May 2, 2024 - US college protests

Our live coverage of the protests at colleges across the US has moved here

Police officers scuffle with protesters trying to block vehicles taking detained students, who had been occupying the Portland State University Library building on May 2.

At least 30 people were arrested Thursday at Portland State University, where law enforcement was working to clear a library occupied by protesters, according to authorities.

Arrests were made in a park and at the library, where some people broke back into the building after police left, the Portland Police Bureau told CNN

PPB said the situation remained “active” as of about 8 p.m. local time.

“The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) is actively collaborating with Portland State University (PSU) to address the illegal activities at the university’s Millar Library,” police said.

“After a group of protesters departed from a peaceful First Amendment gathering and unlawfully entered the campus building on Monday, the PPB has been working in partnership with city leaders, other municipal bureaus, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, and Portland State University to ensure a safe resolution.”

Police said they were monitoring the library and several groups that have “splintered off into small marches.”

Joe Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, on May 2, in Washington.

President Joe Biden can ill afford a long, hot summer of protest that comes to a boil in time for the Democratic National Convention in August and then bleeds into the final weeks of an already venomous clash with Donald Trump.

After days of college campus demonstrations — triggered by outrage at the civilian carnage from Israel’s war in Gaza — the president’s reticence to throw himself into the politics of a perilous situation finally became unsustainable, resulting in his first on-camera comments on Thursday.

In a political sense, Biden’s speech was an act of fence sitting.

He needs to avoid further alienating young, progressive voters who are furious about his handling of the Gaza war and could doom his reelection hopes if they don’t show up in November. But he must also ensure that more middle-of-the-road voters aren’t convinced by Trump’s claims the country is on fire and spinning out of control.

Any time a sitting president looks like he’s observing rather than controlling inflammatory events, he’s taking a huge political risk. This is especially the case when a political opponent, in this case Trump, is lambasting him as weak and not up to the job.

Read the full analysis.

Over the past week, student journalists have been working around the clock from a makeshift newsroom inside Columbia University.

Due to the school’s strict lockdown, they were the only media allowed on campus on April 30 as police massed outside.

Palestinian journalist Samaa Khullar was one of them.

Video Ad Feedback

7925c9a4-abd8-4e2e-8927-e6e65ca31494.mp4

02:23 - Source: cnn

Private security and NYPD police officers stand guard at the gates of Columbia University in New York City, on May 2.

Authorities arrested 282 people at Tuesday’s pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University and The City College of New York, according to the New York Police Department.

Of the 112 people arrested at Columbia, 32 (or 29%) were not affiliated with the university, according to an NYPD official. At The City College of New York, 102 (or 60%) of the 170 people arrested were not affiliated with the college.

At Columbia, dozens of protesters entered the university’s Hamilton Hall on Tuesday and barricaded themselves inside before the university asked for the NYPD’s assistance.

These individuals could be charged with burglary in the third degree, criminal mischief and trespassing, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said. Protesters in the encampments outside could be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, he said.

But on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said that 46 people arrested inside Hamilton Hall have so far only been charged with one count of trespassing.

Seventy-four people were arraigned Wednesday night and Thursday in connection to the Tuesday events at both schools, the Manhattan DA said. At least six people were arrested on burglary charges related to the protests, according to another NYPD official.

Read more about some of the individuals who were arrested.

CNN’s Gloria Pazmino, John Miller and Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this report.

Eight days after a pro-Palestinian encampment was set up in the center of the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League school has written a letter to the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office asking for more police resources, a school spokesperson told CNN on Thursday.

“Protest activity began to escalate overnight and has steadily continued, with large crowds in and around College Green today,” the university said. “We have reached out to the City of Philadelphia to ensure we have the necessary resources to keep our community safe.”

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s office has requested more information from the university, which administrators are working to provide, the spokesperson said.

The university declined to provide a copy of the letter and CNN has sought comment from the mayor’s office.

The Philadelphia Police Department has an agreement with the University of Pennsylvania Police Department “to ensure effective cooperation in situations requiring a police presence,” according to Philadelphia Police spokesperson Sgt. Eric Gripp.

Gripp said the department does not publicly share strategies related to ongoing situations.

The last 24 hours at the university have been tense. The university said a pro-Palestinian rally at the encampment late Wednesday night “escalated at multiple times” and resulted in “defacement of Penn property, an unauthorized drone, and threatening rhetoric and chants.”

On Thursday, CNN witnessed a minor confrontation between campus police and protesters when protesters jumped barriers and began chanting on and around a statue of Benjamin Franklin on the College Green. The incident did not result in any arrests but the police presence was heightened.

Several dozen men dressed in black with white masks repeatedly attacked UCLA’s pro-Palestinian protest encampment late Tuesday with crude weapons, including poles and incendiaries, according to video provided to CNN by William Gude, who routinely films and shares videos of police conduct in Los Angeles.

Gude told CNN he arrived at the encampment area before chaos broke out around 9:15 p.m. local time Tuesday, and says he filmed hours worth of footage, showing what led up to the incident and what followed.

He described the attackers as pro-Israel based on remarks they made in the video. His footage also shows at least two people with Israeli flags and another wearing a hoodie that reads, “Free our hostages.”

In a video shared with CNN, which captured what Gude says is the first 24 minutes of the incident, individuals dressed in black attempt to force their way into the encampment, as protesters inside used mace to defend themselves. 

At times, individuals from each camp engaged in furtive, one-on-one skirmishes in the area between the two groups, though Gude described what he saw as “a sustained attack for three-and-a-half, almost four hours, by one side against the other.”

Multiple videos posted online show the attackers punching, kicking and hitting the pro-Palestinian protesters with sticks. Some videos posted on social media show officers at the scene but not engaging with the crowd.  

Gude told CNN that about an hour into the attack, the UCLA Police Department arrived on scene. Later, the California Highway Patrol arrived, followed by the Los Angeles Police Department. None of the departments moved in to de-escalate the situation, Gude said, until about three hours later.

The LAPD referred CNN to UCLA police. CNN has reached out to all three departments and the university regarding the incident.

An officer with the New York Police Department fired their gun in Hamilton Hall during the police response at Columbia University’s campus Tuesday night, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office told CNN.

According to DA spokesperson Doug Cohen, the office is conducting a review of the incident, as it is part of the DA’s policy to do so. Cohen said that no students and only police officers were immediately nearby the gunfire incident and that no one was injured.

An NYPD investigation determined the officer accidentally fired his gun while using the attached flashlight to search the first floor of Hamilton Hall, according to a statement from the police department.

“The (Emergency Service Unit) officer has a firearm that is equipped with a flashlight, and he was illuminating the area to find the best way to navigate through the barricaded area. The officer accidentally discharged his firearm causing a single round to be discharged,” the NYPD statement read.

The round hit a frame on a wall and no injuries were reported, police said, noting body camera footage of the incident has been given to the DA’s office

The NYPD will hold a briefing on the incident at 11:30 a.m. ET Friday morning.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke with Jewish students from Columbia University and Barnard College as well as Hillel leaders from Emory and the University of Texas at Austin on Thursday to hear their stories and experiences with antisemitism on college campuses, according to a White House official. 

Emhoff, according to the official, listened to the students and leaders and reiterated his commitment to fighting hate speech and countering antisemitism.

Other response from the White House: President Joe Biden attempted to draw a line between peaceful protests and violent demonstrations in remarks earlier on Thursday. It was the first time the president spoke extensively on the protests that are sprouting up on college campuses across the country.

Still, Biden said his support for Israel remains unwavering amid the protests. Many of the protesters have expressed anger at the president’s policies toward Israel.

Pro-Palestinian students demonstrate at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia on April 25.

The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has opened a federal investigation into Emory University in Atlanta, according to a letter sent by the department to Palestine Legal and CAIR-Georgia and shared with CNN. The launch of the investigation comes after a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the university last week ended in arrests.

