During the night, chaos unfolded as authorities attempted to disband a pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College in Boston, marking the latest hotspot in a growing movement on college grounds nationwide protesting Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza. In Massachusetts, Texas, and California, hundreds of individuals have been detained amid the tense demonstrations, following multiple rounds of arrests in New York in recent times.
At Emerson, a total of 108 individuals were taken into custody, and four police officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident at the encampment, as reported by Boston law enforcement on Thursday. The detained individuals were scheduled to make court appearances at Boston Municipal Court.
Meanwhile, in the vicinity of Cambridge, Harvard University had taken preemptive measures this week to curb protests by restricting access to Harvard Yard and mandating authorization for tents and tables. Nevertheless, demonstrators managed to establish a camp comprising 14 tents on Wednesday subsequent to a demonstration against the university's suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.
Students advocating against the Israel-Hamas conflict are urging educational institutions to sever financial connections with Israel and disinvest from businesses supporting its prolonged conflict. Some Jewish students have expressed that the protests have veered into antisemitic behavior, instilling fear in them as they approach graduation and partly prompting a firmer stance from universities.
Harvard law student Tala Alfoqaha, who is Palestinian, said she and other protesters want more transparency from the university.
"My hope is that the Harvard administration listens to what its students have been asking for all year, which is divestment, disclosure and dropping any sort of charges against students," she said.
USC protests
Another 93 people were arrested Wednesday night during a protest at the University of Southern California Tensions were already high at USC after the university canceled a planned commencement speech by the school's pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing safety concerns. After scuffles with police early Wednesday, a few dozen demonstrators standing in a circle with locked arms were detained one by one without incident later in the evening. Officers encircled the dwindling group sitting in defiance of an earlier warning to disperse or be arrested. Beyond the police line, hundreds of onlookers watched as helicopters buzzed overhead. The school closed the campus. "Both sides of my family were displaced from Palestine, and I'm here using my voice because my grandparents couldn't," protester Randa Sweiss told CBS Los Angeles. At the University of Texas at Austin, hundreds of local and state police — including some on horseback and holding batons — moved against protesters Wednesday, at one point sending some tumbling into the street. Officers pushed their way into the crowd and made 34 arrests at the behest of the university and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, according to the state Department of Public Safety. A photographer covering the demonstration for Fox 7 Austin was in the push-and-pull when an officer yanked him backward to the ground, video shows. The station confirmed that the photographer was arrested. A longtime Texas journalist was knocked down in the mayhem and could be seen bleeding before police helped him to emergency medical staff. Dane Urquhart, a third-year Texas student, called the police presence and arrests an "overreaction," adding that the protest "would have stayed peaceful" if the officers had not turned out in force. "Because of all the arrests, I think a lot more (demonstrations) are going to happen," Urquhart said. Police left after hours of efforts to control the crowd, and about 300 demonstrators moved back in to sit on the grass and chant under the school's iconic clock tower. In a declaration on Wednesday evening, the university's president, Jay Hartzell, proclaimed: "Our regulations are significant, and they will be upheld. Our University will not be overtaken." Amid mounting protests across the nation, educational institutions face the additional strain of impending May graduation ceremonies. At Columbia University in New York, students boldly established a camp where many are scheduled to graduate in front of their families in just a few weeks. Columbia remained in discussions with students following multiple unsuccessful attempts to disband the camp and over 100 arrests in recent days. The university managed to avoid another clash between students and law enforcement on Wednesday. University President Minouche Shafik had initially set a midnight deadline on Tuesday to come to an agreement on dismantling the camp, but negotiations were extended for an additional 48 hours. During a visit to the campus on Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, urged Shafik to step down "if she is unable to promptly restore order to this turmoil." He alleged that the university is being overrun by a radical and extreme ideology, pointing to several recent instances of antisemitic remarks made by protesters on and off campus. "We require the intervention of the National Guard, law enforcement, or some authoritative entity to come in and take charge," Johnson stated to CBS News correspondent Nancy Chen. "Desperate situations call for drastic actions." During a recent protest at Columbia University, New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized Johnson for politicizing the event by visiting the campus. She mentioned that there are currently no plans to involve the National Guard. Addressing the situation, a spokesperson from Columbia denied rumors of considering the National Guard, emphasizing the university's focus on restoring order through dialogue. Ben Chang, the vice president for communications at Columbia, stated, "Our focus is to restore order, and if we can get there through dialogue, we will." One of the Columbia graduate students, Omer Lubaton Granot, displayed images of Israeli hostages near the protest site to raise awareness about the ongoing situation. Granot highlighted the plight of over 100 hostages still held by Hamas, expressing disappointment in the lack of attention from the protesters advocating for human rights. Despite the tensions, the Columbia encampment appeared calm with around 60 tents remaining. Security measures remained stringent on campus, including the requirement for identification and the installation of metal barricades by the police. Columbia reported reaching an agreement with protest representatives to allow only students to stay at the encampment. Additionally, the university stated that measures had been taken to promote inclusivity and prevent discriminatory or harassing behavior within the protest area. At a different location in Manhattan, specifically at New York University, law enforcement reported that 133 demonstrators were apprehended this week. Additionally, on Monday, over 40 protesters were detained at a camp set up at Yale University in Hew Haven, Connecticut. They were charged with criminal trespass, which is considered a misdemeanor offense.
Unrest at Columbia University
New York Governor Accuses Johnson of Politicizing Protest at Columbia University
