Hundreds arrested at universities across US as Gaza demonstrations continue
On Saturday, additional arrests were made at college campuses throughout the US as student demonstrations against the conflict in Gaza persisted. Among those taken into custody by law enforcement was Jill Stein, the Green Party’s presidential candidate.
Protesters are advocating for institutional boycotts of entities and individuals with connections to Israel. Nonetheless, there have been complaints from some Jewish students regarding alleged antisemitic behavior from certain demonstrators.
According to a spokesperson for Ms. Stein, she was one of approximately 80 individuals detained at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, but was not currently facing charges.
California State Polytechnic became the latest institution to transition to remote instruction amidst the ongoing protests, which have resulted in the cancellation of in-person classes and the postponement of graduation ceremonies.
The protests began with the appearance of tents on the college green at Columbia on April 17 and spread nationwide following the intervention of police in riot gear, who arrested over 100 students. Subsequently, another protest camp was established at Yale University in Connecticut.
At Northeastern University in Boston, over 100 protesters were arrested for trespassing on college grounds on Saturday, prompting intervention from the Massachusetts State Police.
The university later commented that the demonstrations had been infiltrated by external organizers unrelated to the institution, condemning reported antisemitic incidents.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators returned to the University of South California campus following a previous police intervention at Alumni Park.
While the recent protest was mostly peaceful, the university reported vandalism to campus property, including damage to a statue and fountain, leading to the temporary closure of the campus to non-residents.
Twenty-three people were arrested at Indiana University on Saturday.
Other campuses, including Columbia and Emory University in Georgia, were reportedly quieter Saturday.
The protests were sparked by anger at Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The Israeli military launched the offensive after about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, were killed and 253 others were taken to Gaza as hostages, when Hamas attacked Israeli communities near Gaza on 7 October last year.