The complaint, filed in early April, alleges that “the University discriminated against students on the basis of national origin (shared Palestinian, Muslim, and/or Arab ancestry) and/or race (Black) by failing to respond appropriately to incidents of harassment beginning on October 7, 2023,” the letter said. 

In a joint statement, CAIR-Georgia and Palestine Legal said the the complaint was filed after the organizations sent Emory a letter “detailing the hostile Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian climate on campus and Emory refused to take tangible action.”

“Opening an investigation in no way implies that OCR has made a determination with regard to the merits,” the letter from the Office for Civil Rights said. 

The investigation process could take many months, the officials said. 

Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, on May 2.

More than 200 people were arrested after resisting orders to disperse from the now-dismantled unlawful encampment on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement. Block referred to the encampment as a “huge disruption.”  

Earlier Thursday, the California Highway Patrol indicated that 132 people were arrested. 

“While many of the protesters at the encampment remained peaceful, ultimately, the site became a focal point for serious violence as well as a huge disruption to our campus,” Block said in the statement. “In the end, the encampment on Royce Quad was both unlawful and a breach of policy. It led to unsafe conditions on our campus and it damaged our ability to carry out our mission. It needed to come to an end.” 

Block said those who remained in the encampment Wednesday night were given several warnings to leave peacefully before officers arrived.  

“Ultimately, about 300 protesters voluntarily left, while more than 200 resisted orders to disperse and were arrested,” he said. 

The UCLA Police Department ultimately arrested a total of 210 people on suspicion of failure to disperse, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Dominic Choi said in a thread on X. 

The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s office announced on-the-ground support for individuals who were arrested on the UCLA campus during an operation to remove the protest encampment there.

While his office hasn’t been briefed on what charges, if any, arrestees may face, LA County Public Defender Ricardo D. García stressed the importance of “the fair treatment of all individuals involved.”

“We are closely monitoring the situation and have deployed our Rapid Response Team to provide on-the-ground support to arrestees,” he said in a statement. “It is essential that due process and the presumption of innocence are upheld. We will work diligently to protect the rights of our clients throughout.”

Over 130 arrests were made on the UCLA campus, authorities said Thursday.

Portland police officers standby on the campus of Portland State University in Portland on Thursday.

More arrests stemming from the occupation of a library at Portland State University are possible after people ran away from the building as officers were clearing it, Portland State Bureau Sgt. Kevin Allen said. 

The library is still an active scene and authorities are investigating any crimes that were committed, he added. 

Inside the building, officers found what appear to be improvised weapons, hollow bamboo sticks, buckets full of ball bearings, unspecified tools, paint balloons, spray bottles filled with ink with a note that said they were meant to be deployed at officers and cups of paint, Allen detailed. He said a soap or slick substance was on at least one floor of the building making it difficult for the officers to walk. 

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who also oversees the Portland Police Bureau, said those arrested will be prosecuted. 

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt echoed that destructive behavior will not be tolerated. 

Materials left behind in the Portland State University library are seen on Thursday.

“Things like spraying graffiti, breaking windows and setting fires, I condemn these criminal acts,” Schmidtsaid, adding that charging decisions will be made once evidence is collected and reviewed.  

University President Ann Cudd said Thursday that the campus is closed and the buildings were locked down. 

She reiterated that she tried to negotiate with students who remained in the library, and let them know that staying inside was considered trespassing. 

She is still open to meeting with students and hearing their concerns, but those arrested will face consequences.  

“This was a traumatic event for everyone in our campus community,” she said. “It is tragic that some of our students, along with others from outside, have so badly damaged our library and taken away that essential learning space.”

When President Joe Biden returned to the White House on Wednesday evening from a campaign event at the nearby Mayflower Hotel, he requested his advisers assemble a basic outline of remarks on the protests — if he were to deliver them.

Three White House officials say Biden and his closest aides went back and forth to incorporate Biden’s edits, with a final decision and final draft produced early Thursday morning. 

Senior advisers have for weeks been tracking the developments in the protests through official channels with local governments and law enforcement. Behind the scenes, younger West Wing staffers – many recent graduates themselves or with contemporaries pursuing post-graduate degrees – also sought to raise awareness from firsthand accounts they were receiving from friends on campuses, with alerts that grew in intensity in recent days. 

In particular, the escalation at Columbia and UCLA – and the increasing involvement of law enforcement on campuses nationwide – piqued the President’s desire to speak in public, beyond written statements and the commentary offered by spokespeople on his behalf.

A total of 12 people were arrested Thursday as police worked to clear a library at Portland State University, Portland Police Bureau Sgt. Kevin Allen said during a news conference. 

Of the 12, only four are students at the university, the rest do not appear to be affiliated with the school, the sergeant said. 

Officers entered the building around 6 a.m. and “slowly, carefully, deliberately” worked their way from the top floor to the bottom, clearing the library as they went, Allen said. 

Officers encountered barriers that caused them to slow down as they went through the building, and it took a “couple of hours” to clear, he added. 

Breaching the bottom floor proved to be the most difficult, and as officers got through, a group of people ran from the library, Allen said. 

At one point, a custody van was blocked from leaving the scene by a group of protesters, he added. 

There were “some” confrontations and uses of force, and two officers suffered minor injuries, the sergeant said. One officer was sprayed with a fire extinguisher, while another was allegedly hit with a shield. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont speaks during an interview on Thursday.

The anti-war student protests unfolding across US campuses could be “Biden’s Vietnam” moment, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont told CNN, warning that President Joe Biden’s stance over Israel’s war on Gaza may have alienated young voters.  

During an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, Sanders drew a parallel between the current protests and those that occurred during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson in the late 1960s when American students protested against the Vietnam War.  

“In terms of his campaign, I am thinking back and other people are making this reference that this may be Biden’s Vietnam. Lyndon Johnson, in many respects, was a very, very good president… He chose not to run in 68 because of opposition to his views on Vietnam,” Sanders said. 

“I worry very much that President Biden is putting himself in a position where he has alienated not just young people but a lot of the Democratic base in terms of his views on Israel and this war,” Sanders added.  

The Independent senator highlighted the need to remember why students are demonstrating in such huge numbers, saying: “They are out there not because they are pro-Hamas. They are out there because they are outraged by what the Israeli government is now doing in Gaza.”  

Sanders said he believes students who are protesting against sustained US aid to a “right wing extremist Netanyahu government” are doing so “for the right reasons.”  

The politician told CNN that he hopes from both a “policy point of view and a moral point of view” that President Biden “stops giving a blank check to Netanyahu” and realizes that US support to Israel “has not been helpful.”  

An encampment is seen at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Thursday.

After meeting with students representing the protest encampment in Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Thursday, school leadership informed protest organizers they must remove their tents from the campus’ Voorhees Mall by 4:00 p.m. today or face consequences, according to a statement released Thursday afternoon.

“We were disappointed to learn that overnight, Students for Justice in Palestine called for a significant rally on the Voorhees Mall, coinciding with the beginning of the exam period, specifically intended to disrupt finals for our students,” according to the statement from the university’s president and chancellor.

The letter noted that the buildings surrounding Voorhees Mall are where hundreds of final exams are set to take place, underscoring that “students are rightly concerned about their ability to take exams in this environment.” The school announced early this morning that it was postponing or relocating final exams scheduled today.

According to the university, the protest group’s morning rally disrupted 28 scheduled exams and impacted more than 1,000 students. 

“We understand the importance of exams and the impact that any disruptions can have on our students’ academic progress. We are committed to doing everything in our power to provide a safe and secure environment for our students to learn and succeed,” their statement said.

If protesters fail to comply and clear their tents, school officials warned they “will be considered to have trespassed, and we will be left with no other option than, with the assistance of law enforcement, to remove the protesters and their belongings.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Thursday condemned violence and vandalism surrounding protests at UCLA.

“Every student deserves to be safe and live peacefully on their campus. Harassment, vandalism and violence have no place at UCLA or anywhere in our city,” Bass said in a statement. “My office will continue to coordinate closely with local and state law enforcement, area universities and community leaders to keep campuses safe and peaceful.”

