College protests updates: Police begin dismantling University of Chicago encampment

The protest at Rutgers University over the Israel-Hamas war ended peacefully, the university chancellor said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

"We are pleased to report that these students have agreed to peacefully end their protest," Chancellor Francine Conway, Ph.D. said.

The deadline for students to leave the Voorhees Mall encampment was 4:00 p.m. local time.

Conway noted that the protesters' request for the university to "divest from companies engaged in Israel and to sever ties with Tel Aviv University" falls outside of the administration’s scope, however, the "divestment request is under review."

At least 209 people were arrested at UCLA after protesters resisted orders to disperse early Thursday, the LA sheriff's department has confirmed. Another 300 protesters voluntarily left campus, according to UCLA.

"Several days of violent clashes between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators put too many Bruins in harm’s way and created an environment that was completely unsafe for learning," UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block said in a statement.

"Over the past several days, we communicated with and made a formal request to meet with demonstration leaders to discuss options for a peaceful and voluntary disbanding of the encampment. Unfortunately, that meeting did not lead to an agreement," UCLA said.

Block said the last week has been among the most painful periods the UCLA community has ever experienced.

"We will also continue to investigate the violent incidents of the past several days, especially Tuesday night’s horrific attack by a mob of instigators. When physical violence broke out that night, leadership immediately directed our UCPD police chief to call for the support of outside law enforcement, medical teams and the fire department to help us quell the violence. We are carefully examining our security processes that night and I am grateful to President Drake for also calling for an investigation," Block said.

Rutgers University gave pro-Palestinian protesters a 4 p.m. deadline to clear their encampment, warning that if they do not clear the area of their tents and belongings, "they will be considered to have trespassed" and the university will clear the encampment with the help of law enforcement.

Rutgers said Students for Justice in Palestine called for a significant rally coinciding with the beginning of exam period with the intent to disrupt finals. Exams scheduled for Thursday that were disrupted by the protests were rescheduled or relocated.

"The morning rally disrupted 28 scheduled exams, impacting more than 1,000 students. While the protesters eventually responded to our request to cease their disruption, the disruption adversely impacted our students and University operations and forced our postponement announcement," President Jonathan Holloway said in a statement.

"We value free speech and the right to protest, but it should not come at the cost of our students’ education and safety. We strive to balance these rights and maintain a safe and secure environment for our students to learn and succeed," Holloway said.

Photos taken Thursday show the aftermath of police clearing a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA where at least 132 people were arrested.