Devendra Kumar
A pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia University was brought to a dramatic halt on Tuesday night when riot police burst into a building occupied by protesters and made hundreds of arrests. The demonstration, which had paralyzed the university, was sparked by the Israeli offensive in Gaza and calls for the university to divest from companies that support the war.
The protesters had seized Hamilton Hall, a second-floor window, and set up a tent encampment on the campus. Despite an ultimatum from the university to abandon the encampment, the protesters refused, leading to the police intervention. New York City officers entered the campus late on Tuesday after the university requested help, and nearly 300 people were arrested in police crackdowns on the protests at Columbia University and City College.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said that about 170 of the 280 arrested at Columbia University and City College have received summonses. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, clashes broke out between rival groups at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) early on Wednesday. UCLA officials said that people threw chairs and shoved and kicked each other, and some beat others with sticks.
As the protests continue to spread to other universities across the country, police have been swift to respond, with over 1,000 arrests made in the last two weeks. In some cases, university officials and protest leaders have struck agreements to limit the disruption to campus life, but in other cases, the clashes have been intense and violent.
The protests, which began at Columbia University, are part of a larger movement calling for universities to divest from companies that support the war in Gaza. Proponents argue that the demonstrations are peaceful and aimed at defending Palestinian rights, while critics have accused them of being antisemitic. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether the protests will inspire an easing of tensions or further escalate the conflict.