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: '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.
Columbia University says no impending 'lockdown or evictions on campus'
"There is no truth to claims of an impending lockdown or evictions on campus," Columbia University said in a memo to students Saturday evening.
The dialogue between the university officials and the student organizers remains ongoing, according to the university.
23 arrested at Indiana University encampment
Twenty-three people were arrested Saturday at an encampment at Indiana University, the university said.
A group erected tents and canopies on the Bloomington campus' Dunn Meadow Friday night "with the stated intention to occupy the university space indefinitely," in violation of school policy, the university said in a statement.
University and state police gave the group "multiple warnings" midday Saturday to remove the structures before detaining them for charges ranging from criminal trespass to resisting law enforcement, the university said. It is unclear what their affiliation with the university is, the school said.
"The Indiana University Police Department continues to support peaceful protests on campus that follow university policy," the university said in a statement.
The IU Divestment Coalition, a Pro-Palestinian campus group that organized the protest, said many of those arrested were students.
"They are trying to intimidate us, they are trying to break our spirit and our organizing but we will continue to stand for Gaza," the group said on social media.
USC updates community on protest, campus shutdown
Andrew T. Guzman, the provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at the University of Southern California, sent a letter to the school's students, faculty and other members with an update on the situation taking place on campus.
Guzman reiterated the university "values freedom of expression and protects the right of every member of our community to express themselves," but added, "We have well-established policies regarding limits on the time, place, and manner of free expression."
Guzman said the call to shut down the campus stemmed from a confrontation between protesters outside the Doheny Library and security. Security members asked the protesters, many of whom Guzman said weren't affiliated with USC, to leave and remove tents they set up, but the protesters refused, according to the school.
"Their actions have escalated to the point of confrontation and have threatened the safety of our officers and campus community," Guzman said.
Until further notice, only people with "USC identification or verifiable business purpose will be able to access campus, attend classes, and participate in activities" will be allowed on campus, according to Guzman.
"In these challenging times, we call on the Trojan Family to remember that every member of our community is deserving of respect, has the right to be safe on campus, take classes, and participate in other campus activities without fear of harassment or bullying. It should be everyone’s priority to treat each other with kindness and care," he said.
-ABC News' Jenna Harrison