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

COMPARED TO THESE PAST FEW DAYS AS ANTOINETTE CERTAINLY AND OBVIOUSLY WE’VE ALL SEEN THE IMAGES COMING OUT OF NEW YORK AND HAD NOT BEEN THE CASE IN BOSTON. THAT’S CERTAINLY NOW APPEARS TO BE ARE SIMILARITIES. YOU CAN SEE WHAT WAS THE ENCAMPMENT HERE AT THE ALLEY IS NOW COMPLETELY GONE. YOU CAN SEE IT’S BLOCKED OFF A CRIME SCENE TAPE, BUT THERE’S STILL SOME STUDENTS HERE ON SCENE. THERE’S OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF POLICE OFFICERS, BUT LET’S SHOW YOU THE IMAGES FROM OVERNIGHT. THIS ALL COMES FROM STUDENTS AND A LOT OF STUDENT JOURNALISTS THAT WERE OUT HERE AT THE SCENE OVERNIGHT. FROM THE STUDENTS WE HAVE SPOKEN WITH AROUND 1 A.M., SOME KIND OF ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE SAYING THAT IF YOU WERE GOING TO STILL BE OUT HERE IN THE ALLEY, THERE WAS THE LIKELIHOOD YOU WERE GOING TO BE ARRESTED. AT SOME POINT, POLICE TOLD THESE PROTESTERS THAT THEY NEEDED TO DISPERSE FROM THE ALLEY, OR AGAIN, THEY WOULD BE BE ARRESTED. AND CERTAINLY THAT APPEARS TO BE WHAT THE CASE WAS. WE ARE STILL TRYING TO GET A HEAD COUNT ON HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE ULTIMATELY ARRESTED FROM THE STUDENTS WE’VE SPOKEN WITH, THEY ESTIMATE ANYWHERE FROM AS LOW AS 60, POTENTIALLY TO AS MANY AS 100. BUT HERE’S LET’S TAKE A LISTEN FROM A STUDENT WHO WAS PART OF THIS DEMONSTRATION IN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS, WHO THEN, ONCE THEY MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT ARRESTS WERE IMMINENT, HE WENT UPSTAIRS TO HIS DORM AND WATCHED THE EXPERIENCE FROM UPSTAIRS. TAKE A LISTEN. BEING THERE AND SEEING THE PEOPLE STANDING AROUND ME, GETTING DRAGGED TO THE GROUND, GETTING ARRESTED, IT WAS IT WAS HORRIFYING. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. LIKE, I’M I’M STILL SHAKING FROM THE EXPERIENCE. I SPOKE WITH ANOTHER STUDENT WHO JUST DESCRIBED. SHE SAID JUST THE VIOLENCE THAT IT TOOK TO GET THE STUDENTS OUT OF HERE. WE ARE STILL WAITING TO FIND OUT IF THERE WERE ANY INJURIES FROM THIS, WHETHER IT WAS TO THE STUDENTS OR TO THE OFFICERS. OBVIOUSLY, FROM THOSE IMAGES, YOU CAN SEE IT WAS A VERY LARGE POLICE PRESENCE. THERE’S ALSO NO HEAD COUNT ON HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE IN THE ALLEY AT THE TIME OVER. SINCE THEY STARTED THAT ENCAMPMENT ON SUNDAY. IT’S RANGED ANYWHERE FROM WHEN I’VE BEEN OUT HERE FROM AS FEW AS 20 TO 30 PEOPLE TO AS MANY AS 100. AGAIN, FROM THOSE IMAGES YOU CAN SEE THERE WAS CHANTING. THERE WAS CHEERING. UH, AND SO WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS THIS MORNING, ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES WAS WHY THE DECISION WAS MADE NOW TO GO INTO THIS ENCAMPMENT TO BREAK IT UP AGAIN. THEY’VE BEEN OUT HERE SINCE SUNDAY. WE’VE SPENT ALL WEEK LONG TALKING ABOUT THE CHALLENGE WITH THIS ALLEY IS THE FACT THAT IT IS EMERSON’S CAMPUS. BUT ALSO THERE’S OTHER BUILDINGS IN THAT ALLEY THAT NEED ACCESS TO THAT ARE NON EMERSON BUILDINGS. SO THERE NEEDED TO BE A RIGHT OF WAY. THAT IS CERTAINLY SOME OF THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE. AND AS SOON AS WE GET THOSE ANSWERS FROM BOSTON, OFFICIALS FROM EMERSON OFFICIALS, WE WILL

