College protests updates: Police begin dismantling University of Chicago encampment

Police entered the campus encampment early Tuesday, WLS reported.

ByNadine El-Bawab, Bill Hutchinson, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: May 7, 2024, 2:01 PM EDT

Protests have broken out at colleges and universities across the country in connection with the war in Gaza.

Many pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for their colleges to divest of funds from Israeli military operations, while some Jewish students on the campuses have called the protests antisemitic and said they are scared for their safety.

The student protests -- some of which have turned into around-the-clock encampments -- have erupted throughout the nation following arrests and student removals at Columbia University in New York City. Students at schools including Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and more have launched protests.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
May 02, 2024, 6:50 AM EDT

UCLA issues evacuation order as police confront protesters

UCLA officials issued an evacuation order for all protesters in the area of Royce Quad, saying the encampment was "unlawful."

Law enforcement officers stand as protesters supporting Palestinians in Gaza gather at an encampment at the University of California Los Angeles. May 2, 2024.
Mike Blake/Reuters

Smoke billowed around law enforcement officials as they began breaking through the barricades on the campus encampment. It was not immediately clear whether the smoke had been dispersed by the police or the protesters.

The encampment in Dickson Plaza, along with all unauthorized tents and structures, had been declared "unlawful," campus public safety officials said in an alert.

Law enforcement officers detain a protester at the University of California Los Angeles on May 2, 2024.
Mike Blake/Reuters

"The University requires that everyone must leave the encampment and adjacent areas, as well as all unauthorized structures and tents immediately, until further notice," the alert said.

-ABC News’ Amanda Morris and Kevin Shalvey

May 02, 2024, 6:24 AM EDT

Highway Patrol officers in riot gear enter UCLA campus

California Highway Patrol officers in riot gear streamed early Thursday onto the University of California Los Angeles campus.

The officers were met by a wall of protesters, who appeared unwilling to move. Officials had earlier ordered protesters to abandon their encampment.

PHOTO :Law enforcement officers take position before entering the pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of California Los Angeles on May 1, 2024.
Law enforcement officers take position before entering the pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of California Los Angeles, as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 1, 2024.
Mike Blake/Reuters

Riot police take down the barricade as protesters supporting Palestinians in Gaza gather at an encampment at the University of California Los Angeles, May 2, 2024.
Mike Blake/Reuters

Officers were working to tear down barricades of plywood boards that been erected along some of the edges of that encampment.

Law enforcement officers gather before entering the pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of California Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 1, 2024.
Mike Blake/Reuters

Los Angeles Police Department officers had earlier retreated from the encampment. At one point, LAPD and protesters briefly scuffled as officers made their way out of the encampment.

-ABC News' Amanda Morris and Kevin Shalvey

May 02, 2024, 5:37 AM EDT

90 arrested at Dartmouth protest, police say

At least 90 people were arrested Wednesday during a protest on the campus of Dartmouth University, local police said.

The people who were arrested included both students and non-students, Hanover Police Department said in a statement released Thursday. Charges included criminal trespass and resisting arrest, police said.

Ahead of Wednesday's planned protest, campus security had warned demonstrators that tents or encampments wouldn't be allowed.

"Once tents were erected, Dartmouth Safety & Security made multiple announcements to participants that they must dispel, and they refused," Charles B. Dennis, Hanover's chief of police, said in a media release.

Hanover police and the New Hampshire State Police continued with "multiple" announcements, but some protesters refused to disperse, he said.

-ABC News' Jessica Gorman and Kevin Shalvey

May 01, 2024, 10:29 PM EDT

UCLA announces remote classes through the end of the week

UCLA's public safety department said in an alert Wednesday night that all on campus classes were "required to pivot to remote" through the end of the week.

The announcement comes after overnight protests turned violent, injuring 15 and sending one person to the hospital, university officials previously confirmed.

Campus operations will be limited on Thursday and Friday, the public safety department said in its evening update.

"We have a large law enforcement presence stationed throughout campus to help promote safety," the department said. "Student Affairs will have essential staff on campus to support our students."