College protests updates: Police crackdown leads to hundreds of arrests

Hundreds were arrested at USC, Emerson and UT Austin in the last day.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: April 28, 2024, 10:09 AM 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.
Apr 25, 2024, 4:16 PM EDT

Northeastern says it will 'take action' against demonstrators

Northeastern University in Boston said it will "take action accordingly" against pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating on its Centennial Quad on Thursday.

"The quads on Northeastern's Boston campus are reserved by the division of Student Life for scheduled university events," a university spokesperson said in a statement. "Students currently demonstrating on Centennial Quad do not have authorization and are in violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Those who are not affiliated with Northeastern are trespassing. The university will take action accordingly."

Police respond to an encampment started by students protesting the war in Gaza at Northeastern University in Boston, April 25, 2024.
WCVB

Apr 25, 2024, 3:59 PM EDT

Main USC graduation ceremony canceled

The University of Southern California has canceled its main graduation ceremony, the school announced Thursday.

"With the new safety measures in place this year, the time needed to process the large number of guests coming to campus will increase substantially," the school said in a statement. "As a result, we will not be able to host the main stage ceremony that traditionally brings 65,000 students, families, and friends to our campus all at the same time and during a short window from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m."

The individual school commencement ceremonies will continue as planned, it said.

The decision comes after USC had previously canceled this year's valedictorian speech while citing potential threats regarding the selection of the valedictorian, who expressed pro-Palestinian views on social media. It subsequently canceled all commencement speakers.

Apr 25, 2024, 3:49 PM EDT

Emory encampment cleared after dozens taken into custody: University

Law enforcement cleared a quad at Emory University where students had erected an encampment, the Atlanta university said.

A "couple of dozen people" were taken into custody, the university said. It did not have information on exactly how many people were taken into custody or what charges, if any, have been filed.

Georgia State Patrol officers detain a demonstrator on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta.
Mike Stewart/AP

Emory previously said that dozens of protesters who were not part of the school community had trespassed onto the campus early Thursday morning and erected tents on the quad. Some members of the school community later joined, it said.

Authorities detain a protester on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta.
Mike Stewart/AP

"Emory Police issued multiple warnings asking the crowd to disperse. When those requests were ignored, Atlanta Police and Georgia State Patrol assisted Emory Police with clearing the Quad," the university said.

Footage showed officers escorting detained protesters off campus, including in one case appearing to deploy a stun gun on an individual handcuffed on the ground.

Apr 25, 2024, 3:06 PM EDT

Encampment erected at UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles said it is "actively monitoring" a demonstration after students erected an encampment Thursday morning.

"Our top priority is always the safety and wellbeing of our entire Bruin community," Mary Osako, a UCLA spokesperson, said in a statement. "We're actively monitoring this situation to support a peaceful campus environment that respects our community's right to free expression while minimizing disruption to our teaching and learning mission."

Tents stand in an encampment, where students are protesting in support of Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at the University of California in Los Angeles, April 25, 2024.
Mike Blake/Reuters

Access to the campus' Royce Hall and Powell Library has been restricted to students who present ID, the university said.

Students for Justice in Palestine, University of California Los Angeles, one of the organizers of the encampment, called on the university to divest of funds from Israeli military operations and said in a social media post that they are "staying until our demands are met."