Pro-Palestine protests
New York: Police storm occupied university building
As the occupiers let an ultimatum pass, the police evacuated the historic Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York on Tuesday evening (local time). According to US media, at least 100 people were arrested. In Los Angeles, pro-Palestinian rally participants and pro-Israeli demonstrators clashed. The situation escalated relatively quickly.
Hundreds of officers were deployed and also searched the tents of the protest camp on the university campus. Footage showed that the demonstrators were still trying to prevent the police from advancing with human chains, but were pushed aside or torn apart.
The participants in the protest camp criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza war and called for solidarity with the Palestinians. They also demanded that the university cut financial ties with Israel. However, the university management rejects this.
At a press conference the evening before the police arrived, Mayor Eric Adams and representatives of the police explained that the occupation of Hamilton Hall had been instigated by "external agitators" who were not connected to Columbia and were known to law enforcement authorities. Police based their conclusions in part on the occupiers' escalating behavior, which included vandalism, the erection of barricades and the destruction of security cameras.
Dispute over "external actors"
Adams suggested that some of the protesting students were not fully aware of the "external actors" in their midst. One of the leaders of the protests, Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil, denied that outsiders had initiated the occupation. "They are students," he told the Reuters news agency.
This is the second major police operation on the campus: almost two weeks ago, the New York police had already taken action against the students at the request of the university management. The students criticized the action as disproportionate and solidarity rallies were subsequently held at dozens of other universities in the USA.
Since the pro-Palestinian student protests began in April, more than 1,000 demonstrators have been arrested in the USA, according to media reports. On Tuesday, it was not only New York that was in the thick of the action; police also intervened in other states such as California, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and Florida.
Violent riots in Los Angeles
On Wednesday morning, clashes broke out between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters on the campus of the University of California in Los Angeles, according to CNN. A spokesman for the mayor said on X that the police "responded immediately to (the rector's) request for support on campus".
Television footage showed protesters from both sides attacking each other with sticks and tearing down metal barriers (see tweet above). Others were seen firing fireworks or throwing objects at each other in the dark.
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