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.


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Fordham requests NYPD disperse encampment in campus building

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said Fordham University requested NYPD assistance in clearing an "unlawful encampment of individuals inside one of their buildings," in a statement posted to X on Wednesday.

Daughtry said individuals who refused to disperse from the encampment were placed inside a building at Fordham under arrest.


Los Angeles mayor condemns 'absolutely detestable violence' at UCLA protest

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass addressed the protests that turned violent overnight at UCLA in a statement Wednesday, saying she met with Los Angeles police, sheriffs and other agencies.

"This morning, I met in person with LAPD, LASD, CHP, CalOES, UCPD and other regional agencies at the UCLA incident command post about the absolutely detestable violence on campus last night," Bass said.

Bass warned that any demonstrator involved in "launching fireworks at other people, spraying chemicals and physically assaulting others will be found, arrested, and prosecuted, as well as anyone involved in any form of violence or lawlessness."

The mayor noted that she's spoken to California Governor Gavin Newsom and thanked him for "his continued support."


'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."


University of California President orders independent review of overnight violence at UCLA

University of California President Michael V. Drake addressed the ongoing protests at UCLA that "turned violent" overnight, announcing in a statement on Wednesday an "independent external review" has been ordered.

The university summoned mutual aid from LAPD officers to "restore control" to the protest, according to Drake, who noted, there were 15 injuries, including one hospitalization, that stemmed from the protest.

"My office has requested a detailed accounting from the campus about what transpired in the early morning hours today," Drake said.

"But some confusion remains, therefore we are also ordering an independent external review of both UCLA’s planning and actions, and the effectiveness of the mutual aid response," Drake said.

UCLA's own chancellor, Gene D. Block, also promised an investigation.

"We are still gathering information about the attack on the encampment last night, and I can assure you that we will conduct a thorough investigation that may lead to arrests, expulsions and dismissals," Block told the campus community in a note Wednesday afternoon.

Block, in his note, said it was "a group of instigators" who came to Royce Quad to "forcefully attack the encampment that has been established there to advocate for Palestinian rights."

He called the overnight violence "utterly unacceptable."

"However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable. It has shaken our campus to its core and — adding to other abhorrent incidents that we have witnessed and that have circulated on social media over the past several days — further damaged our community’s sense of security," his letter read.


University of Texas at Austin says it took action to 'preserve a safe, conducive learning environment' for students

After police and protesters clashed on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin following a dispersal order, leading to some arrests on Monday, the school issued a statement, saying it "took swift action to preserve a safe, conducive learning environment for our 53,000 students as they prepare for final exams."

"UT Austin requested backup assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety to protect the safety of the campus community and enforce our Institutional Rules, such as the rule that prohibits encampments on campus. Because of the encampments and other violations of the University’s Institutional Rules related to protests, protestors were told repeatedly to disperse. When they refused to disperse, some arrests were made for trespassing. Others were arrested for disorderly conduct," the university's statement read.

UTA said protests since the start of the Israel-Hamas war have happened "largely without incident."

"The University strongly supports the free speech and assembly rights of our community and we want students and others on campus to know that protests on campus are fully permissible, provided that they do not violate Institutional Rules or threaten the safety of our campus community," the statement concluded.

-ABC News' Marilyn Heck