As pro-Palestinian protests have erupted on college campuses nationwide, protesters — including students and faculty — continue to be arrested since the first demonstrators were detained at Columbia University two weeks ago. Nearly 200 protesters were arrested on May 1, after April 30 saw the largest number of arrests in a day since protests began with at least 418, according to a CNN review of university and law enforcement statements.

More than 2,000 people have been arrested on college and university campuses since April 18 as schools prepare for spring commencement ceremonies, according to CNN’s review. The University of Southern California, where nearly 100 protesters were arrested April 24, canceled its primary commencement event. Protesters have been arrested on more than 40 campuses across at least 25 states. Many other schools have experienced protests without arrests.

Protest demands vary from campus to campus, but a major focus is that universities divest from companies with financial ties to Israel amid its war with Hamas. There have also been counter-protests, resulting in clashes at UCLA.

CNN is monitoring campus protests and will continue to update this map with any new arrests.

President Joe Biden delivered his most extensive remarks yet about the unrest on college campuses on Thursday.

Meanwhile, on campuses across the country:

At Portland State University, Portland police officers in riot gear were in a standoff with protesters Thursday outside the school’s library, as authorities worked to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from the premises. The Portland Police Bureau made at least two arrests early this morning.

At George Washington University, dueling protests — a group of pro-Israel protesters and another of pro-Palestinian protesters — are taking place about four blocks away from each other.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, cleanup begins after police broke down a barricade and arrested over 100 protesters. CNN reported hearing flashbangs on the UCLA campus Thursday morning and said that authorities appeared to fire rubber bullets.

At the University of Florida, the school said it plans on going ahead with commencement and its Chancellor said protests “will not be tolerated.”

At the University of New Hampshire, twelve people were arrested Wednesday night during protests.

At the University of Texas at Dallas, 17 people were arrested as police cleared an encampment.

Police arrest a protester, who ran from the Portland State University library building, in Portland on Thursday.

Police said Thursday it had cleared the library at Portland State University where pro-Palestinian protesters had been occupying the campus building since Monday.

“We can now confirm that our clear of the Portland State library is complete,” the Portland Police Bureau said. “We have found caches of tools, what appears to be improvised weapons, ball bearings, paint balloons, spray bottles of ink and DIY armor. None of this was used on police.”

Videos shot after police breached the library, sending protesters running, shows demonstrators attempting to block a police van from driving onto a bridge while shouting, “Let them go.” Ultimately, police were able to push through.

In another video, demonstrators are seen calling for water and pouring it into the eyes of a distraught protester.

The Portland Police Bureau on Thursday also denied using tear gas but said officers were equipped with “standard issue 40mm less-lethal launchers,” in a post on social media.

Police presence has increased at the University of Pennsylvania campus on Thursday, with Philadelphia police and university police closely monitoring the area. Several officers are standing at a distance with zip ties on hand, but are mostly keeping an eye on the barricades around the encampment.

It’s been seven days since university officials said that the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus violated school policies, warning that protesters should disband.

Over the course of the multi-day protest, campus officials and police officers have constantly removed signs and graffiti from the Benjamin Franklin statue on College Green, erecting barriers around it to keep protesters out.

There has only been one minor confrontation between campus police and protesters. The incident, which did not result in any arrests, occurred when a group of protesters jumped over a few barriers and began chanting on and around the Benjamin Franklin statue.

Soon after, officers expanded the barriers around the protesters. Philadelphia’s District Attorney Larry Krasner came by the encampment for a third time today and spoke briefly to media. 

 “What I have seen over three different days of coming by has been peaceful — what I have seen has gotten louder, today is certainly louder,” said Krasner. “So long as it does not cross the line into criminal conduct, it’s not my concern.”

This morning, a group of students, alumni and other people “affiliated with Penn” said they delivered a petition to the administration signed by 3,200 people, calling for the university to follow through on disbanding the encampment. 

For about two hours members of this group counterprotested, waving Israeli and American flags. At one point, both groups were shouting back and forth at each other. Most of the pro-Israeli counterprotesters have since left, though some remain.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek speaks during a signing ceremony in Washington, DC, on February 23.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Thursday condemned vandalism and “criminal actions” surrounding protests at Portland State University.

“I fully condemn the criminal actions taken Thursday morning that resulted in the burning of 15 Portland Police Bureau cars, endangering first responders and the surrounding community,” Kotek, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I have absolutely no tolerance for discriminatory harassment, violence, or property damage. This includes the acts of vandalism seen this week at the Portland State University library and against nearby businesses.”

Kotek said those actions are in “direct opposition to Oregon values” and threaten everyone. She also said, “The state is prepared to exercise the full extent of the law.”

Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, announced Thursday morning, that it would be postponing or relocating final exams scheduled for today, “due to anticipated escalation of protest activities and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students,” the university said in a post on X.

“Exams and other academic activities scheduled to take place before noon today on the College Avenue campus have been postponed,” the university wrote. “Select exams scheduled for this afternoon on the College Avenue campus have been relocated. Please check with your departments and instructors about exam locations.” 

The university’s spring exams were set to begin today and end on May 8, according to Rutgers’ academic calendar.

The group, Students for Justice in Palestine, at Rutgers in New Brunswick organized an encampment at the university’s Voorhees Mall, which began on Monday. Participating students called for community support on Thursday, saying “there is a growing police presence at the encampment and (the university administration) is weighing down on it.”

Senate leaders in both parties are seeking an agreement from their rank-and-file members to process the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which passed the House Wednesday, according to a Senate leadership aide.  

The bill would mandate that when the Department of Education enforces federal anti-discrimination laws it uses a definition of antisemitism put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Supporters of the legislation say it will help combat antisemitism on college campuses, but opponents say it overreaches and threatens to chill free speech.

While it passed on a broad bipartisan vote 320-91, no votes from each party indicate that it would be difficult to get a unanimous consent agreement in the Senate.  

Portland police standoff with protesters at Portland State University on Thursday.

Portland police officers in riot gear were in a standoff with protesters Thursday outside Portland State University’s library, as authorities worked to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from the premises.

The Portland Police Bureau made at least two arrests early this morning. A CNN crew on the ground witnessed officers take at least five people into custody. 

“This is PPB,” blasted loudly through the scene. “To the individuals left inside the perimeter of the South Park Blocks or Millar Library, you are now under arrest for second degree trespass.”

As the officers cleared the library, roughly 25 to 30 students ran out from inside the building. It is unclear if the students were arrested after running.

CNN previously reported negotiations with student protesters, who entered the library on Monday, fell through early Wednesday. The school announced earlier today that the campus is currently closed.

Faculty at George Washington University holds banners as they continue pro-Palestinian demonstrations at George Washington University in Washington DC, on May 2.

Dueling protests — a group of pro-Israel protesters and another of pro-Palestinian protesters — are taking place at George Washington University in Washington, DC, about four blocks away from each other.

On one side, a group of pro-Israel protesters, including relatives of hostages held by Hamas and students from other local universities, are gathered in a small yard on the George Washington campus, giving speeches and chanting “bring them home.” 

After a confrontation between pro-Palestinian protesters and Israel supporters turned violent at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Wednesday, one of the pro-Israel protest organizers at GW told CNN that they do not plan on confronting and moving toward the pro-Palestinian protesters nearby.

On the pro-Palestinian side, speeches, songs and chants are taking place at the quad area where the encampment is located, as protesters wave Palestinian flags. The crowd supporting Israel at GW is about one-quarter the size of the pro-Palestinian protesters. 

So far, the protests have been peaceful, with law enforcement from the DC Metro Police and GW police positioned near them closely watching. 

Faculty members including professors from several universities in the DC area have formed a line across H Street in between the two groups, noting that that they are there to protect the pro-Palestinian protesters in case the other group moves near them.