With graduations looming, student protesters doubled down early Thursday on their discontent of the Israel-Hamas war on campuses across the country as universities, including ones in California and Texas, have become quick to call in the police to end the demonstrations and make arrests.Video above: Police officers clear encampment at Emerson CollegeWhile grappling with growing protests from coast to coast, schools have the added pressure of May commencement ceremonies. At Columbia University in New York, students defiantly erected an encampment where many are set to graduate in front of families in just a few weeks.Columbia continued to negotiate with students after several failed attempts �� and over 100 arrests �� to clear the encampment, but several universities ousted demonstrators Wednesday, swiftly turning to law enforcement when protests bubbled up on their campuses.Police peacefully arrested student protesters at the University of Southern California, hours after officers at the University of Texas at Austin aggressively detained dozens in the latest clashes between law enforcement and those protesting the Israel-Hamas war on campuses nationwide.Tensions were already high at USC after the university canceled a planned commencement speech by the school’s valedictorian, who publicly supports Palestine, citing safety concerns. After scuffles with police early Wednesday, a few dozen demonstrators standing in a circle with locked arms were detained one by one without incident later in the evening.Officers encircled the dwindling group sitting in defiance of an earlier warning to disperse or be arrested. Beyond the police line, hundreds of onlookers watched as helicopters buzzed overhead. The school closed the campus.Hours earlier in Texas, hundreds of local and state police �� including some on horseback and holding batons �� bulldozed into protesters, at one point sending some tumbling into the street. Officers pushed their way into the crowd and made 34 arrests at the behest of the university and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, according to the state Department of Public Safety.A photographer covering the demonstration for Fox 7 Austin was in the push-and-pull when an officer yanked him backward to the ground, video shows. The station confirmed that the photographer was arrested. A longtime Texas journalist was knocked down in the mayhem and could be seen bleeding before police helped him to emergency medical staff.Dane Urquhart, a third-year Texas student, called the police presence and arrests an “overreaction," adding that the protest “would have stayed peaceful�� if the officers had not turned out in force.“Because of all the arrests, I think a lot more (demonstrations) are going to happen,�� Urquhart said.Police left after hours of efforts to control the crowd, and about 300 demonstrators moved back in to sit on the grass and chant under the school's iconic clock tower.In a statement Wednesday night, the university's president, Jay Hartzell, said: “Our rules matter, and they will be enforced. Our University will not be occupied."North of USC, students at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, were barricaded inside a building for a third day, and the school shut down campus through the weekend and made classes virtual.Harvard University in Massachusetts had sought to stay ahead of protests this week by limiting access to Harvard Yard and requiring permission for tents and tables. That didn't stop protesters from setting up a camp with 14 tents Wednesday following a rally against the university’s suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war are demanding schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies enabling its monthslong conflict. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus as graduation nears, partly prompting a heavier hand from universities.At New York University this week, police said 133 protesters were taken into custody, while over 40 protesters were arrested Monday at an encampment at Yale University.Columbia University averted another confrontation between students and police earlier Wednesday. University President Minouche Shafik had set on Tuesday a midnight deadline to reach an agreement on clearing an encampment, but the school extended negotiations for another 48 hours.On a visit to campus Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called on Shafik to resign “if she cannot bring order to this chaos.”“If this is not contained quickly and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard,�� he said.On Wednesday evening, a Columbia spokesperson said rumors that the university had threatened to bring in the National Guard were unfounded. “Our focus is to restore order, and if we can get there through dialogue, we will,�� said Ben Chang, Columbia’s vice president for communications.Columbia graduate student Omer Lubaton Granot, who put up pictures of Israeli hostages near the encampment, said he wanted to remind people that there were more than 100 hostages still being held by Hamas.“I see all the people behind me advocating for human rights," he said. “I don’t think they have one word to say about the fact that people their age, that were kidnapped from their homes or from a music festival in Israel, are held by a terror organization.”Harvard law student Tala Alfoqaha, who is Palestinian, said she and other protesters want more transparency from the university.“My hope is that the Harvard administration listens to what its students have been asking for all year, which is divestment, disclosure and dropping any sort of charges against students,�� she said.On Wednesday about 60 tents remained at the Columbia encampment, which appeared calm. Security remained tight around campus, with identification required and police setting up metal barricades.Columbia said it had agreed with protest representatives that only students would remain at the encampment and they would make it welcoming, banning discriminatory or harassing language.___Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire. Contributing to this report were Associated Press journalists in various 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.

