Police detain about 100 people as they clear "unauthorized encampment" at Northeastern University
From CNN's Michelle Watson and Kara Devlin
Police clear an encampment on Northeastern University's campus in Boston on Saturday morning. WFXT
Police detained about 100 people as officials cleared "an unauthorized encampment" on Northeastern University's campus in Boston on Saturday morning, according to a university spokesperson.
In a statement earlier Saturday, Northeastern officials said they believed “professional organizers” had joined the ranks of student protesters on the campus.
"What began as a student demonstration two days ago, was infiltrated by professional organizers with no affiliation to Northeastern," said Renata Nyul, the school's vice president for communications.
Nyul said the "use of virulent antisemitic slurs" at the encampment Friday night had "crossed the line."
"We cannot tolerate this kind of hate on our campus," she said.
Nyul said later Saturday that about 100 people were detained as Northeastern and local police cleared the site.
"Students who produced a valid Northeastern ID were released. They will face disciplinary proceedings within the university, not legal action," she said. "Those who refused to disclose their affiliation were arrested."
It is unclear from the university's statement how many of those detained were ultimately arrested.
9:18 a.m. ET, April 27, 2024
Cal Poly Humboldt campus to close for remainder of semester
From CNN’s Paradise Afshar
Pro-Palestinian protesters stand off with police on the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt campus in Arcata, California, on April 22. Andrew Goff/Lost Coast Outpost/AP
The California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt campus will be closed and move to a remote format until the end of the semester due to the continued occupation of at least two campus buildings, according to a statement on Friday.
“Campus is now closed through May 10, and work and academic instruction will be remote as individuals continue to occupy Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East,” the statement said, adding that protesters have attempted “several times to break into multiple locked buildings with the intention of either locking themselves in, vandalizing, or stealing equipment.”
The decision is not entirely unexpected as school officials previously said in an update that the campus would remain closed over the weekend and that they were considering keeping it closed beyond that.
Demonstrators were given until 5 p.m. Friday to leave with a guarantee of no immediate arrest.
CNN has reached out to the university for comment regarding the situation on the campus.
Cal Poly Humboldt is a public university in Arcata, California, approximately 275 miles north of San Francisco.
6:01 a.m. ET, April 27, 2024
Pro-Palestinian student groups respond after University of Pennsylvania calls for encampment to be disbanded
From CNN’s Paradise Afshar and Danny Freeman
Officials at the University of Pennsylvania called for demonstrators to leave an on-campus encampment, citing "blatant violations of University policies."
“We have vigilantly supported the rights of our community members to protest peacefully,” a statement signed by Interim President J. Larry Jameson, Provost John L. Jackson and Senior Executive Vice President Craig R. Carnaroli said in part. “Unfortunately, blatant violations of University policies and credible reports of harassing and intimidating conduct compel us to protect the safety and security of our campus community.”
UPenn officials added that the “vandalism of the statue in front of College Hall with antisemitic graffiti was especially reprehensible and will be investigated as a hate crime.”
“The harassing and intimidating comments and actions by some of the protesters, which were reported and documented by many in our community, violate Penn’s open expression guidelines and state and federal law, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act,” the statement said. “All members of our community deserve to access our facilities without fear of harassment or being subjected to discriminatory comments or threats.”
The university said it has notified demonstrators of their “legal and policy violations" and that failure to immediately disband the encampment would result in sanctions.
In response, the Penn Arab Student Society (PASS) issued a statement on social media, calling for "further investigation" regarding the graffiti incident.
“Many protesters and by-standers were present and we implore the University to defer to the witnesses present during these violations," the group said. "Again, we emphasize the safety and protection of students, faculty, and staff apart of Pro-Palestinian efforts. We are disappointed by the University’s brash allegations before a proper and fair investigation is conducted.”
The Muslim Students’ Association at UPenn shared the PASS statement on their Instagram account and released a statement of their own.
“The University must carefully consider its actions going forward and ensure they conform to the University’s principles of equality and fairness,” the statement said in part.
2:44 a.m. ET, April 27, 2024
University of Illinois warns of arrests and suspensions if demonstrators don’t leave encampment
From CNN’s Paradise Afshar
The University of Illinois warned of consequences, including arrests and interim suspensions, for those who are taking part in on-campus demonstrations that began Friday morning.