Mark Lance, a professor at Georgetown University who’s leading the line of faculty, said they decided to form a line because of what unfolded at UCLA, where law enforcement has since cleared an encampment after tearing down barriers and detaining pro-Palestinian protesters early Thursday morning.

Lance, a professor of philosophy and ‘justice and peace’ studies, added that this is the first time they’ve organized as faculty, acknowledging that some of them are risking losing their jobs by doing so.

President Joe Biden speaks in Washington, DC, on May 2.

Asked whether states should call in their national guard to intervene in protests on college campuses, President Joe Biden responded: “No.”

Some Republicans have encouraged states to send in their national guard to quell the protests. While Biden dismissed the idea, it’s up to a state’s governor to make that decision.

President Joe Biden speaks in Washington, DC, on May 2. 

President Joe Biden on Thursday said his support for Israel remains unwavering amid the protests against that country’s war in Gaza that have taken place on college campuses across the country.

After Biden delivered his remarks, a reporter asked whether the protests have forced him to reconsider American policies toward the region.

“No,” the president responded.

Biden has previously said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists but has insisted more humanitarian aid flow to Gaza. 

He has pressed Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on the release of hostages that would also result in a temporary ceasefire.

President Joe Biden speaks in Washington, DC, on May 2.

President Joe Biden said protesters on college campuses should be free to express their views, but should not devolve into trespassing or violence.

Attempting to draw a line between peaceful protests and violent demonstrations, Biden acknowledged that protesters had a right to have their voices heard, but criticized instances of trespassing and vandalism that have taken place.

“Violent protest is not protected,” Biden said. “Peaceful protest is. It’s against the law when violence occurs. Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law.”

“Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancelation of classes and graduation – none of this is a peaceful protest.”

Tents and debris left behind by protesters are seen on UCLA’s campus on Thursday morning.

The cleanup process has started at the site where UCLA demonstrators had camped out in protest.

Los Angeles police and private campus security have moved back to the scene. They were seen climbing over the strewn tents and debris left behind.

A CNN team on the ground was told the area will be cleared and then sanitized.

President Joe Biden speaks from the White House on Thursday, May 2.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said both the right to free speech and the rule of law must be upheld as protests roil college campuses across the country.

“We’ve all seen images that put to the test two fundamental American principles: the first is the right to free speech and for people to peacefully assemble and make their voices heard. The second is the rule of law. Both must be upheld,” Biden said from the Roosevelt Room.

He said the US was not an “authoritarian nation” where dissenting voices are silenced.

But he also said the US was a “civil society” where “order must prevail.”

It’s the first time the president has spoken extensively on the protests that are sprouting up on college campuses across the country.

Portland police officer have arrested two people outside of Portland State University’s library, according to an alert from the police department posted on social media.

The department also said police officers are inside the library.

“They are doing a slow, methodical clear of the building. As expected, we have encountered barricades. Officers are clearing them as they go,” the department said in another social media post.

President Joe Biden has said little about the unrest that has gripped certain college campuses in the last few weeks.

He told reporters at an Earth Day event on April 22 that he condemned antisemitism, but also “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”

The comment was his last public remark on the matter. The president is expected to deliver remarks from the White House about the campus protests on Thursday.

Since that initial comment, Biden has avoided questions about the protests, drawing criticism from Republicans. Instead, the administration position on the unrest has been conveyed through spokespeople and in written statements.

The White House on Wednesday sought to answer questions about Biden’s relative silence by pointing to his condemnation of antisemitism.

“No president, no president has spoken more forcefully about combating antisemitism than this president,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters when asked why the country hadn’t heard directly from Biden about the protests.

President Joe Biden will speak at the White House on Thursday about the ongoing protests that have roiled college campuses across the country.

The president is expected to deliver remarks before he departs for North Carolina later in the day.

Law enforcement cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles campus early Thursday morning, after breaking down a barricade and arresting over 100 protesters.

See more photos of protests around the country.

Police face off with pro-Palestinian protesters after destroying part of the encampment barricade on the UCLA campus early on Thursday, May 2.

A police officer launches a smoke bomb.

Protesters clash with police.

Police advance on protesters in the encampment.

A protester is detained as police clear the encampment.

Law enforcement officers detain a protester at UCLA on May 2.

There were 132 arrests made on the UCLA campus during an operation to remove a protest encampment Thursday morning, authorities said.

About 250 officers were involved — about one officer for every protester in the encampment, California Highway Patrol spokesperson Alejandro Rubio told CNN. in addition to officers from other jurisdictions.

Rubio said fire extinguishers and water bottles were thrown at police, but no officers were injured.

“Flash bangs were used,” CHP public information officer Alec Pereyda said. “Those are shot into the air to try and get the crowd to pay attention and realize that it’s time to disperse and leave the area.”

The UCLA Police Department will determine if charges are filed, Rubio said.

The Portland State University campus is closed Thursday “due to ongoing incident at library,” PSU posted on X. “Check http://pdx.edu email for more information.”

Earlier Thursday, Portland police said they were working to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Portland State University’s library.

CNN previously reported negotiations with student protesters — who entered the library Monday — fell through early Wednesday, though about 50 people left the building on their own.

Flashbangs were heard on the UCLA campus Thursday morning as a line of officers guarded the perimeter of a protest encampment.

CNN also saw lines of police officers pushing back different groups of a few dozen protesters each around the campus. 

As universities grapple with how to move forward with commencement ceremonies amid escalating campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza, the University of Florida is proceeding with its own graduation ceremony on Friday.

In a letter to the State University System of Florida, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote that tomorrow’s university-wide commencement is “not the time nor place to hold a political protest.”

About nine people had been arrested this week at the University of Florida campus protests in Gainesville, Florida, adding to the growing list of campus arrests unfolding across the country. 

“No commencement ceremony should be canceled, or substantively modified, as a result of unruly demonstrators,” Rodrigues wrote. 

The statement comes as colleges rethink how to host graduation ceremonies with the ongoing protests. The University of Southern California already canceled its main commencement for 2024 graduating students, while Columbia University asked New York police to maintain its presence on campus through at least May 17, two days after the school’s commencement. 

For Florida universities, Rodrigues said the ceremonies will go as planned.

“You are authorized to take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of all attendees during the ceremony,” Rodrigues wrote. “Please promptly inform faculty, staff, students, and guests that protests, discrimination or harassment at commencement ceremonies will not be tolerated.”

The University of Florida will be hosting UF alumnus Carlton Ward Jr., conservation photographer known for his photos of the elusive Florida panther and an advocate of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, to address graduates at the university-wide commencement ceremony set for 7 p.m. ET tomorrow in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Twelve people were arrested Wednesday night during protests at the University of New Hampshire, the school said.

“Over the past six months, students supporting Palestine have peacefully protested on campus at least seven times. Despite much communication with organizers regarding the University’s expectations for conduct when exercising their free speech rights, those guidelines were ignored today,” the university said in a statement.

“While we will always protect free speech on our campus, UNH belongs to every citizen of New Hampshire and we will not allow it to be co-opted by a small group of protesters, including outside agitators.”

The school said protesters erected tents, trying to create an encampment on campus.

Ten students and two people not affiliated with the university were charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing, according to the university.

Police in Portland, Oregon, said Thursday morning they are working to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Portland State University’s library.

“Portland Police is beginning effort to clear the @Portland_State University Library. Expect to hear police announcements via loudspeaker,” the police department said in a post on social media.

CNN previously reported negotiations with student protesters, who entered the library on Monday, fell through early Wednesday, but about 50 people left the building on their own.

PSU has made it “abundantly clear that the library is closed and anyone in the library is trespassing,” university spokesperson Christina Williams told CNN Wednesday. “Since Monday night, we have been in partnership with the Portland Police Bureau with an eye toward bringing this protest to a peaceful close and removing protesters from the library. We are also eager to return to our academic mission.”

The school said it believes between 50 and 100 people are in the library, but noted it’s hard to say exactly how many remain in the building.

