Police across the country have been mobilizing to remove protesters from college campuses and dismantle encampments that have been set up since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict. At the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, officers in riot gear arrived to arrest and remove demonstrators who had refused previous orders to disperse. However, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, an agreement was reached to end the illegal encampment peacefully. On the other hand, the University of Arizona’s campus in Tucson saw clashes between police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators, resulting in arrests and the use of rubber bullets.
Pro-Palestinian protests at MIT campus became heated, with demonstrators ignoring warnings and reinforcing their encampment, leading to arrests and the announcement of disciplinary actions for students who did not leave voluntarily. At Harvard University, protesters have been issued suspension notices for violating university policies and creating disruptions during a critical time in the semester. At Penn, police dismantled the encampment that had been set up 16 days earlier, detaining and issuing civil violation notices to 33 individuals. However, new encampments were emerging on other college campuses across the country.
At the University of Denver, students erected tents outside the administrative building as part of the “DU for Palestine” movement demanding divestment from Israel. Administrators allowed the new encampment but stipulated that non-students, faculty, or staff members would not be allowed to stay overnight. In New York City, Columbia University moved its commencement ceremony to a soccer field due to safety concerns following weeks of protests on campus. The traditional university-wide commencement ceremony was cancelled in favor of smaller celebrations held on multiple days.
The ongoing protests at various college campuses are a result of demands for divestment from Israel and condemnation of the Israeli military’s actions in Palestine. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have faced disciplinary actions, arrests, and removal from campuses as police work to maintain order. The clashes between protesters and law enforcement have caused disruptions and led to tense situations in multiple locations across the country. The future of these protests and encampments remains uncertain as universities and police continue to address the escalating tensions on campus.
