Campus authorities prepare for heightened tensions as graduation ceremonies unfold in the coming weeks, anticipating further unrest
Pro-Palestinian rallies at colleges and universities across the United States have led to the arrest of nearly 2,500 individuals, as reported by various media outlets.
CNN’s latest report, published on Sunday, reveals that the number of arrests made since April 18 has exceeded 2,200. Meanwhile, a similar report by Fox News indicates that the total arrests have climbed to over 2,400.
With graduation ceremonies underway, demonstrations are expected to persist in the coming weeks. In response, campus authorities are bolstering police presence and, in some instances, opting to cancel commencement events altogether.
In California, law enforcement in Los Angeles disbanded a protest encampment at the University of Southern California (USC) on Sunday, though no arrests were reported. USC has also canceled its primary graduation ceremony due to security apprehensions.
Pro-Palestinian protesters gather at DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Quad on May 5 , 2024 in Chicago, prompting a heavy police presence to prevent further escalation (AA)
The situation turned tense at Chicago’s DePaul University in Illinois as pro-Palestinian supporters clashed with counter-protesters on Sunday. Although authorities refrained from making arrests, multiple injuries were reported during the altercation.
Pro-Palestinian protesters gather at DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Quad on May 5 , 2024 in Chicago, prompting a heavy police presence to prevent further escalation (AA)
Around 25 demonstrators were arrested at a pro-Palestinian rally held at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Saturday. Police dismantled a tent encampment erected by students following the declaration of an unlawful assembly near the campus center.
Hundreds of protesters were met with police in riot gear on the campus in Charlottesville, Va., and some were arrested (AP)
Elsewhere in Michigan, authorities intervened to remove a group of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan’s main commencement in Ann Arbor on Saturday, briefly disrupting the ceremony. No arrests were made.
April 30 and May 2 hit record
April 30 marked the highest single-day arrest count, with over 400 individuals detained at college campuses nationwide.
In a letter to senior NYPD officials, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the administration requested that police remove protesters from the occupied building and a nearby tent encampment “with the utmost regret.”
Columbia University in New York reported the highest number of arrests, totaling 282, marking it as the focal point of the pro-Palestinian rallies.
New York Police Department officers enter the Columbia University building and detain pro-Palestinian demonstrators as they had barricaded themselves to iconic Hamilton Hall building in New York, United States on April 30, 2024 (AA)
Protesters entered Hamilton Hall, which they have renamed “Hind’s Hall” in memory of 6-year-old Palestinian Hind Rajab, who was brutally killed in Gaza, early Tuesday morning and maintained they would not leave the building unless their demands are met.
Police use a special vehicle to enter Hamilton Hall which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the campus of Columbia University, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, U.S., April 30, 2024.
The second biggest arrest total happened on May 2, with more than 250 protesters arrested nationwide.
Police advance on pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the UCLA campus Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Most of those arrests were made at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where protests turned violent and multiple people were injured, forcing the university to cancel classes for the week.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers detain protestors while clearing a pro-Palestinian encampment after dispersal orders were given at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus on May 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (AFP) The camp was declared ‘unlawful’ by the university and scores of protestors who refused to leave were detained during the operation.
UCLA will resume classes on Monday and has created a new office for campus safety to prevent future violent situations.
Crews clean up the encampment occupied by Palestinian supporters at UCLA on Thursday, May 2, 2024. At around 3:30am law enforcement began arresting the supporters who had been camped out on the quad in front of Royce Hall for about a week. 132 occupiers were taken into custody and clean-up of the area began immediately. (AP)