More than a dozen people were arrested Wednesday on the campus of The University of Texas at Dallas as law enforcement cleared a pro-Palestinian protest encampment, an official said.

Protesters were ordered to remove tents and structures from the encampment hours after it began Wednesday morning, university spokesperson Brittany Magelssen told CNN.

“As of 5 p.m., there had been 17 arrests for criminal trespass,” said Magelssen.

Video from CNN affiliate KTVT showed Dallas County sheriff’s deputies, Richardson Police officers and state troopers in riot gear.

“Individuals may peacefully assemble in the common outdoor areas of campus to exercise their right to free speech, but they may not construct an encampment or block pathways,” Magelssen said. 

UT Dallas had more than 30,000 students enrolled in fall 2023, according to its website.

Law enforcement officers have taken control of the UCLA encampment site nearly three hours after they were called in by campus officials.

CNN’s Josh Campbell reports that the encampment has been cleared, and police are processing protesters and loading them on to busses.

There is also a larger gathering of protesters at the perimeter of the camp, and police have a wall of officers standing calmly between them and the camp. However, the situation doesn’t seem tense.

Protesters are unhappy though and chanting at the police, but the police don’t appear amped up.

Out of the total 282 people arrested at both Columbia University and the City College of New York on Tuesday, 134 individuals were not affiliated with either school, according to a New York Police Department official who shared the breakdown with CNN. The remaining 148 individuals did have an affiliation with one of the two universities.

Broken down by school, the numbers skew a bit differently — 80 people arrested at Columbia did have an affiliation with the Ivy League university, while only 32 did not, according to the official. Those numbers represent arrests both inside and outside Hamilton Hall. 

At CCNY, the breakdown was flipped —102 people arrested were not affiliated with the school and only 68 were affiliated. 

The NYPD said it was able to determine this data by cross-checking records with the universities. 

Police advance on pro-Palestinian demonstrators in an encampment on the UCLA campus on May 2.

Law enforcement officers have pushed farther into the UCLA encampment site, live CNN images show.

A CNN team on campus saw a group of officers going through Royce Hall, a building directly next to the encampment, to make their way onto the encampment site.

The team also saw members of law enforcement fire what appeared to be rubber bullets. 

Demonstrators are detained on the UCLA campus on Thursday, May 2.

CNN crews at the site of the UCLA encampment have seen dozens of protesters being detained by California Highway Patrol officers early Thursday.

Protesters were attempting to reinforce the barricade while police in protective gear were breaking through it.

Officers are taking the detained protesters to buses that police staged in a parking lot roughly a mile from the campus.

Flashbangs were heard as California Highway Patrol officers began tearing down the barricades outside the UCLA encampment early Thursday morning and detaining pro-Palestinian protesters on the site.

The officers from CHP’s special operations unit were seen in video footage in police riot gear with helmets, gas masks, zip ties and getting their batons ready as they entered the encampment, while screams were heard from behind the barricades.

Some protesters were kneeling on the ground with their arms zip-tied behind their backs as officers detained them and continued bringing more protesters outside the encampment.

CNN’s Nick Watt, who is on scene at UCLA, said detained students are being taken to nearby buses on the campus.

Police face off with pro-Palestinian demonstrators after destroying part of the encampment barricade on the UCLA campus on May 2.

UCLA issued a safety alert shortly before 3 a.m. PT (6 a.m. ET) asking students to avoid Dickson Plaza, the area where the pro-Palestinian protester encampment is set up.

“Police have ordered an evacuation of Dickson Plaza due to an unlawful assembly,” the alert said.

“DO NOT re-enter the area of Dickson Plaza & follow the direction of public safety personnel.”

“The University of California Los Angeles has declared the encampment and all unauthorized tents and structures in Dickson Plaza to be unlawful. The University requires that everyone must leave the encampment and adjacent areas, as well as all unauthorized structures and tents immediately, until further notice,” the alert said.

Those who do not disperse “will be in violation of the law” and could face sanctions if they do not leave, the university said. 

Police take down the barricade around the encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles campus on May 2.

Law enforcement officers began early Thursday morning pulling aside barricades put up outside the encampment on the UCLA campus, CNN footage from the scene shows.

The officers, who were seen wearing California Highway Patrol vests from its special operations unit, were holding onto protective umbrellas as they appeared to be making their way back into the encampment.

Police have warned the protesters that if they stay in encampment they will be liable for arrest and might get hurt, but a large number of protesters remained.

As officers were moving in, shouts could be heard from inside the encampment, saying “hold the line, hold the line!”

Meanwhile, some protesters are gathered on the iconic UCLA Janss Steps in what appears to be an attempt to prevent law enforcement from easily accessing the encampment, CNN video from the scene shows.

Protesters can be seen sitting next to one another on the steps. People sitting at the bottom of the stairs are seen holding open umbrellas. 

Watch the scene:

Video Ad Feedback

64eb6049-7402-49ae-8d60-5d0bd2a71b98.mp4

04:55 - Source: cnn

Members of the Jewish community gather opposite a pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Melbourne, in Melbourne, Australia, on May 2.

The grassy expanse of the University of Queensland’s Great Court has long been the center of student life at the Australian state’s biggest university.

Now it’s a gathering point for rival camps pitched about 300 feet from each other – one populated by supporters of the Students for Palestine UQ, and another smaller cluster of tents with the Israeli flag among others strung between trees.

These camps are among protest sites at seven universities around Australia – from Melbourne and Sydney in the country’s southeast, to Adelaide in its center, and Perth along the western coast.

They were erected in solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli siege in Gaza and student protesters in the United States, but some Jewish groups say they’re causing unnecessary tension on campus and the country’s federal opposition leader has called them “racist” and “antisemitic.”

So far, violent scenes that have erupted at universities across the US involving protesters, counterprotesters and law enforcement have not been repeated in Australia. But some students worry events could move in that direction.

At the nation’s biggest camp, simmering tensions could flare on Friday, when Jewish groups hold the first major counter-rally at the University of Sydney (USYD) under the slogan “March for a safe campus.”

“We are uniting to urge the University of Sydney to take decisive action to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment for everyone,” said the event organizers Together for Israel and Stand With Us.

In response, the Sydney branch of Students for Palestine issued a call-out on Facebook to “defend” the camp.

“We need everyone to come to the camp tomorrow to defend it from a Zionist rally that is being organized to intimidate us,” it said in a post. “Our cause is one for justice and peace!

Members of Students for Palestine told CNN their protest “encampment” includes a diverse array of students and does not tolerate any form of discrimination.

Read the full story.

People gather during a protest in support of Palestinians at Newcastle University in Newcastle, England, on May 1, 2024.

Students at some universities in the United Kingdom have set up pro-Palestinian encampments in recent days.

At Newcastle University, a small pro-Palestinian encampment has been set up on a lawn in front of the college’s buildings, video and pictures on social media showed.

The X account “Newcastle Apartheid Off Campus” shared images of their encampment, which shows around a dozen tents on the lawn, some with Palestinian flags hanging from them.

The group describes itself as a “student-led coalition fighting for an end to Newcastle University’s partnership with defense companies supplying Israel” and said, in an X post Wednesday evening, that they would be “staying the night.”

“Day one of the encampment is coming to an end,” the post said, adding that “numbers are growing by the hour.”

Students in the English cities of Leeds and Bristol also set up tents outside their university buildings Wednesday in protest against the war in Gaza, according to PA news agency. PA also reported that a camp at Warwick University, in central England, has been installed on the university’s campus for a week. 

On Friday, the University of Warwick said it was aware of an “ongoing demonstration” on campus organized by “Warwick Stands With Palestine,” a coalition of student and staff organizations. The university said it was “speaking to the demonstration’s organizers” but reiterated that freedom of speech is a “vital component of university life.” 

Police react while pro-Palestinian students stand their ground after police breached their encampment at the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, California, early on May 2.

Police who entered the UCLA encampment earlier this morning have subsequently left, a CNN team on site reports.

