Student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza continue to spread across the United States, following the arrest last week of more than 100 protesters at Columbia University.
Nearly 550 arrests linked to protests took place last week at major American universities, according to a tally by the Reuters news agency.
Students want universities to cut ties with companies that support Israel’s war in Gaza and, in some cases, Israel itself.
Some universities have called police to break up the protests, leading to clashes and arrests, while others appear to be biding their time as the university semester enters its final days.
The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony, scheduled for May 10, after 93 people were arrested on the Los Angeles campus on Wednesday.
At Emerson College in Boston, 108 people were arrested overnight with video showing students linking arms to resist police, who then moved forcefully through the crowd, knocking some students to the ground.
University of Michigan. Photo: Reuters
George Washington University. Photo: Reuters
Student protester Ocean Muir said, “There were just more cops on all sides.
“It felt like we were slowly being pushed and crushed.”
She said police picked her up by her arms and legs to take her away and she was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.
At Emory University’s Atlanta campus, 28 people were arrested and the local branch of the activist group Jewish Voice For Peace said police used tear gas and Tasers on protesters.
Police admitted using “chemical irritants” but denied using rubber bullets.
Cheryl Elliott, Emory’s vice president for public safety, said the goal was to rid the area of a “disruptive encampment while holding individuals accountable to the law,” but human rights groups the man questioned the “apparent use of excessive force” against freedom of expression.
Meanwhile, charges against 46 of the 60 people arrested by police at the University of Texas have been dropped.
Harvard University. Photo: Reuters
Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester on the USC campus in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Reuters
Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester on the USC campus in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Reuters
At Indiana University in Bloomington, police armed with shields and batons rushed a line of protesters, arresting 33 people.
At the City College of New York, police officers withdrew from demonstrations, to the cheers of hundreds of students gathered on the lawn of the Harlem campus.
At California State Polytechnic University in Humboldt, students have been barricaded in a campus building since Monday as staff tried to negotiate.
At the University of Connecticut, a protester was arrested and tents torn down, while protests continued at Stanford University and the Princeton University campus in New Jersey.
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Harvard University is among those that have not taken action against protesters who set up tents.
HAS Columbia University in New York, where the protest movement beganuniversity officials remain stuck in an impasse with students.
Police emptied tents and arrested more than 100 people last week, but students have again set up their tents in an area where graduation ceremonies will be held in a few weeks.
The administration gave the protesters until Friday to leave.
There have been accusations that some pro-Palestinian protesters have harassed or mistreated Jewish students, but protesters blame foreigners who try to infiltrate and slander their movement.
Protest leaders admit there was abuse against Jewish students, but insist the demonstrations are not anti-Semitic.
Some universities have seen counter-protests from supporters of Israel.
