Hundreds more protestors have been arrested at college campuses across the US on Saturday as student uprisings continued against the war in Gaza. The protestors are demanding institutions boycott companies and individuals with ties to Israel. The protests were sparked by anger at Israel's offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians.
The Israeli military launched the offensive after about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, were killed and 253 others were taken to Gaza as hostages, when Hamas attacked Israeli communities near Gaza on October 7 last year.
Tents first appeared on the college green at Columbia on April 17. The protests then spread across the country after police in riot gear were sent to clear the tents, arresting more than 100 students. Shortly after, students erected another protest camp at Yale University in Connecticut.
The protests have seen in-person teaching cancelled and graduation ceremonies postponed. California State Polytechnic became the latest university to announced it would move to remote teaching.
On Saturday, over 100 protestors were arrested at Northeastern University in Boston for trespassing by the Massachusetts State Police after refusing to clear their tents from college grounds. Protest leaders strongly reject allegations that the demonstrations had been infiltrated by professional agitators with no connection to the university and that anti-semitic slurs were being used.
At USC, pro-Palestinian demonstrators returned to campus days after police were called to clear a protest at the university's Alumni Park. The protest was mostly peaceful but the university administration reported "vandalism" to campus property "by individuals who are part of the group that has continued to illegally camp" on the campus.
Twenty-three people were arrested at Indiana University on Saturday. Other campuses, including Columbia and Emory University in Georgia, were reportedly quieter Saturday.
A luta continua.
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