Gaza war protests at US campuses: More than 900 students arrested
Hundreds of students have been arrested across universities in the United States, with scuffles reported between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Los Angeles, as rallies for a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from companies linked to Israel spread across US campuses.
Across the United States, police arrested around 275 people on four separate campuses over the weekend, with the White House calling on the growing protests in recent weeks to remain peaceful. So far, approximately 900 protesters have been arrested nationwide.
Tensions yesterday rose at Columbia University, the epicentre of pro-Palestinian protests across US campuses, with college authorities and student demonstrators in open conflict after negotiations broke down.
Columbia University, which said many Jewish students have left its campus, yesterday demanded that the protestors' encampment must be cleared, and added that Columbia would not divest financial holdings linked to Israel -- a key demand of demonstrators.
Students pushed back, vowing to defend their camp on the New York institution's main lawn, despite the threat of suspensions and disciplinary action from the college.
Protests against the Gaza war, with its high civilian death toll among Palestinian civilians, have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and threats of violence.
The pro-Palestinian encampment at the UCLA has expanded in recent days, but counter-protesters have also become increasingly vocal and visible.
On Sunday, the mood turned ugly when some demonstrators broke through a barrier that had been set up to separate the two factions, according to Mary Osako, UCLA's vice chancellor for strategic communications.
People from both sides then pushed and shoved each other, shouting slogans and insults and in some cases trading punches. Campus police armed with batons eventually separated the sparring groups.
Osako said the university was "heartbroken" about the violence and had introduced additional security measures.
While the Los Angeles police were not called in at UCLA and no arrests were made, officers in other parts of the country were deployed to campuses on Saturday, with some using chemical irritants and Tasers to disperse the students, as the protests spread.
In Boston, police detained about 100 people while clearing a protest camp at Northeastern University, with social media posts showing security forces in riot gear and officers loading tents onto the back of a truck.
In a statement on X, Northeastern said the area on campus where the protests were held was now "fully secured" and "all campus operations have returned to normal".
The university said its move came after "what began as a student demonstration two days ago was infiltrated by professional organisers with no affiliation to Northeastern". It added that detained individuals who produced a valid student ID were released and will face disciplinary proceedings, not legal action.
Northeastern said that "Kill the Jews" had been heard at the protests, and that such chants "crossed the line", making it necessary to clear what it said was an "unauthorised encampment" that had been "infiltrated" by professional organisers with no affiliation to the university.
However, members of the pro-Palestinian protest movement at the university rejected those claims.
Video posted from the site appeared to show that people holding Israeli flags were the ones using the slur.
In Bloomington in the Midwest, the Indiana University Police Department arrested 23 people as they cleared a campus protest camp, the Indiana Daily Student newspaper reported.
On the opposite side of the country, the Arizona State University Police Department arrested 69 people for trespassing after the group set up an "unauthorised encampment" on campus.
Meanwhile, at Washington University in St Louis, at least 80 people were arrested, including US presidential candidate Jill Stein and her campaign manager.
The protesters have demanded amnesty for students and faculty members disciplined or fired for protesting. About a week ago at Columbia University in New York, more than 100 pro-Palestinian activists were arrested.
What started at the Columbia campus has turned into a nationwide showdown between students and administrators over pro-Palestine protests and the restrictions on free speech.
In the past 10 days, hundreds of students have been arrested, suspended, put on probation and, in rare cases, expelled from colleges, including Yale University, the University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University and the University of Minnesota.
A few universities have had to cancel graduation ceremonies, while others have seen their buildings occupied by the protesters.
Meanwhile, college protests against the "genocide" of the Palestinians in Gaza have also spread to universities in Canada, Europe and Australia.
Canada's first campus protest camp for Gaza appeared at McGill University in Montreal on Saturday.
Broadcaster CBC reported protesters were demanding McGill and Concordia universities "divest from funds implicated in the Zionist state as well as [cut] ties with Zionist academic institutions".
Tents were also set up on the front lawn of the University of Sydney last week.
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