Pro-Palestinian protests began from Columbia University more than a week ago
Pro-Palestinian protests continued to swell on college campuses in the US as authorities arrested around 275 people over the weekend. The demonstrations that began at Columbia University in New York more than a week ago have since spread rapidly.
Here Are Top 10 Points On Pro-Palestine Protests In US
Pro-Palestinian protests at US universities, triggered by Israel’s war against Hamas, spread over the weekend as police crackdowns and arrests continued into another week.
Peace prevailed on many campuses but police arrested around 275 people on four separate campuses. They include 100 at Northeastern University in Boston, 80 at Washington University in St Louis, 72 at Arizona State University, and 23 at Indiana University.
Clashes between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators were reported at UCLA, where a tent encampment was set up last week.
The nationwide protests have caught the attention of President Joe Biden with the White House saying the demonstrations must remain peaceful.
Protesters also unfurled an enormous Palestinian flag from a top-floor window at the Washington Hilton Hotel, the venue of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The campus activists are calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas and want colleges to sever ties with the country and with companies they say profit from the conflict in Gaza.
The protests pose a major challenge to university administrators who are trying to balance commitments to free expression with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and hate speech.
Joe Biden spoke on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “reiterated his clear position” on a possible invasion of the Gaza border city of Rafah.
The Israel-Hamas war broke out after Hamas operatives staged an unprecedented attack on Israeli towns on October 7 and left around 1,170 people dead. They also took roughly 250 people hostage.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since then killed more than 34,00 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.
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