University protests over Israel-Hamas war lead to more clashes

Ohio State University joined nan growing list of assemblage protests against Israel's warfare against Hamas successful Gaza. Clashes betwixt protesters and constabulary connected nan field overnight resulted successful complete a twelve arrests.

Those who refused to time off aft warnings were arrested and charged pinch criminal trespass, said assemblage spokesperson Benjamin Johnson, citing rules barring overnight events.

Police effort to break up protests complete Israel's warfare against Hamas successful Gaza, astatine Ohio State University successful Columbus, Ohio, April 25, 2024. Cole Behrens/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network via Reuters

As nan death toll mounts successful nan warfare successful Gaza and nan humanitarian situation worsens, protesters astatine universities crossed nan state are demanding schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies they opportunity are enabling nan conflict. Some Jewish students opportunity nan protests person veered into antisemitism and made them acrophobic to group ft connected campus, partially prompting nan calls for constabulary intervention.

Saar Noy Zylberman, a Jewish student astatine Columbia University successful New York City who grew up successful Israel, told CBS News analogous Nancy Chen connected Thursday that galore students knew group astatine nan euphony show that was targeted successful Hamas' deadly panic onslaught past year.

"And adding to that nan business wherever group shriek hateful reside who person harassed and attacked some verbally and physically people, it's conscionable making it intolerable to beryllium here," Zylberman told Chen.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said constabulary officers were deed pinch bottles and different objects astatine immoderate of this week's protests. He blamed extracurricular agitators for joining successful pinch genuine protesters. Officials astatine Emory University successful Atlanta and nan University of Texas astatine Austin person said that not everyone astatine their schools' protests were students and that extracurricular groups initiated aliases joined nan demonstrations.

At Emory, section and authorities constabulary swept successful to dismantle an encampment Thursday. Some officers carried semiautomatic weapons, and video shows officers appearing to usage a stun weapon connected 1 protester they had pinned to nan ground. The assemblage said precocious Thursday that objects were thrown astatine officers and they deployed "chemical irritants" arsenic a crowd power measure.

Jail records showed 22 group arrested by Emory constabulary were charged pinch disorderly conduct. Emory said it had been notified that 28 group were arrested, including 20 members of nan assemblage community, and immoderate were released.

Police officers apprehension a demonstrator during a protestation against nan warfare successful Gaza astatine Emory University connected April 25, 2024, successful Atlanta, Georgia. Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images

In Texas, nan UT Austin field was overmuch calmer Thursday aft 57 group were jailed and charged pinch criminal trespass a time earlier, erstwhile authorities troopers successful riot cogwheel and connected horseback bulldozed into protesters.

Both constabulary and protesters person astatine times crossed a line, said Greg Lukianoff, nan president of nan Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

"You don't person a generalized First Amendment correct to, you know, move nan nationalist area of a field into a camping ground," Lukianoff told CBS News. "But decidedly we've seen astatine places for illustration Emory and places for illustration UT Austin, constabulary taking things much, overmuch excessively far."

At UT Austin, officials person since pulled backmost barricades and allowed demonstrators onto nan main quadrate beneath nan school's iconic timepiece tower. The Travis County Attorney's Office, which prosecutes misdemeanor crimes, dropped 46 cases stemming from Wednesday's protests aft uncovering deficiencies successful nan probable origin affidavits, a spokesperson said successful a statement.

Protesters stitchery for a 2nd time astatine nan University of Texas, Austin, successful Austin, Texas, April 25, 2024. Reuters/Nuri Vallbona

Most detained demonstrators person not been charged pinch convulsive offenses, but location person been respective instances of threatening and abusive behavior.

After a shelter encampment popped up Thursday astatine Indiana University Bloomington, constabulary pinch shields and batons shoved into protesters and arrested 33. Hours later astatine nan University of Connecticut, constabulary tore down tents and arrested 1 person.

The timepiece is ticking arsenic May commencement ceremonies near, putting added unit connected schools to clear demonstrations. At Columbia, protesters defiantly erected a shelter encampment wherever galore are group to postgraduate successful beforehand of families successful conscionable a fewer weeks.

