April 24, 2024 - US university protests

Our live coverage of the protests has moved here

The Los Angeles Police Department said 93 people were arrested on suspicion of trespassing during Wednesday’s demonstrations at the University of Southern California.

“The university is a private campus and the group had been violating some of their orders. It was a trespass at that point and we assisted with the arrests,” Los Angeles Police Captain Kelly Muniz said during a briefing.

One person was also arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, Muniz said. She did not provide further details.

No protesters or officers have been reported injured, police said.

Some context: USC’s Department of Public Safety ordered protesters gathering at the campus’ Alumni Park Wednesday afternoon to disperse or face arrest for trespassing.

At one point during the demonstrations, tensions escalated as protesters refused to relocate and remove their tents and other prohibited items, a university official said.

The university closed its campus Wednesday evening as LAPD began arresting demonstrators.

Student demonstrators occupy the pro-Palestinian "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on the West Lawn of Columbia University on April 24, in New York City.

Negotiations between protesters and Columbia University officials about clearing the encampment on its lawn that had been extended for 48 hours have been “unstable,” said Esha Karam, managing director of Columbia Daily Spectator, citing student organizers.

There’s still around another 24 hours to go until the extended deadline “but really after that, we don’t really know where things are going,” Karam added.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called Wednesday for the resignation of the university’s president if she can’t “bring order to this chaos.”

Student reactions to calls for the college president’s resignation have been mixed, Karam said. 

She said there are “some who are willing to see her continue to lead and continue to work with her.” 

The California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt campus will remain closed through the weekend as protesters, including “unidentified non-students,” continue to occupy two buildings, school officials said in an update.

Work and classes will remain remote, and officials are considering keeping the campus closed for longer.

Other buildings on the campus in Arcata are at risk of being occupied, and protesters “have shown a willingness” to lock themselves in facilities and steal equipment, the officials said.

“Campus officials are communicating with protestors and continuing to encourage them to leave as soon as possible.”

Graffiti described as “hateful” has been painted on campus, the officials said.

The university “supports free speech through open dialogue that is respectful and constructive,” the officials said.

A photographer was among those arrested during clashes between protesters and law enforcement on the University of Texas at Austin campus on Wednesday. 

Fox 7 reported that their photographer was detained and arrested. The station did not identify the employee. 

In an evening update, the Texas Department of Public Safety said that 34 arrests had been made by law enforcement on the campus as of 9 p.m. 

CNN has contacted Texas DPS, UT Austin Police, and UT Austin for information on this arrest.

Minouche Shafik, president of Columbia University, testifies during the House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing on April 17, in Washington, DC.

The Columbia University Board of Trustees released a statement Wednesday saying they strongly support President Minouche Shafik, who has faced calls for her resignation amid intense pressure to rein in days-long protests.

 The board said it is “urgently working” with Shafik to resolve the unrest on campus and “rebuild the bonds of our community.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate at the University of Texas on April 24, in Austin, Texas.

The University of Texas at Austin Police Department said in a statement on X Wednesday evening that “the dispersal order at the South Mall has ended. All University rules are still in effect.”

As of 9 p.m. CT, 34 arrests have been made by law enforcement on the UT Austin campus, according to an X post from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Amid arrests of pro-Palestine protesters across universities, the Muslim Public Affairs Council condemned calls for the deployment of the National Guard, saying the “crackdown on students with an overwhelming militaristic force has set a dangerous precedent for university administrations nationwide.” 

MPAC urged for a reevaluation of strategies used to handle protests on campuses across the country and says it advocates for “approaches that emphasize de-escalation and address students’ concerns through constructive means rather than force and intimidation.” 

In a previous statement on Tuesday, MPAC accused the White House of having double standards for issuing a response condemning violence and physical intimidation against Jewish students at Columbia University, but says the administration “consistently fails to extend the same sentiments to students who face repeated violence, intimidation, doxing, and harassment for their pro-Palestinian advocacy.” 

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested approximately 50 protestors at the University of Southern California after campus police gave a dispersal order to demonstrators, according to a CNN crew at the scene.

Campus police announced earlier that anyone who stayed in the area would be subject to criminal trespass laws.

Video from the scene showed protestors not resisting arrest as LAPD handcuffed them with zip ties and escorted them away from the ongoing protest.

USC Public Safety officer walks to inform students that they must disperse, as they build a protest encampment in support of Palestinians, at the University of Southern California's Alumni Park on April 24, in Los Angeles, California.

The University Park Campus, the University of Southern California’s main campus, has been closed due to the ongoing protests, the university said in a statement.

The campus closure comes as Los Angeles Police Department officers started arresting protesters at the university.

Los Angeles Police Department officers are arresting protesters at the University of Southern California for criminal trespassing after a dispersal order was announced by campus police at a university park.

Demonstrators were seen on video being zip-tied and led away by officers as other protesters chanted, “Let them go.”

Those detained did not appear to resist officers. Organizers have advised protesters not to resist arrest.

Pro-Palestinian student protesters continue demonstrations on the eighth day of the 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' at Columbia University in New York on April 24.

There is growing tension at Columbia University amid the pro-Palestinian protests on the New York campus.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday called for the resignation of school President Minouche Shafik, while pro-Palestinian student protesters are demanding Columbia cut all financial ties with Israel.

While most protests have been non-violent, some Jewish students are expressing concern for their safety.

“The antisemitic comments and activity is running rampant,” said Jessica Schwalb, a Jewish student at Columbia.

The university recently shifted to hybrid classes due to safety concerns, allowing students to take classes and final exams online.

Pro-Palestine demonstrators rally at an encampment in support of Gaza at the University of Southern California on April 24, in Los Angeles, California.

