Police made numerous arrests while dismantling pro-Palestinian protest encampments at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This action came after police tear-gassed demonstrators and removed a similar camp at the University of Arizona earlier in the day.
According to The New York Times, more than 2,800 people have been arrested or detained on campuses across the country. Police dismantled an encampment at the University of Pennsylvania early Friday morning, resulting in the arrest of nearly three dozen people. According to The Daily Pennsylvanian, protesters were given a two-minute warning to disperse just before 6 a.m. The encampment had been in place for 16 days.
"We could not allow further disruption of our academic mission. We could not allow students to be prevented from accessing study spaces and resources, attending final exams, or participating in Commencement ceremonies," stated J. Larry Jameson, interim president, John Jackson, provost, and Craig Carnaroli, senior executive vice president, in a joint statement.
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, police in riot gear descended upon MIT around 4 a.m., surrounding the camp and giving protesters approximately 15 minutes to vacate the area. Ten students who stayed were arrested, as reported by the university's president. Outside the camp, a crowd began chanting pro-Palestinian slogans but was swiftly dispersed. The action at MIT occurred several days after initial attempts by police to dismantle the camp, which were met with resistance from protesters who breached barriers and re-established the encampment, consisting of roughly a dozen tents in the heart of the campus in Cambridge.
Earlier in the week, MIT began suspending numerous students, prohibiting them from participating in academic activities or attending commencement.
Protesters maintain their insistence on pressuring MIT to sever all ties with the Israeli military. The presence of the encampment for weeks has particularly incensed Jewish students, who organized counterprotests nearby.
"This will only galvanize us. They cannot suppress the movement," remarked Quinn Perian, an undergraduate student and organizer for MIT Jews for Ceasefire. "MIT would rather arrest and suspend students than discontinue their involvement with the atrocities occurring in Gaza."
According to The Associated Press, at the University of Arizona in Tucson, campus police clad in riot gear deployed tear gas at protesters late Thursday, just one day before the school's main commencement ceremony. Following this, they dismantled an encampment that consisted of wood and plastic barriers. The university reported instances of police vehicles being spiked, as well as rocks and water bottles being hurled at officers and university staff.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the protestors reached an agreement to voluntarily dismantle their two-week-old encampment and refrain from disrupting graduation ceremonies over the weekend. In exchange, they secured the opportunity to engage with "decision-makers" who oversee university investments by July 1. The university, in turn, committed to enhancing support for scholars and students impacted by conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
A new surge in student activism opposing the war in Gaza was ignited by the arrests of at least 108 protesters at Columbia University on April 18, following administrators' pledges before Congress to clamp down on demonstrations. Subsequently, tensions between protesters, universities, and law enforcement have escalated, leading to police intervention in several major U.S. cities.
