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
Dozens of arrests made at Virginia Tech
Police cleared out an encampment at Virginia Tech late Sunday after protesters had set up tents on the lawn of the campus' Graduate Life Center.
"Those who gathered were advised by university officials to remove their possessions and to disperse voluntarily; those who failed to comply were then approached by Virginia Tech Police and were again asked to leave and advised that anyone who failed to comply would be charged with trespassing, in accordance with Virginia law," the school said in a statement.
The university added, "At approximately 10:15 p.m., police approached protesters to ask them to disperse within five minutes. Those who remained were subject to arrest."
Dozens of protesters were taken into custody, according to Lynchburg, Virginia, ABC affiliate WSET.
UCLA increases security measures after physical altercations during protest
UCLA announced it is instituting additional security measures amid protests on campus over the Israel-Hamas war in a statement on Sunday.
"UCLA has a long history of peaceful protest and we are heartbroken to report that today, some physical altercations broke out among demonstrators on Royce Quad," Mary Osako, vice chancellor of UCLA Strategic Communications said.
"We have since instituted additional security measures and increased the numbers of our safety team members on site," Osako said.
"As an institution of higher education, we stand firmly for the idea that even when we disagree, we must still engage respectfully and recognize one another’s humanity," Osako continued.
Addressing the physical altercations during the protests, Osako said, "We are dismayed that certain individuals instead chose to jeopardize the physical safety of the community."
Last week, the University of California rejected calls to divest from companies that do business with Israel.
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.
'Student's blood on my hands': UCLA faculty member recounts violent overnight protest
The day after protests turned violent at UCLA, faculty members held a conference addressing the protests and the university’s response.
"Last night I went to bed at around 4:00 a.m. with student’s blood on my hands and I'm not speaking figuratively," UCLA Assistant Professor Nicholas Shapiro said. "I mean, a student collapsed into my hands with blunt force trauma and mace in their eyes, and I had to treat them."
The protests led to 15 injuries, including one hospitalization, according to officials.
"This is a failure of our institution and we need to put a stop to it today," Shapiro said.
UCLA Associate Professor Bharat Venkat also addressed the violent scene on campus, saying, "It felt like walking through a war zone."
"They're screaming, they're crying," Venkat said of the student demonstrators. "They're having a difficult time breathing. This shouldn't be happening anywhere and this shouldn't be happening here at UCLA."