College protests live: Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists arrested as NYPD under fire for crackdown

Police officers in riot gear seen moving on an encampment on University of Virginia lawn

President Joe Biden insists ‘order must prevail’ as police shut down college Gaza protests

Police have arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian students as protests against Israel’s war in Gaza continued across universities over the weekend.

At least 25 protesters were arrested as police cleared an encampment at the University of Virginia, the university said in a statement.

Dozens of people were arrested for criminal trespass outside the Art Institute of Chicago at a demonstration after the institute called in police to remove protesters.

Meanwhile, students carried flags and banners during the University of Michigan’s commencement ceremony after the NYPD revealed on Friday morning that a police officer with the department’s Emergency Service Unit “unintentionally” fired his gun while trying to access a locked office at Columbia University.

The bullet hit a wall inside the office. No one was injured.

On Thursday morning, hundreds of police officers dismantled a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of California at Los Angeles and arrested more than 130 demonstrators.

Live TV footage showed protesters under arrest, kneeling on the ground, their hands bound behind their backs with zip ties. Loud explosions were heard during the clash from flash-bang charges, or stun grenades, fired by police.

President Joe Biden also denounced protests that turned violent on college campuses on Thursday.

Key Points

• Pro-Palestinian students protest Michigan graduation ceremony
• President Joe Biden condemns violent campus protests
• Police mass near UCLA pro-Palestinian protest camp
• Columbia student journalists broadcast NYPD college raid to the world from the inside

[5 May 2024 19:00 · Graig Graziosi]

AP Was ThereAP Was There: Ohio National Guard killed protesters at Kent State University: Ohio National Guard killed protesters at Kent State University

The Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed college students during a war protest at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. Four students were killed, and nine others were injured. Not all of those hurt or killed were involved in the demonstration, which opposed the U.S. bombing of neutral Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

The confrontation, sometimes referred to as the May 4 massacre, was a defining moment for a nation sharply divided over the protracted war, in which more than 58,000 Americans died. It sparked a strike of 4 million students across the U.S., temporarily closing some 900 colleges and universities. The events also played a pivotal role, historians argue, in turning public opinion against the conflicts in Southeast Asia.

In the hours immediately after the shootings, reporters at the chaotic scene struggled to determine who had fired the shots and why. Among the theories was that Guard members shot after spotting a sniper. The Associated Press reported that a highway patrol official refuted the sniper theory.

[5 May 2024 17:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Columbia University says ‘outsiders’ were among protesters arrested on Tuesday

Columbia University released a breakdown of the individuals arrested on Tuesday when police raided the occupied Hamilton Hall to disperse Gaza protests on campus.

The university said in a statement that “outsiders” were among those arrested. According to the school’s data, 13 of the protesters were adults who were not affiliated with the university.

“A significant portion of those who broke the law and occupied Hamilton Hall were outsiders,” a Columbia spokesperson said. “While 14 were Columbia undergraduate students, the majority were a mix of adults, including graduate students, two employees, and outsiders unaffiliated with Columbia University.”

The university said that it is still determining what disciplinary action will be taken saying “the occupiers violated various University policies, but more importantly, they broke the law. Actions have consequences.”

[5 May 2024 15:00 · Graig Graziosi]

ICYMI: NYPD says gunshot at Columbia was accidental discharge

The NYPD held a press conference to address an errant bullet that was fired while officers were trying to clear protesters off of Columbia University’s campus on Tuesday.

New York City’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information, Tarik Sheppard, told reporters that the bullet was an accidental discharge and that the department averaged about eight accidental shots each year.

“Accidental discharges happen every single year and we average about eight a year and we don’t get request [for information] on it,” he said. “If you do ask about it, we’ll talk about it like we’re doing right now.”

The officer who fired the shot was said to be an 8-year veteran with an “impeccable” service record. The officer was reportedly trying to access a locked office to see if anyone was “hiding inside” and shifted his gun from his dominant hand to his off-hand. That’s when the errant shot fired. No one was injured in the shooting.

That officer will face department evaluation, according to the NYPD. The NY District Attorney’s office is also investigating.

Mr Sheppard said the department has no plans to release bodycam footage, citing department policy to withhold footage showing accidental shots that do not result.

The officer who fired the shot was a member of the Emergency Service Unit clearing protesters out of Columbia’s Hamilton Hall. The errant shot hit a door frame.

[5 May 2024 13:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary says college protesters are ‘screwed’

Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary has warned that students who have taken part in pro-Palestine protests recently may be “screwed” when they are applying for jobs in the future.

Mr O’Leary’s remarks came amid a wave of protests across campuses in the US over Joe Biden’s Israel policy, which have seen hundreds of people arrested.

