Over 700 pro-Palestine protesters arrested in US college crackdown
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The United States has thus far arrested more than 700 pro-Palestinian protesters as universities all over the US are protesting the Israeli genocide.
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People block views from members of the media at pro-Palestine demonstration encampment at Columbia University, April 26, 2024, in New York (AP)
Over 700 protesters have been arrested across college campuses in the United States since mid-April, fueled by growing frustration over Washington's support of the Israeli occupation's genocide that has been ongoing against Gaza over the past six months.
The rallies, predominantly led by students, have rippled across the nation, with The New York Times reporting a fresh wave of protests following the arrest of at least 108 demonstrators at Columbia University in New York City.
According to estimates by US media, since April 17, arrests have been made at various prestigious institutions, including 44 students at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut; 93 individuals at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles; 118 at Emerson College in Boston; 102 at Northeastern University, also in Boston; and 69 at Arizona State University in Tempe.
These demonstrations have seen paramount police brutality wherein police officers are assaulting and arresting students and even staff for peacefully protesting the Israeli genocide.
Protests ongoing despite suppression
Student protests advocating for Gaza and denouncing Israeli aggression persist across American universities. In a recent development, the administration of George Washington University notified protesters that their actions violated university policies.
On the other hand, students at the university rebuffed ongoing efforts to misrepresent the student movement by labeling it as 'anti-Semitic.'
From Washington to New York, New York University students established a new solidarity camp with Gaza following the removal of their previous camp in Gold Plaza by the police.
Students at Northwestern University in Chicago, USA, have joined a campaign of progressive sit-ins within scientific institutes, calling for an end to investments by various university administrations with "Israel."
Renewed confrontations between the police and students opposing the Israeli war on Gaza have sparked concerns about the use of violent methods to suppress protests. Hence, tensions have escalated since the arrest of dozens at Columbia University last week.
Activists report that in the past two days, law enforcement authorities, acting at the behest of college administrations, employed electric stun guns and tear gas against student demonstrators at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Meanwhile, police in riot gear and mounted on horses dispersed protesters at the University of Texas at Austin.