University police in the afternoon attempted to escort staff into the area to remove the encampment but were prevented from entering by demonstrators, the university said in a statement Friday night. This led officers to make the decision to “deescalate the situation” and step back to “reduce the risk of injury to themselves or the demonstrators.”
“This situation has escalated beyond a peaceful expression of opinion,” the university said. “Those who do not comply with our orders to leave will be subject to consequences, including arrest, when criminal laws are violated, and the possibility of immediate interim suspension for students.”
The university said they will work to convince the demonstrators to disperse voluntarily, and “hope they make that choice.”
“Our community is not responsible for the progression of this conflict, and we do not have the power to end this devastating war no matter how much we wish we could,” the statement said. “We are focused right now on what we can do to keep our entire campus and community as safe as possible in a difficult time.”
8:42 a.m. ET, April 27, 2024
Columbia University officials say bringing NYPD back to campus would be “counterproductive”
From CNN’s Paradise Afshar
NYPD officers stand guard outside of Columbia University on April 24, in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
About a week after 108 pro-Palestinian activists were arrested at Columbia, university leaders said in a statement to the campus community Friday that calling the New York Police Department again to campus “would be counterproductive.”
“We called on NYPD to clear an encampment once, but we all share the view, based on discussions within our community and with outside experts, that 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 statement said.
It was signed by university president Minouche Shafik, provost Angela Olinto and board of trustees co-chairs David Greenwald and Claire Shipman.
“The last week has been a period of deep tension and division on our campus, with significant disruption to our community,” the statement said.
Friday's statement goes on to acknowledge that students have reported feeling threatened and discriminated against on campus.
“We want to be absolutely clear. The antisemitism being expressed by some individuals is intolerable and the safety situation has become concerning, particularly with the involvement of individuals not associated with Columbia,” the university said.
Talks among the university’s leadership and students in the encampment remain ongoing.
Some context: Demonstrators set up an encampment at the university last Wednesday to denounce Israel’s war in Gaza, calling on the school "to divest all funds, including the endowment, from corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and military occupation in Palestine,” according to organizers Columbia University Apartheid Divest. Shafik authorized the NYPD to shut down the protests and has faced criticism from students, faculty and left-leaning lawmakers.
5:27 a.m. ET, April 27, 2024
Why the turmoil on American campuses is so complex
From CNN's David Goldman and Ramishah Maruf
Activists and students protest on the outskirts of an encampment protest at the University Yard at George Washington University on April 26, in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Students inside campus encampments that have spread across the US are from a variety of backgrounds — including Palestinians, Arabs, Jews and Muslims, joined by students of other religious and ethnic backgrounds.
They hold a spectrum of political and social views: liberal and heterodox, progressive and absolutist.
Some support Palestinians: Many have been motivated by the reports and video coming out of Gaza and see the actions of the Israeli military as a continuation of a more than 70-year-long oppression of Palestinian rights, land and culture.
Protesters say they want their schools to stand against what they believe is genocide in Gaza.
Some support Israel: As reports of antisemitism have surged to record levels since Hamas’ attack on October 7, many Jews feel Israel requires more support now than ever as a refuge for Jews, who have long been an oppressed minority.
Even if they oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies and the country’s actions in Gaza, many Jews believe anti-Israel and anti-Zionist sentiment and even peaceful protest of Israel is itself antisemitic — because the concept of Israel as a Jewish homeland is core to Judaism.
And some support the Israeli government’s efforts to crush Hamas in Gaza.
5:31 a.m. ET, April 27, 2024
What do pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses want?
From CNN's Matt Egan and Ramishah Maruf
Pro-Palestinian protestors set up about 30 tents for a "sit-in" protest of the war in Gaza at Auraria campus in Denver, Colorado on April 26. Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/Getty Images
A central demand of protesters on college campuses across the nation is that universities divest from Israel-linked companies that are profiting from the war in Gaza.
“Disclose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest,” students at Columbia University chanted on Wednesday as Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed them.
Other common threads include demanding universities disclose their investments, support a ceasefire in Gaza, and sever academic ties with Israeli universities.
“We are not going anywhere until our demands are met,” Khymani James, a student at Columbia University, said Wednesday.