The protests began at Columbia University, where protesters were demanding that their university divest from companies with ties to Israel, and have since spread to other campuses including NYU and UCLA, after more than 100 people, including students, were arrested for trespassing at Columbia, with the university also suspending some students for taking part in the protests.

[5 May 2024 11:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protesters scuffle as Australian universities mirror US campuses

Pro-Palestine student protesters seeking action against Israel for its war on Gaza have filled Australia’s universities in scenes mirroring ongoing demonstrations across American campuses.

Active protests have been reported from campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra, with dozens of students camping on lawns like in the US. The students are asking university officials to sever all academic relations with Israel as well as research partnerships with arms manufacturers that are reportedly supplying weapons to the Israeli military.

At Australia’s oldest university in Sydney, students started encamping last Tuesday and said they would not leave until the administration met their demands. There were reports of a scuffle breaking out between the pro-Palestine students and a group of pro-Israel counterprotesters.

[5 May 2024 09:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Watch: Police enter pro-Palestine UCLA encampment after students refuse to disperse

[5 May 2024 07:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Columbia University releases breakdown of protesters arrested in Hamilton Hall on Tuesday

Columbia University released a breakdown of the protesters who were arrested during a Tuesday evening NYPD raid on Hamilton Hall, which demonstrators had occupied after defying the university’s 2pm deadline to disperse issued the previous day.

Here’s the breakdown:

• 13 adults not affiliated with Columbia
• 6 students from other schools
• 23 Columbia students, including 14 undergrads and 9 graduate students
• 2 Columbia employees

[5 May 2024 05:06 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists arrested in fresh crackdown

Police on Saturday arrested at least 25 pro-Palestinian protesters and cleared an encampment at the University of Virginia, the university said in a statement, as US campuses braced for more turmoil during graduation celebrations.

Tensions flared at UVA’s campus in Charlottesville, where protests had been largely peaceful until Saturday morning, when police officers in riot gear were seen in a video moving on an encampment on the campus’ lawn, cuffing some demonstrators with zip-ties and using what appeared to be chemical spray.

Students across the US have rallied or set up tents at dozens of universities to protest the months-long war in Gaza and call on president Joe Biden, who has supported Israel, to do more to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.

They also demand their schools divest from companies that support Israel’s government, such as arms suppliers.

The University of Virginia said in a news release that protesters had violated several university policies including setting up tents on Friday night and using amplified sound.

Jim Ryan, UVA’s president, wrote in a message that officials had learned that “individuals unaffiliated with the university” who presented “some safety concerns” had joined protesters on campus.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many of those arrested were UVA students.

Dozens of people were arrested for criminal trespass outside the Art Institute of Chicago at a demonstration on Saturday after the institute called in police to remove protesters it said were illegally occupying its property, the Chicago Police Department said on X.

[5 May 2024 04:59 · Graig Graziosi]

ICYMI: New School to hold classes online only after on campus protests

The New School in New York, a private university, said it would hold its classes online following a police crackdown on protesters at the campus.

“We have been very tolerant of the students’ right to free speech as long as they did not interfere with the educational mission,” Donna Shalala, the school’s interim president, said in a statement on Friday. “Despite entreaties by the Dean of Students, members of the faculty, and student leaders, the protesters have refused to permit entry, which left the university no choice but to protect the rights of our students to access their residence hall, classrooms, library, and cafeteria.”

The NYPD arrested 44 students at the New School on Friday morning.

[5 May 2024 03:00 · Graig Graziosi]

NYPD says gunshot at Columbia was accidental discharge

The NYPD held a press conference to address an errant bullet that was fired while officers were trying to clear protesters off of Columbia University’s campus on Tuesday.

New York City’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information, Tarik Sheppard, told reporters that the bullet was an accidental discharge and that the department averaged about eight accidental shots each year.

“Accidental discharges happen every single year and we average about eight a year and we don’t get request [for information] on it,” he said. “If you do ask about it, we’ll talk about it like we’re doing right now.”

The officer who fired the shot was said to be an 8-year veteran with an “impeccable” service record. The officer was reportedly trying to access a locked office to see if anyone was “hiding inside” and shifted his gun from his dominant hand to his off-hand. That’s when the errant shot fired. No one was injured in the shooting.

That officer will face department evaluation, according to the NYPD. The NY District Attorney’s office is also investigating.

Mr Sheppard said the department has no plans to release bodycam footage, citing department policy to withhold footage showing accidental shots that do not result.

The officer who fired the shot was a member of the Emergency Service Unit clearing protesters out of Columbia’s Hamilton Hall. The errant shot hit a door frame.