AUSTIN, Texas —

Video above: Police officers clear encampment at Emerson College

While grappling with growing protests from coast to coast, schools have the added pressure of May commencement ceremonies. At Columbia University in New York, students defiantly erected an encampment where many are set to graduate in front of families in just a few weeks.

Columbia continued to negotiate with students after several failed attempts �� and over 100 arrests �� to clear the encampment, but several universities ousted demonstrators Wednesday, swiftly turning to law enforcement when protests bubbled up on their campuses.

Police peacefully arrested student protesters at the University of Southern California, hours after officers at the University of Texas at Austin aggressively detained dozens in the latest clashes between law enforcement and those protesting the Israel-Hamas war on campuses nationwide.

Tensions were already high at USC after the university canceled a planned commencement speech by the school’s valedictorian, who publicly supports Palestine, citing safety concerns. After scuffles with police early Wednesday, a few dozen demonstrators standing in a circle with locked arms were detained one by one without incident later in the evening.

Officers encircled the dwindling group sitting in defiance of an earlier warning to disperse or be arrested. Beyond the police line, hundreds of onlookers watched as helicopters buzzed overhead. The school closed the campus.

Hours earlier in Texas, hundreds of local and state police �� including some on horseback and holding batons �� bulldozed into protesters, at one point sending some tumbling into the street. Officers pushed their way into the crowd and made 34 arrests at the behest of the university and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

A photographer covering the demonstration for Fox 7 Austin was in the push-and-pull when an officer yanked him backward to the ground, video shows. The station confirmed that the photographer was arrested. A longtime Texas journalist was knocked down in the mayhem and could be seen bleeding before police helped him to emergency medical staff.

Dane Urquhart, a third-year Texas student, called the police presence and arrests an “overreaction," adding that the protest “would have stayed peaceful�� if the officers had not turned out in force.

“Because of all the arrests, I think a lot more (demonstrations) are going to happen,�� Urquhart said.

Police left after hours of efforts to control the crowd, and about 300 demonstrators moved back in to sit on the grass and chant under the school's iconic clock tower.

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

North of USC, students at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, were barricaded inside a building for a third day, and the school shut down campus through the weekend and made classes virtual.

Harvard University in Massachusetts had sought to stay ahead of protests this week by limiting access to Harvard Yard and requiring permission for tents and tables. That didn't stop protesters from setting up a camp with 14 tents Wednesday following a rally against the university’s suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.

Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war are demanding schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies enabling its monthslong conflict. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus as graduation nears, partly prompting a heavier hand from universities.

At New York University this week, police said 133 protesters were taken into custody, while over 40 protesters were arrested Monday at an encampment at Yale University.

Columbia University averted another confrontation between students and police earlier Wednesday. University President Minouche Shafik had set on Tuesday a midnight deadline to reach an agreement on clearing an encampment, but the school extended negotiations for another 48 hours.

On a visit to campus Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called on Shafik to resign “if she cannot bring order to this chaos.��

“If this is not contained quickly and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard,�� he said.

On Wednesday evening, a Columbia spokesperson said rumors that the university had threatened to bring in the National Guard were unfounded. “Our focus is to restore order, and if we can get there through dialogue, we will,�� said Ben Chang, Columbia’s vice president for communications.

Columbia graduate student Omer Lubaton Granot, who put up pictures of Israeli hostages near the encampment, said he wanted to remind people that there were more than 100 hostages still being held by Hamas.

“I see all the people behind me advocating for human rights," he said. “I don’t think they have one word to say about the fact that people their age, that were kidnapped from their homes or from a music festival in Israel, are held by a terror organization.��

Harvard law student Tala Alfoqaha, who is Palestinian, said she and other protesters want more transparency from the university.

“My hope is that the Harvard administration listens to what its students have been asking for all year, which is divestment, disclosure and dropping any sort of charges against students,�� she said.

On Wednesday about 60 tents remained at the Columbia encampment, which appeared calm. Security remained tight around campus, with identification required and police setting up metal barricades.

Columbia said it had agreed with protest representatives that only students would remain at the encampment and they would make it welcoming, banning discriminatory or harassing language.

___

Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire. Contributing to this report were Associated Press journalists in various 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.

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

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