College protests updates: Police crackdown leads to hundreds of arrests
Hundreds were arrested at USC, Emerson and UT Austin in the last day.
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:
- Arizona State University arrests 69 people, clears pro-Palestinian encampment
- Northeastern University detains 100 protesters, removes encampment
- NYU students set up new encampment days after over 130 students, faculty arrested
- Students arrested, charged with trespass at Ohio State University
- DPS says they used a Taser, pepper balls at Emory, but not tear gas
White House condemns antisemitism, defends free speech on college campuses
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed on Wednesday the ongoing student protests taking place at Columbia University and other colleges across the country.
During the daily press briefing, Jean-Pierre reiterated the administration's condemnation of antisemitism.
"When we see violent rhetoric, we have to call that out. When we see physical intimidation or grotesque antisemitic remarks, we have to speak that out," she told reporters.
When asked whether the administration shares the view of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called on the president of Columbia University to resign, Jean-Pierre declined to comment saying, “Columbia is a private institution."
"That is obviously the speaker’s privilege to speak for himself and what he sees," she said.
"This is a deeply painful, painful moment for many communities, and we understand that. But the president believes that free speech debate and nondiscrimination on college campuses are important. They're important American values," Jean-Pierre said.
-ABC News' Juhi Doshi
USC closes campus to public as protesters clash with police
The University of Southern California said it will be closing its campus to the public with "significant activity at the center of the [main] campus due to a demonstration," it said in a post on X.
"The gates are closed, so anyone coming to campus should be prepared to show an ID at the gates for class or for business," USC said.
USC pro-Palestinian rally turns chaotic after police confront protesters: KABC
A rally by pro-Palestinian protesters at USC became chaotic after campus police confronted people who tried to set up an encampment at the school's Alumni Park, according to Los Angeles ABC station KABC. The university's commencement ceremony is scheduled to occur in Alumni Park on May 10.
Last week, USC canceled the valedictorian's speech out of safety concerns considering her pro-Palestinian views, sparking backlash. The student, Asna Tabassum, is a first-generation South Asian-American Muslim who majored in biomedical engineering and minored in resistance to genocide, according to a statement published through the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Dozens of students and others have issued a list of demands, including the university's divestment, similar to demands from students on other campuses, according to KABC.
USC police officers began attempting to clear the encampment of tents and signs before Los Angeles Police Department officers joined the effort, according to KABC
Harvard University students begin encampment in Harvard Yard
Pro-Palestinian students at Harvard University began an encampment in Harvard Yard on Wednesday, despite the university closing it through Friday.
The encampment comes after Harvard suspended the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee -- an on-campus group that has been under a spotlight -- amid debates on campuses over the war. The ACLU of Massachusetts, which represents the group, has called for the university to lift the suspension.
Students and student workers released a statement Wednesday announcing their encampment, calling for the university to divest and accusing it of "relentlessly suppress[ing] voices in its community speaking out against the actions of the Israeli state and for the rights of the Palestinian people," the suspended group said in a statement on Instagram.
The group is also demanding that the university "drop all its charges against students for their organizing and activism, and commit to ending the weaponization of disciplinary policy," the statement said.
-ABC News' Nadine El-Bawab
Columbia University negotiator says 5 p.m. not a hard deadline
The lead student negotiator with a Columbia University student group organizing the encampment says there is no longer a "deadline" for them to leave, but more of a "timeline."
The group -- Columbia University Apartheid Divest group -- says negotiations with the university remain ongoing and another decision will be made at 5 p.m.
"We have until 5 p.m. to come up with a plan," the Columbia student negotiator said.
-ABC News' Stephanie Ramos