LOS ANGELES: College campuses across the United States witnessed a surge in pro-Palestinian protests on Thursday, marking a week of escalating tensions, confrontations with law enforcement, mass arrests, and allegations of anti-Semitism amid the ongoing Israel’s relentless bombardment and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The protest demonstrations, spanning from New York to California, have become increasingly contentious, with more than 200 protesters arrested in Los Angeles, Boston, and Austin, Texas, during clashes with police. Fresh rallies were scheduled in several cities, including Austin, where tensions remained high.
The protests originally erupted at Columbia University in New York, where students faced a midnight deadline to dismantle an encampment that has become a symbolic hub of the Pro-Palestinian movement. The demonstrations have garnered attention from political leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who criticized the protests and suggested the potential deployment of the National Guard.
Student demonstrators have voiced solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, denouncing the Israeli military brutal campaign that has resulted in the killing of more than 34,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children. The protesters are urging universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel.
In Los Angeles, protests flared at the University of Southern California (USC), resulting in 93 arrests for trespassing, while 34 persons were arrested at the University of Texas (UT) in Austin. The LAPD assisted USC in effecting trespass arrests, with no reported injuries.
Emerson College in Boston witnessed clashes between police and protesters, leading to the cancellation of classes on Thursday. One hundred and eight persons were arrested as police dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment.
Solidarity encampments emerged at Georgetown and George Washington University (GW) campuses in Washington, with plans for a walkout at Georgetown in the afternoon. Similar protests have unfolded at universities nationwide, including New York University, Yale, Harvard, MIT, and the University of Michigan.
While some Jewish students have participated in the demonstrations, instances of anti-Semitism have been disavowed by demonstrators. President Joe Biden has denounced blatant anti-Semitism on college campuses but affirmed support for freedom of expression.
The spreading protests began at Columbia University in New York, where a midnight deadline set by college officials was fast approaching for students to remove an encampment that has become a symbolic epicenter of the movement after more than 100 demonstrators were arrested there last week.
Israel launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza since October 7 that left the besieged Palestinian territory in ruins. Israel has killed more than 34,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since during the more than six months of bombardment.