While protesters can be heard yelling at officers, the overall scene is peaceful and there are no clashes within the CNN team’s line of sight.

A police presence can still be seen at the perimeter of the encampment, but the police line has been pushed back significantly.

Protesters — who appear to overwhelmingly outnumber law enforcement officers by the encampment — can be seen gathering on the Janss Steps, a campus landmark, chanting “we’re not leaving!”

More to come.

Banners and signs are seen on Royce Hall inside the encampment set up by pro-Palestinian students and activists as they demonstrate on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California, on May 1.

Pro-Palestinian protesters appear to have blocked doors to Royce Hall, on the UCLA campus, using bins, tents and other items tied together, according to CNN video taken on Wednesday evening. 

In the video, graffiti reading “Free Gaza” can be seen above the barricaded doors. The video also shows graffiti on pillars and a poster reading “UCLA divest” attached to a railing.

University of California, Los Angeles, faculty members who are on campus supporting pro-Palestinian student protesters are “all expecting to get arrested,” Associate Professor Graeme Blair told CNN Thursday morning. 

Blair spoke to CNN around 1:30 a.m. PT as he was standing in “a line of 15 faculty members who’ve come out to support student’s rights to protest peacefully.”

Blair shared video that shows police have formed lines in front of faculty and protesters on the Los Angeles campus. 

The professor said he and other faculty members are willing to get arrested, “because we want to send a message to UCLA … that students definitely have a right to protest peacefully and to talk about their ideas.”

The students who have protested peacefully for days were not responsible for last night’s violence in the encampment, Blair added. “I was here and saw it myself,” he said.

Blair and other faculty have been involved in the protests for the past five days because “we’ve seen at campuses across the county that the right under the American First Amendment for free expression and free speech has not been defended by universities, who should be the primary defender of those rights,” he said.

Law enforcement has been seen entering an encampment on UCLA’s campus. A CNN team on the scene saw law enforcement entering the site where pro-Palestinian protesters had set up.

Hours earlier, police deemed the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus an unlawful assembly, a source told CNN. Police typically take this step before ordering people to disperse or face arrest.

Video Ad Feedback

b3842a81-3247-4eac-971f-9d6a4d4972b1.mp4

03:39 - Source: cnn

This comes after hundreds of demonstrators were arrested in 24 hours as protests against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza disrupt university campuses across the United States.

While the demands among protesters vary at each university, the majority of demonstrations have called for colleges to divest from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza.

Here are the latest developments on campuses nationwide:

University of Arizona: Law enforcement used pepper balls and rubber bullets against protesters Wednesday, the university said in a statement.

In New York, after about 300 protesters were arrested late on Tuesday at Columbia University and City College. There are still unanswered questions about how many of those who occupied Hamilton Hall at Columbia were students and how many were not.

Fordham University: At least 15 people were arrested after dozens of protesters set up an encampment inside the university’s Lowenstein building, according to a statement from the school. The school asked the New York Police Department to be on campus through at least May 22.

University at Buffalo: Approximately 16 people were arrested Wednesday night after a pro-Palestinian protest at the university’s North Campus, the school said in a release.

Dartmouth College: Ninety people were arrested at Wednesday’s pro-Palestinian protest on suspicion of committing offenses including criminal trespass and resisting arrest, police in the New Hampshire town of Hanover said.

University of Texas at Dallas: At least 17 arrests have been made at the campus as of Wednesday evening, school officials said.

University of Wisconsin-Madison: Several protesters were arrested Wednesday, Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin said in a letter to the campus community. 

Protesters supporting those inside the UCLA encampment can be heard chanting “peaceful protest,” CNN video shows. 

Crowds of people packed together can be seen gathering around a staircase leading up to the area of the encampment. 

Police breach the encampment of Pro-Palestinian students demonstrating on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California, early on May 2.

A CNN team on campus has seen law enforcement entering the UCLA encampment where pro-Palestinian protesters are set up.

More to come.

An activist confronts police as they breach the encampment of Pro-Palestinian students demonstrating on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California, early on May 2.

UCLA Police have repeated their calls for protesters at the university encampment to disperse.

A CNN team on site heard at least two dispersal orders made by university police over the past hour.

Some protestors can be heard chanting “shame on you” at police on campus.

A few hours ago, UCLA police told those in the encampment to leave over loudspeaker.

Police are warning those in the encampment they may be “in violation of the law and subject to administrative actions.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson attends a press conference at the US Capitol on April 30, 2024.

Speaker Mike Johnson is zeroing in on the wave of pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked college campuses across the United States as he looks to unify his fractured House Republican conference, which has been bitterly splintered for months – all while exposing divisions within the House Democratic caucus.

Johnson, who is poised to face a referendum on his rookie speakership as soon as next week, has used the weight of the speaker’s office to launch a multi-faceted investigation into the clashes at American universities.

That includes tapping committee chairs to beef up oversight of federal funding for schools; hatching plans to haul in college presidents for hearings; exploring additional legislation to address antisemitism; and dispatching key Republicans to visit campus encampments and demonstrations.

With multiple committees involved in the effort, Johnson is coordinating the work behind the scenes and making the House-wide investigation a new focal point of the GOP agenda, which has largely been stalled over the past few months.

The effort could not only shore up much-needed support for Johnson inside his fractured conference – which has struggled to pass even basic procedural votes and messaging bills – but could also appeal to key voter constituencies, including moderates, independents and suburban parents, ahead of the November elections.

Read the full story.

Earlier this year, an 18-year-old high school senior from New York City had planned to enroll at Columbia University’s sister school Barnard College in Manhattan as an early decision student. But after her parents saw heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict surface across some US campuses, including at Barnard and Columbia, they went back to her list.

The student, who spoke to CNN under the condition of anonymity over privacy concerns, ultimately chose Brandeis University in Massachusetts, one of only two schools on the Anti-Defamation League’s 2024 list of 85 colleges that received an A grade for its response to antisemitic incidents on campus and its support for Jewish students.

“Barnard was my top choice. I was so dead set on going,” said the private school student, who is Jewish. “But after seeing what is happening on campuses, I feel so glad I am going to Brandeis. I feel really happy and safe knowing they got an A.”

Other families also have been grappling with where to send their high school students in the fall as campus protests continue to play out at schools around the country, even as the final deadline fast approaches.

Mimi Doe – the co-founder and CEO of Top Tier Admissions, whose admission experts help students get into their college of choice – told CNN some students have already reconsidered where to attend, particularly when it comes to enrolling at Columbia University.

Read the full story.

Police arrest protesters at Dartmouth College on Wednesday night.

Ninety people were arrested at Wednesday’s pro-Palestinian protest at Dartmouth College on suspicion of committing offenses including criminal trespass and resisting arrest, police in the New Hampshire town of Hanover said.

The arrests came after tents were erected during a protest on the Dartmouth Green — a move that the campus safety department said would not be allowed, Hanover police said.

“One tents were erected, Dartmouth Safety & Security made multiple announcements to participants that they must disperse, and they refused,” Hanover police said in a news release.

Hanover police and New Hampshire State Police also told people to leave, and “while some chose to leave, many stayed,” leading to the arrests, the release reads.

Those arrested included Dartmouth students and those who don’t attend the college, police said.

Video from CNN affiliate WMUR showed police pulling protesters one-by-one from the crowd gathered on the Dartmouth Green and detaining them with zip ties Wednesday night.

Protesters could be heard chanting “Free Palestine” while holding banners and flags.

State police had been deployed to Dartmouth due to “illegal activity and at the request of local law enforcement,” the New Hampshire Department of Safety told CNN.

This aerial view shows police vehicles at a parking lot in Los Angeles, California on May 1.

While law enforcement officers appear poised to clear protesters from an encampment at UCLA, on-campus demonstrators who are outside the encampment have been chanting in support of those inside it.

“We’re not leaving!” the demonstrators outside the encampment chanted repeatedly Wednesday night.