Columbia officials said that negotiations were showing advancement arsenic nan school's self-imposed early Friday deadline to scope an statement connected dismantling nan encampment came and went. Nevertheless, 2 constabulary buses were parked adjacent and location was a noticeable beingness of backstage information and constabulary astatine entrances to nan campus.

"We person our demands; they person theirs," said Ben Chang, a spokesperson for Columbia University, adding that if nan talks neglect nan assemblage will person to see different options.

Just past midnight, a group of immoderate 3 twelve pro-Palestinian protesters handed retired signs and started chanting extracurricular of nan locked Columbia University gates. They past marched distant arsenic astatine slightest 40 constabulary officers assembled nearby.

On Friday morning, hundreds of counterprotesters gathered connected nan streets extracurricular Columbia, galore holding Israeli flags and chanting for nan hostages being held by Hamas and different militants to beryllium released.

People clasp signs and Israeli and American flags astatine a pro-Israel rally held successful support of hostages taken connected Oct. 7, 2023, extracurricular of Columbia University connected April 26, 2024, successful New York City. Adam Gray/Getty Images

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, has been negotiating pinch students who person been barricaded wrong a field building since Monday, rebuffing an effort by nan constabulary to clear them out. Faculty members met pinch protesters Thursday to effort to discuss a solution arsenic nan field remains unopen down astatine slightest done nan weekend.

A dean astatine nan school, Jeff Crane, suggested during nan gathering that nan assemblage shape a committee that would see students to do a heavy dive into nan school's investments. Crane besides suggested module and students proceed gathering each 24 hours to support an unfastened statement of communication. The sides person yet to denote an agreement.

The school's legislature of module and unit demanded nan university's president resign successful a ballot of nary assurance Thursday, citing nan determination to telephone constabulary successful to region immoderate barricaded students Monday.

On nan different extremity of nan state, nan University of Southern California canceled nan school's May 10 graduation ceremony. The announcement was made a time aft much than 90 protesters were arrested connected campus. The assemblage said it will still big dozens of commencement events, including each nan accepted individual schoolhouse commencement ceremonies.

Tensions were already precocious aft USC canceled a planned commencement reside by nan school's pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing information concerns.

At nan City College of New York connected Thursday, hundreds of students who were gathered connected nan section beneath nan Harlem campus' famed gothic buildings erupted successful cheers aft a mini contingent of constabulary officers retreated from nan scene. In 1 area of nan quad, a "security training" was held among students.

Elsewhere successful nan city, astir a twelve protesters spent nan nighttime successful tents and sleeping bags wrong a building astatine nan Fashion Institute of Technology. The institute's museum, which is located successful nan building wherever nan demonstrators group up camp, was closed Friday.

Protesters besides stayed overnight astatine nan encampment astatine George Washington University, according to section news stations. In a connection aft nan Thursday evening deadline to disperse, nan assemblage successful Washington said nan encampment violated assemblage policies and that nan management and constabulary were figuring retired really to reside nan situation.

At Emerson College successful Boston, 108 group were arrested astatine an encampment by early Thursday. Video shows constabulary first informing students successful an alleyway to leave. Students linked arms to defy officers, who moved forcefully done nan crowd and threw immoderate protesters to nan ground.

"As nan nighttime progressed, it sewage tenser and tenser. There were conscionable much cops connected each sides. It felt for illustration we were being slow pushed successful and crushed," said Ocean Muir, a sophomore.

Muir said constabulary lifted her by her arms and legs and carried her away. Along pinch different students, Muir was charged Thursday pinch trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Boston constabulary said 4 officers suffered injuries that were not life-threatening during nan confrontation.

Since nan Israel-Hamas warfare began, nan U.S. Education Department has launched civilian authorities investigations into dozens of universities and schools successful consequence to complaints of antisemitism aliases Islamophobia. Among those nether investigation are galore colleges facing protests, including Harvard and Columbia.

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• Hamas
• Israel
• Protests
• Texas
• California