TENSIONS flared on college campuses across the region, as police moved to break up a protest encampment at the University of Texas Wednesday. More than 12 people were arrested after police cleared the encampment and occupied buildings.
“Police also detained several people at Fordham University in New York and cleared an encampment set up inside the school building,” officials said and law enforcement was on alert at Columbia University after mass arrests the night before.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, protesters surrounded and blocked roads near the center of the campus in Cambridge at the height of rush hour on Wednesday (1/5) afternoon. Meanwhile dozens of police cars patrolled the University of California, Los Angeles, in response to overnight clashes when protesters attacked a pro-Palestinian student encampment.
University of Texas Dallas police busted the encampment and arrested at least 17 people for criminal trespass. Protesters have gathered at at least 30 US universities since last month. They often set up tents to protest the soaring death toll in the Gaza Strip.
But the actions of police wearing helmets at two of America’s most prestigious universities have disappointed some students. “I don’t think we need to deploy a large police force on campus,” UCLA student Mark Torre, 22, told AFP as he surveyed the scene from behind a metal barrier.
“But increasingly, I think that at least maintaining safety on campus is an action that needs to be taken,” he said.
Also read: 550 Pro-Palestinian Demonstration Students Arrested by US Police
At Columbia and the City University of New York, police dispersed demonstrators overnight. Several students criticized the police’s behavior.
“We were attacked, arrested brutally. And I was detained for up to six hours before being released, beaten badly, trampled,” a CUNY student who gave his name only as Jose told AFP.
A medical student who offered treatment to prisoners when they were released described a series of injuries he suffered. “We’ve seen things like severe head trauma, concussions, someone knocked out at camp by police, someone thrown down a flight of stairs,” said the student, Isabel.
Also read: Benjamin Netanyahu is angry with US students protesting against Palestine
“Approximately 300 arrests were made in Columbia and CUNY,” said Police Commissioner Edward Caban. Mayor Eric Adams blamed outside agitators for escalating tensions.
Columbia students denied any outside involvement. University president Minouche Shafik, who has come under fire for her decision to call the police, said the incident left her deeply saddened. “I am sorry we have reached this point,” he said in a statement.
Wave of protests
The protests have posed a challenge for university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints of criminal activity, anti-Semitism and hate speech. President Joe Biden’s administration, whose support for Israel has angered many protesters, has also tried to pursue the policy.
Also read: US Police Arrest Students Who Condemn Israeli Colonization
“We believe that a small number of students are causing this disruption. If they are going to protest, Americans have the right to do so in a peaceful manner within the law,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
Biden’s November election rival, Donald Trump, voiced his full support for the police response in Colombia. “It was a beautiful thing to witness. The best in New York,” he said at a rally in Wisconsin.
“To every college president, I say immediately abolish the camps, defeat the radicals and take back our campuses for all normal students,” he said.
Unlawful gathering
On Tuesday (30/4) evening, police entered the Columbia campus and climbed into Hamilton Hall through a second floor window before taking out the handcuffed people. They also cleaned the large camping tent.
In Los Angeles, counter-demonstrators sprayed chemicals on a pro-Palestinian encampment and attempted to tear down wooden boards and metal barricades before police finally arrived.
On Wednesday (1/5) students called on loudspeakers for demonstrators to continue gathering at the camp which was blocking the entrance to one of the school’s main libraries which had graffiti reading, “Free Gaza.”
Elsewhere, police mobilized at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and arrested several protesters. At the University of Arizona, police said they had used tear gas to break up a protest. (AFP/Z-2)
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