Earlier Wednesday, authorities had staged at least seven prisoner transport buses in the parking lot of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, approximately 1 mile from UCLA, according to aerial footage from CNN affiliate KABC.

Hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested in the last 24 hours as protests decrying Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continue at university campuses across the nation.

The majority of demonstrations have called for the divestment from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, where there’s a large law enforcement presence, police have declared the pro-Palestinian protest on campus an unlawful assembly, a source told CNN. That’s a step typically taken before individuals are ordered to disperse or face arrest. 

Video Ad Feedback

86f89a7c-d477-4e13-b09f-043d82f544a1.mp4

03:39 - Source: cnn

Meanwhile, at the University of Arizona, law enforcement used pepper balls and rubber bullets against protesters Wednesday, the university said in a statement.

In New York, after about 300 protesters were arrested overnight Tuesday at Columbia University and City College, there are still unanswered questions about how many who occupied Hamilton Hall were students and how many were not. Discussions are ongoing about what will happen with graduation, the ongoing NYPD presence on campus and the university’s next steps.

Here are the latest developments:

City College of New York: The university is surveying damage from several buildings and grounds after demonstrators smashed glass doors, graffitied walls and ransacked public property Tuesday night, the university said in a statement Wednesday.

Columbia University: President Minouche Shafik addressed the campus community in a letter released Wednesday, noting that the “drastic escalation” of protests “pushed the University to the brink.” The school is holding final exams but going fully remote for any exams on the main campus, according to a letter sent to students.

Dartmouth College: Multiple people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Dartmouth College on Wednesday night, according to CNN affiliate WMUR.

Fordham University: At least 15 people were arrested after dozens of protesters set up an encampment inside the university’s Lowenstein building, according to a statement from the school. The school asked the NYPD to be on campus through at least May 22.

University at Buffalo: Approximately 16 people were arrested Wednesday night after a pro-Palestinian protest at the university’s North Campus, the school said in a release.

University of California, Los Angeles: Police are warning those in the encampment they may be “in violation of the law and subject to administrative actions.” The Los Angeles Police Department has also issued a city-wide “tactical alert” related to a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA, a law enforcement source told CNN. 

University of New Hampshire: State police were deployed to the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College due to “illegal activity and at the request of local law enforcement,” the New Hampshire Department of Safety told CNN. The university said it will protect free speech on campus but “will not allow it to be co-opted by a small group of protesters, including outside agitators.”

University of Texas at Austin: An Austin Fox 7 television photojournalist was charged with two misdemeanors following his arrest at the University of Texas at Austin last week, according to a statement from the Texas Department of Public Safety on Wednesday.

University of Texas at Dallas: At least 17 arrests have been made at the campus as of Wednesday evening, school officials said.

University of Wisconsin-Madison: The university is investigating “bias reports involving individuals from outside of our campus community,” Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin said in a letter to the campus community Wednesday. At least 34 people were arrested, a majority of whom “were released with no citation issued,” according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department.

The University of Southern California reopened its campus to the school community Wednesday night after temporarily closing because “demonstrators unaffiliated with USC” were protesting next to the campus, the school said.

The protesters were gathered at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street, the school said in a post at around 8 p.m. It was not clear what they were protesting. 

Shortly after 9 p.m., the school said the demonstrators had left the area and the campus was reopened to “students, staff, faculty, and registered guests.”

UCLA police over loudspeaker told those in the encampment to leave a little before 8 p.m. PT Wednesday evening.

Police are warning those in the encampment they may be “in violation of the law and subject to administrative actions.”

The Los Angeles Police Department has issued a city-wide “tactical alert” related to the unlawful assembly declared at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA, a law enforcement source told CNN. 

The alert notifies all LAPD personnel that they could be called on tonight to assist with the ongoing situation on campus, if needed.

During a tactical alert, some lower-priority calls for police services may not be addressed.

Police officers get into position as pro-Palestinian students and activists demonstrate on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on May 1.

The large law enforcement presence on UCLA’s campus is comprised of several agencies to perform specific tasks to clear the encampment, according to a source familiar with law enforcement plans:

Law enforcement on site will be equipped with protective gear, including gas masks, according to the source. The UCLA hospital will also be on standby to receive anyone who may be injured, the source said.

State police were deployed to the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College due to “illegal activity and at the request of local law enforcement,” the New Hampshire Department of Safety told CNN.

“All individuals who were taken into custody are being processed by the University of New Hampshire Police Department and the Hanover Police Department,” said Tyler Dumont, New Hampshire Department of Safety spokesman.
“The members of the New Hampshire State Police are committed to protecting the constitutional rights of Granite Staters while also ensuring those who violate the law are held accountable.”

The University of New Hampshire told CNN that students supporting Palestinians had peacefully protested on campus at least seven times over the past six months.

“Despite much communication with organizers regarding the University’s expectations for conduct when exercising their free speech rights, those guidelines were ignored today. Protesters erected tents in an attempt to create an encampment on UNH property.”

The university said it will protect free speech on campus but “will not allow it to be co-opted by a small group of protesters, including outside agitators.”

CNN has reached out to Dartmouth College for comment. 

Multiple people were arrested during an ongoing pro-Palestinian protest at Dartmouth College on Wednesday night, according to CNN affiliate WMUR.

Police arrest several protesters at Dartmouth College on Wednesday night.

Multiple people have been arrested during an ongoing pro-Palestinian protest at Dartmouth College on Wednesday night, according to CNN affiliate WMUR.

State police were deployed to the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College due to “illegal activity and at the request of local law enforcement,” the New Hampshire Department of Safety told CNN.

Video from WMUR shows police pulling protesters one-by-one from the crowd gathered on the Dartmouth Green and detaining them with zip ties.

Protesters can be heard chanting “Free Palestine” while holding banners and flags.

The crowd appears to be a mix of students and members of the community, WMUR says.

At least 16 people were arrested Wednesday night after a pro-Palestine protest at the University at Buffalo’s North Campus, including students and “other individuals not affiliated with the University at Buffalo,” the school said in a release.

Those people were arrested after being “advised of, and failing to comply, with an order to disperse for a violation of UB’s Picketing and Assembling Policy that prohibits encampments and overnight assemblies,” the release reads.

“While many protesters peacefully left the area after being advised multiple times by UB Police that those remaining at the protest would be arrested if they did not disperse at dusk, unfortunately some individuals elected to ignore the requests of UB Police and were arrested.”

“A few individuals” attempted to resist arrest, and two officers were assaulted, the release reads.

In an earlier release, the university said its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine originally organized a march at the North Campus on Wednesday. 

Around 50 people, including students and others not affiliated with the university, continued to protest into Wednesday evening, the university said.

Many left the area after warnings from university police to disperse at dusk, but others were arrested outside of Hochstetter Hall, the university said.

“While the decision to arrest individuals occurred after multiple discussions, communications and warnings to protesters, UB Police prioritized the safety and security of the university community by upholding and enforcing all applicable laws, SUNY rules and UB polices.”

The university said it recognizes and respects the right to protest but emphasized that overnight assemblies and indoor and outdoor encampments are prohibited.

Five tents were previously placed on campus but were removed by protesters after they were advised by university staff and police, according to the university.

Law enforcement has declared an unlawful assembly for a pro-Palestinian encampment at the university’s quad, a source familiar with the situation tells CNN. 

Declaring a gathering unlawful is a step police typically take before ordering individuals to disperse or face arrest.

CNN witnessed more than 100 law enforcement officers from various agencies entering the campus Wednesday, including a stream of officers wearing riot helmets and carrying zip ties.

Aerial video from CNN affiliate KABC shows dozens of police vehicles and a law enforcement mobile command post gathered at the FBI’s Los Angeles field office parking lot, which is approximately one mile from the UCLA encampment. 

Hundreds of people had gathered outside the encampment Wednesday evening, most appearing to be seated on the ground across from the entrance to the camp, the aerial footage shows. Inside the encampment, more than 80 tents lined the grass as people busily wove through the area.

