Colleges nationwide turn to police to quell pro-Palestine protests as commencement ceremonies near

AUSTIN, Texas -- With graduations looming, pupil protesters doubled down aboriginal Thursday connected their discontent of the Israel-Hamas warfare connected campuses crossed the state arsenic universities, including ones successful California and Texas, person go speedy to telephone successful the constabulary to extremity the demonstrations and marque arrests.

While grappling with increasing protests from seashore to coast, schools person the added unit of May commencement ceremonies. At Columbia University successful New York, students defiantly erected an encampment wherever galore are acceptable to postgraduate successful beforehand of families successful conscionable a fewer weeks.

Columbia continued to negociate with students aft respective failed attempts — and implicit 100 arrests — to wide the encampment, but respective universities ousted demonstrators Wednesday, swiftly turning to instrumentality enforcement erstwhile protests bubbled up connected their campuses.

Police peacefully arrested pupil protesters astatine the University of Southern California, hours aft officers astatine the University of Texas astatine Austin aggressively detained dozens successful the latest clashes betwixt instrumentality enforcement and those protesting the Israel-Hamas warfare connected campuses nationwide.

Tensions were already precocious astatine USC aft the assemblage canceled a planned commencement code by the school’s valedictorian, who publically supports Palestine, citing information concerns. After scuffles with constabulary aboriginal Wednesday, a fewer twelve demonstrators lasting successful a ellipse with locked arms were detained 1 by 1 without incidental aboriginal successful the evening.

Officers encircled the dwindling radical sitting successful defiance of an earlier informing to disperse oregon beryllium arrested. Beyond the constabulary line, hundreds of onlookers watched arsenic helicopters buzzed overhead. The schoolhouse closed the campus.

Hours earlier successful Texas, hundreds of section and authorities constabulary — including immoderate connected horseback and holding batons — bulldozed into protesters, astatine 1 constituent sending immoderate tumbling into the street. Officers pushed their mode into the assemblage and made 34 arrests astatine the behest of the assemblage and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, according to the authorities Department of Public Safety.

A lensman covering the objection for Fox 7 Austin was successful the push-and-pull erstwhile an serviceman yanked him backward to the ground, video shows. The presumption confirmed that the lensman was arrested. A longtime Texas writer was knocked down successful the mayhem and could beryllium seen bleeding earlier constabulary helped him to exigency aesculapian staff.

Dane Urquhart, a third-year Texas student, called the constabulary beingness and arrests an “overreaction," adding that the protestation “would person stayed peaceful” if the officers had not turned retired successful force.

“Because of each the arrests, I deliberation a batch much (demonstrations) are going to happen,” Urquhart said.

Police near aft hours of efforts to power the crowd, and astir 300 demonstrators moved backmost successful to beryllium connected the writer and chant nether the school's iconic timepiece tower.

In a connection Wednesday night, the university's president, Jay Hartzell, said: “Our rules matter, and they volition beryllium enforced. Our University volition not beryllium occupied."

North of USC, students astatine California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, were barricaded wrong a gathering for a 3rd day, and the schoolhouse unopen down field done the play and made classes virtual.

Harvard University successful Massachusetts had sought to enactment up of protests this week by limiting entree to Harvard Yard and requiring support for tents and tables. That didn't halt protesters from mounting up a campy with 14 tents Wednesday pursuing a rally against the university’s suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.

Students protesting the Israel-Hamas warfare are demanding schools chopped fiscal ties to Israel and divest from companies enabling its monthslong conflict. Some Jewish students accidental the protests person veered into antisemitism and made them acrophobic to acceptable ft connected field arsenic graduation nears, partially prompting a heavier manus from universities.

At New York University this week, constabulary said 133 protesters were taken into custody, portion implicit 40 protesters were arrested Monday astatine an encampment astatine Yale University.

Columbia University averted different confrontation betwixt students and constabulary earlier Wednesday. University President Minouche Shafik had acceptable connected Tuesday a midnight deadline to scope an statement connected clearing an encampment, but the schoolhouse extended negotiations for different 48 hours.

On a sojourn to field Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called connected Shafik to resign “if she cannot bring bid to this chaos.”

“If this is not contained rapidly and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, determination is an due clip for the National Guard,” helium said.

On Wednesday evening, a Columbia spokesperson said rumors that the assemblage had threatened to bring successful the National Guard were unfounded. “Our absorption is to reconstruct order, and if we tin get determination done dialogue, we will,” said Ben Chang, Columbia’s vice president for communications.

Columbia postgraduate pupil Omer Lubaton Granot, who enactment up pictures of Israeli hostages adjacent the encampment, said helium wanted to punctual radical that determination were much than 100 hostages inactive being held by Hamas.

“I spot each the radical down maine advocating for quality rights," helium said. “I don’t deliberation they person 1 connection to accidental astir the information that radical their age, that were kidnapped from their homes oregon from a euphony festival successful Israel, are held by a panic organization.”

Harvard instrumentality pupil Tala Alfoqaha, who is Palestinian, said she and different protesters privation much transparency from the university.

“My anticipation is that the Harvard medication listens to what its students person been asking for each year, which is divestment, disclosure and dropping immoderate benignant of charges against students,” she said.

On Wednesday astir 60 tents remained astatine the Columbia encampment, which appeared calm. Security remained choky astir campus, with recognition required and constabulary mounting up metallic barricades.

Columbia said it had agreed with protestation representatives that lone students would stay astatine the encampment and they would marque it welcoming, banning discriminatory oregon harassing language.

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Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire. Contributing to this study were Associated Press journalists successful assorted locations including Joey Cappelletti, Will Weissert, Larry Lage, Steve LeBlanc, Dave Collins, Jim Salter, Haven Daley, Jesse Bedayn, John Antczak, Julie Walker and Joseph Krauss.