By NICK PERRY and KAREN MATTHEWS (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — Police clashed with student protesters in Texas and California while new protest camps emerged on Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges. School leaders were trying to find ways to calm down the increasing wave of demonstrations. Protests supporting Palestinians.
At the University of Texas at Austin, several local police and state troopers formed a line to stop students from marching through the campus, leading to clashes with the demonstrators and the detention of multiple individuals.
At the University of Southern California, police removed several tents and then engaged in a back-and-forth pulling match with the protesters over the tents before retreating.
Harvard University in Massachusetts had tried to stay ahead of the protests this week by restricting access to Harvard Yard and requiring permission for tents and tables. However, this did not prevent protesters from setting up a camp with 14 tents on Wednesday, following a rally against the university's suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.
The events across the U.S. occurred after Columbia University avoided another confrontation with students and police earlier in the day. The situation there remained tense, with campus officials stating that they would continue discussions with protesters for an additional 48 hours.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik had set a deadline of midnight on Tuesday to reach an agreement on clearing the encampment, but the school extended the negotiations, stating that
In Austin, protesters had planned a walkout and march to the main campus lawn, where students would occupy the space and organize activities throughout the afternoon. However, the university stated in a press release that it would “not tolerate disruptions” like those at other campuses.
Texas police and public safety officials did not immediately confirm the number of people arrested.
Authorities initially attempted to clear the encampment at Columbia last week, resulting in the arrest of over 100 protesters. However, this action backfired, serving as an inspiration for other students across the country to establish similar protest encampments and motivating demonstrators at Columbia to regroup.
On Wednesday, about 60 tents remained at the Columbia encampment, which seemed calm, with students entering and leaving — one girl holding a toothbrush. A woman spoke about the reasons for the protest on a loudspeaker. Security remained tight around the campus, with identification required and police setting up metal barricades.
Students protesting Israel’s conflict with Hamas are demanding universities sever financial connections with Israel and disinvest from companies supporting its months-long conflict. Several have been detained on charges of trespassing or disorderly conduct. Some Jewish students claim that the protests have turned into antisemitism and have made them hesitant to go to campus.
The break at Columbia came just before Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson was scheduled to visit and meet with Jewish students to discuss concerns about antisemitism on college campuses.
Columbia agreed with protest representatives that only students would stay at the encampment and they would make it friendly, banning discriminatory or harassing language.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on U.S. college campuses in a video statement released Wednesday, saying the response of several university presidents has been “shameful” and calling on state, local and federal officials to intervene.
Students at some protests were concealing their identities. At an encampment of about 40 tents at the heart of the University of Michigan’s campus in Ann Arbor, almost every student wore a mask, which was given to them when they entered.
Student protesters refused to disclose their identities to reporters, saying they feared retribution by the university. Organizers of the protest said some students who had participated in prior protests at Michigan had been doxxed and punished. But some students passing by shouted at the protesters to remove their masks and show their faces.
The surge of demonstrations has left universities struggling to balance campus safety with free speech rights. Many long tolerated the protests, but are now doling out more heavy-handed discipline, citing safety concerns.
At New York University this week, police said 133 protesters were taken into custody and all had been released with summonses to appear in court on disorderly conduct charges. More than 40 protesters were arrested Monday at an encampment at Yale University.
Ben Wizner, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, said college leaders face extremely tough decisions because they have a responsibility to ensure people can express their views, even when others find them offensive, while protecting students from threats and intimidation.
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Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire. Contributing to this report were Associated Press journalists in various locations including Joey Cappelletti, Will Weissert, Larry Lage, Steve LeBlanc, Dave Collins, Jim Salter, Haven Daley, Jesse Bedayn, John Antczak and Joseph Krauss.