By around 8:30 p.m., a growing line of LAPD officers had formed between the encampment and the outside group of protesters, according to a CNN crew on the scene.

Officials continue to survey damage from several buildings and grounds at the City College of New York after demonstrators smashed glass doors, graffitied walls and ransacked public property Tuesday night, officials said.

“During preliminary cleanup, public safety officers uncovered chains, flares, a bolt cutter and box cutters in three bags left by the protesters in the building. We have not yet determined the cost of repairs,” the City University of New York (CUNY) said in a statement.

The City College of New York is the founding institution of CUNY and is home to eight schools and divisions, according to the school’s website.

Remember: About 300 protesters were arrested overnight Tuesday at Columbia University and City College of New York, officials said Wednesday.

CNN’s Zenebou Sylla contributed to this report.

Law enforcement tear down an encampment that protesters had built on the University of Arizona campus on May 1.

The University of Arizona said Wednesday that “law enforcement had little choice but to take significant measures” after protesters engaged in “dangerous actions” while officials tried dispersing them.

“Hundreds of protestors and counter-protestors (sic) gathered on Park Avenue, creating a volatile environment,” Robert C. Robbins, the school’s president, said in the statement. “At my direction and in consultation with the University of Arizona Office of Public Safety and UAPD, supported by partner law enforcement agencies, a plan was implemented to clear the area with an emphasis on protecting everyone.”

While trying to move protesters, law enforcement made “minimal use” of pepper balls and rubber bullets and wore tactical safety gear “to disperse the crowd and to protect themselves and others while clearing the area,” according to Robbins. 

Robbins said police ultimately arrested one undergraduate student, a graduate student and two people unaffiliated with the university. 

There were no significant injuries that the school is aware of, Robbins said. 

The NYPD has supplied the names of those arrested inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall to school authorities.

They will check against their records to determine how many of those inside the building were students and how many were not, according to two law enforcement sources.

About 300 protesters were arrested overnight Tuesday at Columbia University and City College after officers cleared encampments and an occupied building. 

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik addressed the campus community in a letter released Wednesday, noting that the “drastic escalation” of protests “pushed the University to the brink.”

The Dean of Columbia University Journalism School said in a memo to students that discussions are ongoing about what will happen with graduation, the ongoing NYPD presence on campus and the university’s next steps in light of Tuesday night’s events.

Columbia is holding final exams but going fully remote for any exams on the university’s main campus, according to a letter sent to students.

A Columbia Journalism student journalist shows off their sign as they cover the events at Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30.

Journalists tasked with covering violent unrest on college campuses across the US have been assaulted, arrested and barred access as police moved in to crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters who set up encampments and barricaded themselves inside buildings.

On some college campuses, access has been restricted to students only, effectively making student journalists the only reliable news media reporting on the protests and clashes.

Anna Dai-Liu, UCLA Newspaper, Daily Bruin, Science and Health Editor.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, reporters for the student-run newspaper The Daily Bruin said they were violently attacked during clashes Tuesday night, including being followed, slapped and sprayed with irritants, the newspaper said. Student Editor Anna Dai-Liu told CNN she was gassed, and other student reporters were assaulted, with one reporter being taken to emergency care.

The newspaper did not state who assaulted the student journalists, but the violence came as counterprotesters, some of whom were supporting Israel, clashed with pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Hundreds of miles away at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, three journalists were detained while covering campus protests, according to a local public radio outlet, including a television news reporter who was arrested while filming the demonstrations.

At Columbia University in New York, journalists said they were barred from covering the unrest Tuesday night as police officers in riot gear breached an academic building where demonstrators were barricaded, resulting in more than 100 arrests.

As protests and attempts to quell them spread from New York to Los Angeles and many states in between, President Joe Biden finds himself caught in a series of political and diplomatic crosscurrents without an easy solution.

He is opposed to lawlessness and the takeover of campus buildings and has strongly condemned instances of antisemitism. But he is also mindful of students’ right to protest, even when the anger is directed at his policies toward Israel.

At the same time, he is navigating a highly sensitive moment in the Gaza war, as officials pursue a fresh proposal to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. The plan, if agreed to, would result in a temporary pause in the fighting — an outcome some Biden advisers hope could lower the temperature at home. 

For the president, the dueling domestic and foreign policy challenges have imposed a unique burden six months before the election. It’s a rare moment that puts the demand for strong presidential leadership at odds with empathy, a trademark of his public persona.

The Biden campaign is closely watching the protests unfold, particularly those in battleground states, and advisers are keenly aware of the domestic political consequences of the administration’s policy toward Israel but remain hopeful the crisis in the region will ease by the fall.

“If politics was driving this, the president obviously would have changed course months ago,” a senior Democratic adviser told CNN, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic inside the campaign. “But there is not a simple political solution to this. It’s driven by complex policy decisions without easy answers.”

Read more about the dilemma.

Children hold up banners, which express gratitude to pro-Palestinian students at college campuses across the US, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on Wednesday.

Children in displacement camps across northern and central Gaza on Wednesday expressed their gratitude to pro-Palestinian students at college campuses across the US who have been protesting the war.

Video shot for CNN at a camp in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, shows several children holding up banners with names of American universities where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held in recent days, saying “thanks for your solidarity!”

Some had messages that read: “Your voices pierce the wall of silence and reach the victims in Gaza” and “thanks to the brave students in American universities, thank you for standing with Gaza.”

A mother whose children were holding banners behind her, Nadia Al-Dibs, told CNN she is grateful to the “brave students” for their solidarity.

Aoun Khattab, a man displaced in Deir al-Balah called on, “Arab and European universities to follow suit … to call and plead for an end to this war and for a permanent ceasefire.”

At a separate event in Deir al-Balah in front of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital, doctors, nurses, and medical staff also expressed their gratitude to those protesting the war in Gaza.

They held signs with messages such as “Thank you to the students who support our cause,” “Thank you for your solidarity,” “United against genocide,” “The killing of children must stop,” “Keep on fighting for justice,” and other signs with universities’ names.

Dr. Saad Abu Sharban told CNN that he came out to thank the pro-Palestinian protesters in US. “When we saw our students and students around the world do these things, we were over the moon, because we believe that around the world there are human beings who know what is happening here in Gaza Strip right now,” he said.

Similar demonstrations of thanks were seen in video from a displacement camp in Jabalya in northern Gaza on Wednesday. Children were seen carrying Palestinian flags and holding up banners in Arabic that read: “our colleagues at Columbia university, we thank you for standing with us to stop the crimes of Israel’s occupation” and “the Israeli occupation has destroyed our lives, stop the war so we can resume our education.”

Another banner listed several American universities, including one in Paris, saying “continue applying pressure to stop the war on Gaza.” Other banners thanked countries in the Arab world for their “solidarity with Gaza.”

Tensions on US college campuses have risen since Hamas’ October 7 attack, when militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed more than 34,000 people, according to its health ministry.

Reports of antisemitic acts have surged across America and particularly on college campuses since October 7. Islamophobia has run rampant, too. The recent surge in protests have inflamed those tensions, forcing leadership to decide when free speech on campus crosses a line and becomes threatening.

But the protests particularly ramped up in mid-April at Columbia University, when the university’s president, Minouche Shafik, testified before a House committee about the school’s response to charges of campus antisemitism. A pro-Palestinian protest kicked off on campus at the same time.

Following her testimony, Shafik requested in a letter released by the university that the New York City Police Department remove people who were encamped on the South Lawn of the campus who were “in violation of the University’s rules and policies” and trespassing. More than 100 people were arrested, according to law enforcement.

The encampments were organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a student-led coalition of more than 100 organizations, including Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, to protest what they describe as the university’s “continued financial investment in corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and military occupation of Palestine,” according to its news release.

Pro-Palestinian encampments have since started at campuses across the US, including at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Emerson College, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Michigan, the University of Southern California and the University of California, Berkeley.