4 weeks ago
Hundreds arrested astatine protests complete Gaza
Chaos erupted overnight arsenic constabulary tried to break up a pro-Palestinian encampment astatine Emerson College successful Boston, nan latest flashpoint successful a growing movement connected assemblage campuses astir nan state protesting Israel's warfare against Hamas successful Gaza. Hundreds of group person been arrested successful Massachusetts, Texas and California during nan tense protests, pursuing several rounds of arrests successful New York successful caller days.
At Emerson, 108 group were arrested and 4 constabulary officers suffered injuries that were not life-threatening astatine nan encampment, Boston constabulary said Thursday. Those arrested were expected to look successful Boston Municipal Court.
Police move successful to apprehension pro-Palestinian supporters who were blocking nan roadworthy aft nan Emerson College protestation campy was cleared by constabulary successful Boston, Massachusetts, April 25, 2024.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
In adjacent Cambridge, Harvard University had sought to enactment up of protests this week by limiting entree to Harvard Yard and requiring support for tents and tables. That didn't extremity protesters from setting up a camp pinch 14 tents Wednesday pursuing a rally against nan university's suspension of nan Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.
Students protesting nan Israel-Hamas warfare are demanding schools trim financial ties to Israel and divest from companies enabling its monthslong conflict. Some Jewish students opportunity nan protests person veered into antisemitism and made them acrophobic to group ft connected field arsenic graduation nears, partially prompting a heavier manus from universities.
Harvard rule student Tala Alfoqaha, who is Palestinian, said she and different protesters want much transparency from nan university.
"My dream is that nan Harvard management listens to what its students person been asking for each year, which is divestment, disclosure and dropping immoderate benignant of charges against students," she said.
USC protests
Another 93 group were arrested Wednesday nighttime during a protestation astatine nan University of Southern California and accused of trespassing, nan Los Angeles Police Department said. There were nary reports of injuries.
Tensions were already precocious astatine USC aft nan assemblage canceled a planned commencement reside by nan school's pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing information concerns. After scuffles pinch constabulary early Wednesday, a fewer twelve demonstrators opinionated successful a circle pinch locked arms were detained 1 by 1 without incident later successful nan evening.
Officers encircled nan dwindling group sitting successful defiance of an earlier informing to disperse aliases beryllium arrested. Beyond nan constabulary line, hundreds of onlookers watched arsenic helicopters buzzed overhead. The schoolhouse closed nan campus.
"Both sides of my family were displaced from Palestine, and I'm present utilizing my sound because my grandparents couldn't," protester Randa Sweiss told CBS Los Angeles.
University of Southern California information officers effort to disperse students protesting Israel's warfare successful Gaza, astatine nan school's Alumni Park successful Los Angeles, California, April 24, 2024.
Reuters/Zaydee Sanchez
In Northern California, students astatine California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, barricaded wrong a building for a 3rd day, and nan schoolhouse unopen down field done nan play and made classes virtual.
UT Austin protests
At the University of Texas astatine Austin, hundreds of section and authorities constabulary — including immoderate connected horseback and holding batons — moved against protesters Wednesday, astatine 1 constituent sending immoderate tumbling into nan street. Officers pushed their measurement into nan crowd and made 34 arrests astatine nan behest of nan assemblage and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, according to nan authorities Department of Public Safety.
A photographer covering nan objection for Fox 7 Austin was successful nan push-and-pull erstwhile an serviceman yanked him backward to nan ground, video shows. The position confirmed that nan photographer was arrested. A longtime Texas journalist was knocked down successful nan mayhem and could beryllium seen bleeding earlier constabulary helped him to emergency aesculapian staff.
Dane Urquhart, a third-year Texas student, called nan constabulary beingness and arrests an "overreaction," adding that nan protestation "would person stayed peaceful" if nan officers had not turned retired successful force.
University of Texas constabulary detain a man astatine a protestation complete Israel's warfare successful Gaza astatine nan University of Texas successful Austin, Texas, April 24, 2024.
Jay Janner/Austin Statesman/USA Today Network via Reuters
"Because of each nan arrests, I deliberation a batch much (demonstrations) are going to happen," Urquhart said.
Police near aft hours of efforts to power nan crowd, and astir 300 demonstrators moved backmost successful to beryllium connected nan writer and chant nether nan school's iconic timepiece tower.
In a connection Wednesday night, nan university's president, Jay Hartzell, said: "Our rules matter, and they will beryllium enforced. Our University will not beryllium occupied."
A student stares astatine a statement of Texas authorities troopers arsenic students protestation nan Israel-Hamas warfare connected nan field of nan University of Texas successful Austin, Texas, connected April 24, 2024.
Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images
Columbia University protests
While grappling pinch increasing protests from seashore to coast, schools person nan added unit of May commencement ceremonies coming up. At Columbia University successful New York, students defiantly erected an encampment wherever galore are group to postgraduate successful beforehand of families successful conscionable a fewer weeks.
Columbia continued to negotiate pinch students aft respective grounded attempts to clear nan encampment and complete 100 arrests successful caller days.
The assemblage averted different confrontation betwixt students and constabulary Wednesday. University President Minouche Shafik had group connected Tuesday a midnight deadline to scope an statement connected clearing an encampment, but nan schoolhouse extended negotiations for different 48 hours.
Students hole to walk different nighttime maintaining a protestation encampment successful support of Palestinians connected nan Columbia University field successful New York City, April 24, 2024.
Reuters/Caitlin Ochs
On a sojourn to field Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called connected Shafik to resign "if she cannot instantly bring bid to this chaos."
He claimed nan assemblage is being taken complete by a extremist and utmost ideology, citing respective caller incidents of antisemitic connection by protesters connected and disconnected campus.
"We request nan National Guard, rule enforcement aliases personification to travel successful present and return control," Johnson told CBS News analogous Nancy Chen. "Desperate times telephone for hopeless measures."
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul accused Johnson of politicizing nan protestation by coming to field and said she has nary plans to telephone successful nan National Guard for now.
On Wednesday evening, a Columbia spokesperson said rumors that nan assemblage had threatened to bring successful nan National Guard were unfounded. "Our attraction is to reconstruct order, and if we tin get location done dialogue, we will," said Ben Chang, Columbia's vice president for communications.
Columbia postgraduate student Omer Lubaton Granot, who put up pictures of Israeli hostages adjacent nan encampment, said he wanted to punctual group that location were much than 100 hostages still being held by Hamas.
"I spot each nan group down maine advocating for quality rights," he said. "I don't deliberation they person 1 connection to opportunity astir nan truth that group their age, that were kidnapped from their homes aliases from a euphony show successful Israel, are held by a panic organization."
On Wednesday astir 60 tents remained astatine nan Columbia encampment, which appeared calm. Security remained tight astir campus, pinch recognition required and constabulary mounting up metallic barricades.
Columbia said it had reached an statement pinch protestation representatives that only students would stay astatine nan encampment, and that nan protesters "have taken steps to make nan encampment invited to each and person prohibited discriminatory aliases harassing language."
Elsewhere successful Manhattan, astatine New York University this week, constabulary said 133 protesters were taken into custody. And connected Monday, much than 40 protesters were arrested astatine an encampment astatine Yale University in Hew Haven, Connecticut, and charged pinch criminal trespass, a misdemeanor.
- In:
- Massachusetts
- War
- Hamas
- Israel
- Protests
- Boston
- Texas
- California
