Demonstrations roil US campuses ahead of graduations as protesters spar over Gaza conflict
LOS ANGELES — Protests are taking place on college campuses across the US as upcoming graduation ceremonies are threatened by disruptive demonstrators, with students and others sparring over the Israeli military offensive in Gaza and the rising death toll.
Many campuses were largely quiet over the weekend as demonstrators stayed in tents set up as protest headquarters, although forced removals and arrests occurred at a few colleges. Many students are demanding that their universities cut financial ties with Israel over the massive operation in Gaza reportedly launched to eradicate the militant Palestinian group Hamas.
Protesters on both sides of the raunchy debate shouted and shoved each other during dueling demonstrations Sunday at the University of California, Los Angeles. The university has increased security after “some physical altercations broke out among protesters,” Mary Osako, vice chancellor of UCLA Strategic Communications, said in a statement. There were no reports of arrests or injuries.
About 275 people were arrested Saturday at several campuses, including Indiana University in Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis. The number of arrests nationwide approached 900 since New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest camp at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 protesters on April 18.
The fate of the arrested students has become a central part of the protests, with students and a growing number of teachers demanding amnesty for demonstrators. At issue is whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students throughout their adult lives.
Faculty members at universities in California, Georgia and Texas have initiated or passed largely symbolic votes of no confidence in their leadership.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said President Joe Biden “knows there are very strong feelings” but that he would leave management of the protests to local authorities.
“People should have the opportunity to express their opinions and share their perspectives publicly, but it should be peaceful,” Kirby said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview broadcast Sunday, called it “a dangerous situation” and placed responsibility on university administrators.
“There is also anti-Semitism, which is completely unacceptable. I’m shocked to see that in this country,” he said on NBC’s Meet the Press.
The nationwide campus protests began in response by some students to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7.
Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Israel vowed to eradicate Hamas and has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as anti-Semitic, while critics of Israel say it is using such accusations to silence opponents. Although some demonstrators have been caught on camera making anti-Semitic comments or violent threats, protest organizers, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.
Student demonstrations have sprung up in several locations in the US, including New York, California, Missouri and Massachusetts.
Early protests at Columbia University in New York City, where demonstrators set up tents in the center of campus, led to pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country. The demonstrations have led the school to hold classes remotely.
Columbia has set a series of deadlines for protesters to leave the encampment, which they missed, but the school said in an email to students that bringing back police “at this time” would be counterproductive. The students and administrators have started negotiations to end the disruptions, the university said in a statement on Saturday evening.
On Sunday, students walked among dozens of colorful tents in front of the Low Library, where rows of chairs have already been set up in preparation for commencement in May.
At UCLA, police set up barricades before hundreds of protesters on both sides joined a growing crowd Sunday near tents where pro-Palestinian students were staying around the clock.
Pro-Israel protesters who arrived for a “Stand in Support of Jewish Students” rally said their goal was to “stand against hatred and anti-Semitism.” The counter-protest was organized by the Israeli-American Council, whose leader Elan Carr urged demonstrators to remain peaceful, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“We don’t want violence,” Carr told the crowd as the rally ended. “Don’t participate. You go straight to your cars and move quietly. Can we agree?”
Across town, the University of Southern California said it was open Sunday after administrators closed the campus a day earlier due to what the school called vandalism and disruptions.
USC was criticized after refusing to allow this year’s class valedictorian, who has publicly supported the Palestinian cause, to deliver a commencement address. Administrators then canceled filmmaker Jon M. Chu’s keynote speech. Last week, the school announced the cancellation of its main graduation event, a day after more than 90 protesters were arrested by police in riot gear.
In the northern part of the state, officials on Saturday ordered a “forced hard closure” of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Two halls remained occupied by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The school said Sunday that the cost of the occupancy is estimated to be in the millions, including damage caused by “theft, vandalism and graffiti.”
Washington University in St. Louis locked down some campus buildings and arrested protesters on Saturday. Photos showed uniformed police trying to remove masked protesters, while others, also wearing masks, linked arms to thwart the efforts.
The university said in a statement that more than 100 people, including 23 students and four university employees, have been arrested on suspicion of trespassing. Megan Green, president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, said in a social media post that she was present and that the protest remained calm “until the police came in as an ambush.”
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein said in a social media post that she and two of her campaign managers were among those arrested.
The university’s statement defended the action, saying protesters “did not have good intentions on our campus and that this demonstration had the potential to spiral out of control and become dangerous.”
Some of those arrested also face charges of resisting arrest and assault stemming from injuries suffered by three police officers, including a severe concussion, a broken finger and a groin injury, the statement said.
The Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the arrests as “heavy-handed.”
Riot police cleared an encampment on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston on Saturday.
About 102 protesters were arrested and face charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct, Massachusetts State Police said.
Northeastern said in a statement that the demonstration, which began two days ago, was “infiltrated by professional organizers” with no ties to the university and used anti-Semitic slurs, including “kill the Jews.”
The student group Huskies for a Free Palestine disputed the university’s statement, saying in a statement that counter-protesters were responsible for the insults and that no student demonstrators “repeated the disgusting hate speech.”
Students at the Boston protest said a counterprotester tried to incite hate speech but insisted their event was peaceful.
___
Beck reported from Omaha, Nebraska, and Thompson reported from Buffalo, New York. Associated Press journalists in various locations contributed, including Christopher Weber, Jacques Billeaud, Aaron Morrison, Stefanie Dazio, Kathy McCormack, Jim Vertuno, Acacia Coronado, Sudhin Thanawala, Jeff Amy, Jeff Martin, Mike Stewart, Collin Binkley, Jake Offenhartz, Jesse Bedayn and Sophia Tareen.