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.

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.

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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.

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. 

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 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. 

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.  

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. 

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.

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. 

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.