Police detain 100 as pro-Palestine camp cleared at US university
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The school is accusing the students of using antisemitic slurs to justify their arrests.
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Authorities detain a protester on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestine demonstration in Atlanta on April 25, 2024. (AP)
Police arrested more than 100 individuals Saturday morning as they moved in to dismantle a pro-Palestine protest camp at Northeastern University in Boston due to what the school describes as "antisemitic slurs."
The school took action when demonstrators used alleged "virulent antisemitic slurs, including 'Kill the Jews,' which crossed the line," according to a statement on X. The school failed to provide any evidence to its claims.
— Northeastern U. (@Northeastern) April 27, 2024
In recent days, police have made a lot of arrests at universities, often dispersing protestors with tasers and chemical irritants.
Northeastern said in a statement that school police, assisted by local law enforcement, entered the area on Saturday in order to remove "an unauthorized encampment" from the campus.
It further stated that those who were detained but presented a legitimate school ID were freed and will now face disciplinary actions rather than legal action.
The school added, "Those who refused to disclose their affiliation were arrested."
Following more than 100 arrests last week, Columbia University in New York, the site of the protests, declared on Friday that it would not be bringing police back to campus.
"To bring back the NYPD at this time would be counterproductive, further inflaming what is happening on campus, and drawing thousands to our doorstep who would threaten our community," the leaders of the school said in a statement, referring to the New York Police Department.
Po-Israeli Congressmembers have run out of ways to silence pro-Palestine movements on college campuses in the US and have thus resorted to punishing them for alleged antisemitism.
Democratic US Congressman Ritchie Torres announced on Friday that he will introduce legislation to establish so-called anti-Semitism monitors for federally financed institutions in the United States, amid growing pro-Palestine demonstrations on campuses around the country.
The proposal, College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability (COLUMBIA) Act, would allow the US Education Department to deploy anti-Semitism monitors to federally funded higher education institutions, Torres reported.
The bill's title refers to pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University, which have gotten widespread media coverage and provoked false charges of anti-Semitism by supporters of "Israel."
The university anti-Semitism monitors would be funded by the monitored school, according to the statement, and institutions that do not comply with the monitoring would forfeit government funds.
The US Congressman must have forgotten one of the most important tenets of the US Constitution which backs and protects freedom of speech and expression.
Read more: List of US colleges advocating for divestment from 'Israel': Newsweek
As student protests and movements increasingly gained momentum, hundreds of arrests were made as police tried to thwart their efforts, and the government mobilized to introduce legislations that would ultimately punish those participating.
US police continues to beat up University students across America.🇺🇸
— Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis) April 26, 2024
Is it clear who the terrorist is? pic.twitter.com/0MTUqeZBsW
Israeli lobbyists and the Israeli government are relentlessly pressuring US government officials to take more action against such movements in an effort to silence the criticism targeted toward "Israel" and demands to divest from the occupation.
Democratic US Congressman Ritchie Torres announced on Friday that he will introduce legislation to establish so-called anti-Semitism monitors for federally financed institutions in the United States, amid growing pro-Palestine demonstrations on campuses around the country.
However, pro-Palestine voices have not been silenced despite all attempts to muffle their calls. In this context, it is worth mentioning the significant and prominent steps some student movements and university organizations have recently taken to divert from "Israel" and its web of affiliations.
