Clashes escalate at campus protests nationwide as law enforcement makes mass arrests
By Chris Isidore, CNN
New York (CNN) — From New York to Los Angeles, college campus protests against the war in Gaza turned violent Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning as police sought to clear campuses of protesters in many locations, leading to mass arrests.
Protesters opposed to Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza have been setting up encampments on campuses across the nation in solidarity, and calling on universities to divest from companies they say are supporting those military efforts. There have been clashes and arrests before Tuesday. But the conflicts on numerous campuses escalated overnight Tuesday and into early Wednesday.
Here’s a rundown of some of the confrontations that took place:
Columbia University and City College of New York
New York City police used flash-bang grenades to breach the building that had had been occupied by protestors at Columbia University. The flash grenades emit a bright flash and a very loud bang and are typically used to shock and disorient. The police then broke into the occupied building. Nobody was wounded during the operation, according to the NYPD.
Officers arrested more than 200 protesters overnight at Columbia and made dozens of additional arrests at City College of New York located about a mile north in Manhattan, according to law enforcement sources.
Columbia announced the NYPD could stay on campus through at least May 17, past the university’s commencement ceremony now scheduled for May 15.
UCLA
Unlike the protests at other schools, clashes took place between pro-Palestinian protesters, who had set up an encampment on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, and pro-Israel counter-protesters who stormed barricades set up to the separate the two groups.
An editor for the UCLA student newspaper, the Daily Bruin, told CNN she has heard reports of pipes, Tasers and pepper spray being used in the violent confrontation.
“As of the moment, it’s very difficult for us to confirm which sides these sprays are coming from, but we’re hearing it’s coming more from the counter protester side,” Anna Dai-Liu, an editor for the Daily Bruin, told CNN.
University of Arizona
University police deployed what it termed “chemical irritant munitions” to clear protesters from an area on campus for what it said was “unlawful assembly.”
The police department instructed the public and students to avoid the areas in posts on its Web site at about 10 pm local time. An hour later it said that the area had been cleared.
Tulane University
University officials announced that classes there would be held remotely on Wednesday after university police, New Orleans police and Louisiana State Police launched a coordinated effort overnight to remove protestors who had erected an encampment on the campus.
“The overwhelming majority of the protestors are unaffiliated with our community,” said the university’s statement.
It also said that at least 14 protesters were arrested, including two Tulane students.
Brown University
An exception to the escalating conflict was at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Protesters ended an encampment earlier Tuesday evening after student leaders of the movement reached an agreement with the administration to have the issue of divestment from companies supporting Israel brought up for a vote by the university’s corporation.
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