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
White House: 'We don't want to see anybody hurt in the process'
The White House said Sunday that President Joe Biden respects the right of demonstrators to make their voices heard -- peacefully -- and "we don't want to see anybody hurt in the process."
"The president knows that there are very strong feelings about the war in Gaza. He understands that, he respects that, and as he has said many times, we certainly respect the right of peaceful protest. People should have the ability to air their views and to share their perspectives publicly, but it has to be peaceful," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told ABC News "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.
Kirby did warn that some language heard during the demonstrations crossed a line with the administration.
"We absolutely condemn the antisemitism language that we've heard of late, and we certainly condemn all the hate speech and the threats of violence out there. These protests, we understand they're important, but they do need to be peaceful," he said.
"We'll leave it to local authorities to determine how these protests are managed," Kirby told Stephanopoulos, "but we want them to be peaceful protests and obviously we don't want to see anybody hurt in the process of peacefully protesting."
-ABC News' Tal Axelrod
USC temporarily closes main campus due to 'disruption,' LAPD issues alert
The University of Southern California closed its main campus Saturday evening "due to a disturbance," the university said on X.
Los Angeles Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert due to a protest on USC's campus, urging people to avoid the area.
A tactical alert allows LAPD to keep officers on past their shifts and to move officers between divisions if they need extra staffing in one area of the city.
New York City mayor defends NYPD's handling of college protests
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday defended the police crackdown on college campus protests that have broken out in America's largest city.
"When those protests reach the point of violence, we have to ensure that we use a minimum amount of force to terminate what is perceived to be a threat," " Adams told ABC News "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Adams added that the police intervention resulted from days of communication between the police and school officials.
"We knew we had to get permission unless there's imminent threat to life, or severe threat to property," he said, adding, "We were not going to overstep our legal authority."
When pressed by Karl about criticism, including from some other Democrats, that the response to protesters was disproportionate given that they were largely nonviolent, Adams said, "One has the right to have his or her opinion, and I respect that. ... And I have an obligation and responsibility to ensure the city is safe."
-ABC News' Kristina Abovyan