College protests updates: Police begin dismantling University of Chicago encampment
Police entered the campus encampment early Tuesday, WLS reported.
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:
- Over 300 Harvard professors sign letter urging Harvard to negotiate with protesters
- Police begin dismantling encampment at University of Chicago
- MIT students ordered to leave campus encampment
- More than 60 arrests made at UC San Diego
- Harvard president threatens 'involuntary leave' for students who continue encampment
Police appear to prepare to empty University of Virginia encampment
The University of Virginia alerted students to avoid the chapel area of the school's Charlottesville campus -- where protesters have set up an encampment -- for police activity.
Around 40 police officers from multiple police agencies are on campus to potentially clear pro-Palestinian protesters, according to the student paper, the Cavalier Daily.
Albemarle County Police and Virginia State Police arrived with riot gear to support Charlottesville Police and University Police, according to an affiliate reporter.
UCLA classes to resume on Monday
The University of California Los Angeles announced classes are "expected to resume in full on Monday," in an update Friday evening.
"Campus operations will be limited through the weekend, and are expected to resume in full on Monday. Classes continue remote through the weekend. Work, events and research activities are encouraged to remain remote or be rescheduled wherever possible during that period," UCLA said in a statement.
A law enforcement presence will continue "to be stationed around campus to help promote safety," the university said.
NYU president explains use of NYPD to end encampment
Linda G. Mills, the president of NYU, posted a statement Friday evening explaining why the school called in the NYPD to break up an encampment on the Greene St. Walkway earlier in the day.
Mills said 14 people who refused orders to leave the area were arrested and the incident was non-violent.
The president said that the police were called in for numerous reasons, including noise complaints from nearby residents and businesses, safety concerns over the crowds of supporters and counter-protesters and escalating threats.
"The encampment had become increasingly untenable for the NYU community and the neighborhood we inhabit," she said.
Mills said three senior administrators spoke with the protesters over the weekend to come to an agreement over shutting down the encampment.
The president said things escalated on Wednesday when a group of people from a May Day march came to the walkway and got into altercations.
The May Day incident and other issues, including threats leveled at NYU administrators, led the school to call the NYPD, according to Mills.
"The university’s senior leadership and I were compelled to conclude that we could not tolerate the risk of violence any longer and that we could not responsibly or in good conscience wait until something drastically worse were to happen in order to act. We needed to bring this to a close," she said.
University of Mississippi protest confrontation draws scrutiny
Footage from the University of Mississippi campus captures intense confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-protesters.
The dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on the campus to call for divestment from military operations in Gaza and for the university to condemn what they call "genocide."
Footage shows a much larger counter-protest surrounding the students, with many donning American flags.
Protesters reported being subject to racism and violent threats and having food thrown at them by counter-protesters.
In one video, a Black protester can be seen recording and speaking to counter-protesters, moving past the protective barricades around pro-Palestinian protesters.
Law enforcement officers can be seen urging her to walk back as counter-demonstrators taunt her, including on student making a monkey impersonation and others chanting "lock her up," according to the Stacey Spiehler, who took the video.
Law enforcement also urged counter-protesters to stand back.
Jacob Batte, Ole Miss’ director of news and media relations, told ABC News they "cannot comment specifically about that video," but that "statements were made at the demonstration on our campus Thursday that were offensive and inappropriate."
The university said it is looking into reports about specific actions and "any actions that violate university policy will be met with appropriate action."
In a statement following the confrontations, protesters said they were met with "blind reactionism that had little to do with the genocide we were protesting as well as our demands."
-ABC News' Chris Looft and Kiara Alfonseca
17 protesters arrested at University of Utah, encampment cleared
The University of Utah has removed an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters and arrested 17 people after the university said protesters do not have a right to set up encampments on campus property and threatened to disperse them.
About a dozen tents, stashes of water, food and toilet paper were removed from the encampment.
The university had issued warnings to students, staff and faculty members telling them to remove their encampments, or face consequences, including arrests.
The university had threatened criminal trespass and disorderly conduct charges, termination for faculty and staff and discipline for students ranging from probation to suspension against those who refused to leave the encampment.