At Princeton University, protesters are demanding the school end research on weapons of war “used to enable genocide,” according to a flyer at a demonstration.
At Columbia University, where the movement started last week, protesters want the university to sever ties with its center in Tel Aviv and a dual degree program with Tel Aviv University. New York University protesters also use the school’s Tel Aviv center as a rallying cry.
Amid hundreds of arrests at universities across the US, some call for officials to protect free speech and spare students from being punished for participating in the protests.
At the University of Southern California, protesters are demanding “full amnesty” for those brought into custody and “no policing on campus.”
Columbia protesters called for the university to “disclose and sever all ties” with the New York Police Department and ask that the university support low-income Harlem residents, according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest.
Student protesters say the demands to disclose and to divest are interconnected.
Protesters argue that many of the financial interests of universities are opaque and the links to Israel may be even greater than officials realize.
Pro-Palestinian protests continue at campuses across the US. Here’s the latest
From CNN Staff
Pro-Palestinian supporters continue to organize a protest encampment on the campus of Columbia University on April 26, in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Pro-Palestinian protests continued at major US universities through Friday evening decrying Israel's bombardment of Gaza.
Throughout the week, several schools called police on protesters, leading to the arrests of hundreds across the country. Protesters have demanded schools divest campus funds from entities connected to Israel.
Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people.
College administrators are facing increasing pressure from lawmakers to rein in protests. At Columbia - the epicenter of the demonstrations - the school's senate passed a resolution late Friday to investigate the university leadership’s handling of the protests.
Here are the latest developments:
Arizona State University: Police at Arizona State University arrested three people Friday on suspicion of trespassing "in connection with setting up an unauthorized encampment," a university spokesperson said.
Barnard College: The school said it reached resolutions with “nearly all students who were previously placed on interim suspension” for participating in the protest encampment on Columbia’s campus.
Columbia University: The university banned a student spokesperson for the Columbia University Apartheid Divest coalition who said in January “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” He subsequently apologized.
Denver campuses: At a joint campus for the University of Colorado Denver, Community College of Denver and Metropolitan State University of Denver, around 40 of the approximately 100 people who set up a pro-Palestinian encampment were arrested Friday, the campus said in a statement.
Emory University: Faculty gathered on campus to express concerns about the violent arrests that took place on campus on Thursday, with tenured professors calling for the university's president, Gregory Fenves, to step down over the decision to call in state and local police to clear out the protesters.
George Washington University: The university said Friday that any student who remains in University Yard may be placed on temporary suspension and administratively barred from campus.
Ohio State University: A total of 36 demonstrators were arrested Thursday night after refusing dispersal orders, according to a preliminary report from the university.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: More than 75 students gathered Friday to set up an encampment at the school, demanding the university divest from corporations that invest in Israel and its military operations.
University of Southern California: School president Carol L. Folt said in a statement the campus has become unsafe and the university will launch an inquiry and take action to protect all USC students, faculty and staff.
University of Texas at Austin: The school has placed the Palestine Solidarity Committee on "interim suspension." The group organized Wednesday's event, where over 50 arrests ensued.
Virginia Tech: School officials on Friday issued a statement about an encampment on campus, saying they told protesters the event does not comply with university policy.
Yale University: One letter from the Faculty for Justice in Palestine organization criticized student arrests this week and said faculty are prepared to stage walkouts and boycott Yale’s graduation ceremonies. Another letter denounced Yale's administration for failing "in your responsibility to protect the Jewish students, staff and faculty at Yale."
12:09 a.m. ET, April 27, 2024
NYPD says "outside agitators" at Columbia are "trying to hijack a peaceful protest"
From CNN’s Josh Campbell
"Outside agitators" at Columbia are "trying to hijack a peaceful protest," New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said Friday night.
“What may have started as a group of Columbia students wanting to express their constitutional right to protest has drawn crowds of outside agitators who are trying to hijack a peaceful protest and turn it something far more sinister,” Daughtry posted on X.
The commissioner added the NYPD has seen the same groups of “professional protestors” demonstrating nightly “at various demonstrations regardless of the message.”
Daughtry reiterated the NYPD is ready to intervene and address issues on Columbia’s campus as soon as the university’s president gives them the go-ahead.
