A standoff at Columbia University regarding the removal of a student encampment protesting Israel's actions in Gaza has sparked a series of similar protests on college campuses throughout
the United States, although authorities have swiftly intervened to dismantle many of them before they could establish.
In the most recent clash on campus, police immediately intervened on Thursday morning as student demonstrators at Princeton University in New Jersey began setting up an encampment, as shown in video footage shared on social media.
"You all are in violation of university policy. These tents must come down now," an officer is heard saying in a video posted on X, while protesters chant "Free, free Palestine."
The rapid response by police at Princeton followed Boston police forcefully removing a pro-Palestinian encampment set up by Emerson College students early Thursday, resulting in the arrest of over 100 individuals, according to media reports and police statements.
The tents, situated on a walkway adjacent to the college in downtown Boston, were cleared shortly after 1 a.m., police confirmed. Videos circulating online depict helmeted police officers facing off against individuals with linked arms.
At Northwestern University, students began erecting tents on the campus just north of Chicago as they demanded that the school safeguard pro-Palestine speakers and terminate connections with Israeli institutions, organizers reported.
"We refuse to allow business to continue as usual in the face of Northwestern’s complicity," declared the NU Educators for Justice in Palestine, Student Liberation Union, and Jewish Voice for Peace in a joint statement.
On Thursday morning, tents were also being raised at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where a group of demonstrators chanted "It is our right to rebel, divest now or go to hell," according to video footage shared on social media.
Columbia officials have set a deadline of 4 a.m. on Friday for protesters to reach an agreement with the university regarding the dismantling of dozens of tents erected on the New York City campus as part of a protest initiated a week prior.
An initial deadline of midnight on Tuesday passed without a resolution, prompting administrators to extend it by 48 hours, citing progress in negotiations.
The university previously attempted to disband the protest by force. On April 18, Columbia President Minouche Shafik controversially invited the New York City police onto the campus, drawing criticism from many students and faculty.
Over 100 individuals were arrested, and the tents were removed from the main lawn. However, within days, the encampment was re-established, and the university's options seemed to diminish.
Protesters have pledged to continue demonstrating until the university agrees to disclose and divest any financial investments that may support the conflict in Gaza and grant amnesty to students suspended during the protests.
Student demonstrators have demanded that the U.S. government restrain Israeli airstrikes on Gaza civilians, which have resulted in the deaths of over 34,000 individuals, according to Palestinian health authorities.
In Austin, authorities swiftly disbanded a protest on the main campus of the University of Texas on Wednesday.
State highway patrol troopers in riot gear and police on horseback dispersed a protest at the university's flagship campus in Austin. The Texas Department of Public Safety announced on X that 34 individuals had been arrested.
Similarly, on Wednesday, the University of Southern California declared its campus closed and requested assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to clear a demonstration.
Police arrested students who voluntarily surrendered one by one, after campus police, overwhelmed by protesters, requested assistance from the LAPD.
The LAPD reported on X that 93 individuals were arrested for trespassing, with one individual arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. No injuries were reported. Photo by Momos, Wikimedia commons.