a whole. And it’s regretful,” said Radd.

UCLA canceled classes Wednesday and urged people to avoid the area where the fighting broke out. The school’s library won’t reopen until Monday, and Royce Hall, which authorities said was vandalized, is closed through Friday. UCLA stationed law enforcement officers throughout campus.

“It’s horrific, and it’s gone way beyond what the university should have tolerated,” said Radd. “So quite frankly, I think (UCLA) should take the steps that we saw at Columbia and other universities and dismantle the encampment.”

Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say they use those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.