Hundreds of students have been apprehended across universities in the United States as protesters continue to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from companies enabling Israel’s nearly seven-month war on the Palestinian enclave.
On Sunday, cops were heavily present on college campuses, with some resorting to chemical irritants and Tasers to scatter the students. Meanwhile, protests against the ongoing bombing of the Gaza Strip and calls for an end to US military support for Israel were observed at several institutions.
Africa Today News, New York gathered in Boston, police detained about 100 people while clearing a protest camp at Northeastern University, with social media posts showing security forces in riot gear and officers loading tents onto the back of a truck.
In a statement on X, Northeastern said the area on campus where the protests were held was now “fully secured” and “all campus operations have returned to normal”.
Read Also: Hamas Publishes Video Of Two Israeli Captives Held In Gaza
The school said its move came after “what began as a student demonstration two days ago was infiltrated by professional organisers with no affiliation to Northeastern”. It added that detained individuals who produced a valid school ID were released and will face disciplinary proceedings, not legal action.
Northeastern claimed that “Kill the Jews” was heared at the protests, using the chants to justify the crackdown on demonstrators by security forces.
However, members of the pro-Palestinian protest movement at the university pushed back on those claims, and video posted from the site appears to show people holding Israeli flags using the slur, in an apparent attempt to antagonise pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
In Bloomington in the Midwest, the Indiana University Police Department arrested 23 people as they cleared a campus protest camp, the Indiana Daily Student newspaper reported.
On the opposite side of the country, the Arizona State University Police Department arrested 69 people for trespassing after the group set up an “unauthorised encampment” on campus.