The University of Southern California’s Department of Public Safety ordered protesters at the campus’ Alumni Park to disperse Wednesday afternoon. 

Officers told demonstrators to leave the area within 10 minutes or be subject to criminal trespass. 

Protesters could be seen sitting with their arms linked, standing and chanting in the park after the announcement from the police.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is interviewed by CNN's Erin Burnett on Wednesday, April 24.

Following a tense news conference repeatedly interrupted by protesters on the steps of Columbia University on Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was not surprised by the strong reaction and defended his decision to speak out at the New York campus amidst threats to his speakership back in Washington.

Asked if he believes protesting the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the loss of life of innocent civilians is antisemitic in and of itself, Johnson said that he believes “there’s always a place for debate and the free exchange of ideas but let’s not equivocate on what’s happening with Hamas and in Gaza.”

“This is a battle, as Prime Minister Netanyahu said, between good versus evil, light versus darkness, civilization versus barbarism. This isn’t a close call,” Johnson said.

Students speak with law enforcement during a pro-Palestine protest at the The University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Austin, Texas.

The University of Texas Austin recently sent students an email alerting them that there was a “Notice of Dispersal Order” following a day of clashes and arrests on the campus.  

Texas Department of Public Safety said earlier that more than 20 people were arrested after the Palestine Solidarity Committee organized a walkout and occupation of the school’s South Lawn.

The demonstrations led to confrontations between police officers, state troopers and students.

USC Safety officers try to disperse protestors at the University of Southern California's Alumni Park in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 24.

The demonstration at USC escalated when protesters refused to relocate and remove their tents and other prohibited items, Provost Andrew T. Guzman said in a statement posted online. 

Many of the protesters “do not appear to be affiliated with USC,” he said.

“Their actions have escalated to the point of confrontation and have threatened the safety of our officers and campus community,” Guzman said.

Campus gates have been closed and officials are “taking action to restrict growth of the protest and keep the rest of the campus calm,” the statement read.

The scene at the University of Southern California’s University Park campus has calmed after major activity erupted during a demonstration earlier on Wednesday.

The encampment created by protesters on the Columbia University campus is seen on Wednesday, April 24.

The dean of Columbia College, the undergraduate liberal arts college at Columbia University, sent an email Wednesday to alumni about the protests on campus, describing it as a “difficult moment” for the New York school.

“I have heard from numerous alumni, parents and students voicing their thoughts on what they have witnessed personally or observed from a distance in recent days.”

In his email, Sorett stressed “several key points regarding the situation on and around campus,” including “unacceptable instances of intimidating and harassing behavior on our campus.”

He added: “Let me state emphatically that Antisemitic or Islamophobic rhetoric — like any other language used to hurt, harass and frighten people — has no place in our community… However, it is important to recognize that the University is limited in its ability to control the actions or words of members of the public on the streets surrounding campus – even as we acknowledge that not every incident has been outside the gates and that some Columbia affiliates are not without fault.”

Students gather during a pro-Palestine protest at the The University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday, April 24, in Austin, Texas.

More than 20 arrests were made at the University of Texas campus in Austin on Wednesday, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The department also said it will “continue adjusting operations as needed in order to assist our law enforcement partners and maintain the public’s safety.”

Some context: The Palestine Solidarity Committee in Austin organized a walkout and occupation on the school’s South Lawn in Austin.

It led to multiple confrontations between police officers, state troopers “in full riot gear with batons” and the students, Amelia Kimball, associate managing editor at The Daily Texan, told CNN News Central.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations chapter in Austin, Texas, condemned “unnecessary and excessive force” used by police officers Wednesday to arrest students protesting the Israel-Hamas war.

Fayyaz Shah, board chair of CAIR Austin, said law enforcement should “exercise restraint and respect the rights of protesters.”

“In a democratic society, the right to peacefully protest and express dissenting opinions is fundamental. The use of large numbers of heavily armed law enforcement officers to arrest student activists advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza represents a troubling suppression of these rights,” Shah said in a statement.

Shaimaa Zayan, operations manager of CAIR Austin, stressed that law enforcement should prioritize de-escalation and dialogue when handling peaceful protests.

“Sending in a massive armed police force to arrest students advocating for peace sends the wrong message and only exacerbates tensions further,” Zayan said in a statement.

Texas state troopers in riot gear broke up a group of protesters at the University of Texas at Austin after a demonstration Wednesday. The Austin Police Department told CNN they are assisting the University of Texas Police Department with transporting arrested protesters.

Althea, a Jewish student in the encampment, said she’s been subject to harassment being part of the pro-Palestinian movement on the Columbia University campus.

She wears a Star of David necklace along with a keffiyeh, which has become a symbol of Palestinian identity. She said her family has roots in the Middle East, and that she’s a Mizrahi Jew. 

She asked not to be referred to by her last name for privacy concerns.  

Althea said combatting anti-Semitism and Islamophobia go hand in hand. 

“I would honestly say that the biggest threat to us on campus right now is the heavy presence of NYPD,” she said. 

She said Palestinian rights came to the forefront of her consciousness after she visited Israel last year through a trip organized by the campus Hillel. She said she visited a town on the Mediterranean coast where on one side was a Palestinian town and the other was an Israeli. 

 “On one side, there’s this pristine environment that’s Israeli homes. On the other side, it’s a slum, like it’s dirty… the Palestinian village doesn’t have the resources to be able to clean up and function. A lot of the houses don’t have electricity.”

 The encampment at Columbia observes the Muslim daily prayers as well as Seder for the Jewish holiday of Passover.  

“I think being Jewish inside the encampment has given me a very helpful perspective, where I’m able to say yes, I attended this Seder a couple nights ago with a lot of Palestinian and Muslim students who were welcomed with open arms,” she said.