Police have made dozens of arrests as pro-Palestinian protest encampments were dismantled at the University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Arizona. The police action followed similar demonstrations at various other universities across the U.S. Protesters are demanding that their universities stop doing business with Israel or companies that support its war efforts in Gaza. The protests aim to amplify calls to end Israel’s war against Hamas, which some refer to as a genocide against Palestinians. The top United Nations court has acknowledged a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, a charge that Israel strongly denies.
In Philadelphia, campus police at the University of Pennsylvania removed protesters from an encampment that had been in place for over two weeks. School officials stated that protesters were given warnings and the chance to leave without being detained. Initially, 33 people were arrested and charged with trespass, including faculty members and students. However, it was later clarified that only nine students were among those arrested, while the remainder had no affiliation with the university. Upon searching the encampment, police recovered heavy chains and other items that could be used as weapons.
Similar actions were taken in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where police in riot gear arrived at MIT and arrested ten students who remained at the protest camp. At the University of Arizona in Tucson, campus police fired tear gas at protesters before dismantling an encampment. Two individuals were arrested, and rocks and water bottles were thrown at officers and university staff. At New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, police arrested 13 people after they refused to leave a damaged building following a protest.
Protesters at the University of Wisconsin-Madison agreed to dismantle their encampment and not disrupt graduation ceremonies in exchange for the opportunity to connect with decision-makers who control university investments. At Pomona College in Southern California, graduates will have to travel to Los Angeles for their commencement ceremony to avoid ongoing protests. The protest movement began at Columbia University in New York City almost three weeks ago, leading to demonstrations at colleges nationwide.
The Associated Press has recorded at least 75 instances of arrests at U.S. campus protests since April 18, with nearly 2,900 people arrested at 57 colleges and universities. Arizona State University placed its campus police chief on paid leave following complaints related to actions taken during a pro-Palestine rally on campus. At George Washington University, demonstrators vowed to continue their protest campaign, despite their encampment being cleared after two weeks. MIT suspended dozens of students amid ongoing protests demanding the university cut ties with the Israeli military.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth stated that the encampment increasingly made it impossible to ensure the campus’s physical safety and functioning for everyone. Protesters at MIT, including Jewish students, have been calling for an end to the university’s complicity with the conflict in Gaza. While some universities have cracked down on protests immediately, others have allowed demonstrations to continue. The ongoing protests highlight growing tensions on campuses over issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and university investments.
