No fewer than 300 students were arrested during campus raids at Columbia University and The City University of New York (CUNY) in New York on Tuesday night, officials say
Eric Adams, the city’s mayor, says the “massive operation” took place at Columbia’s request to remove those who had occupied a building
City officials also alleged that “outside agitators” had “co-opted” a peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstration, echoing statements from officials elsewhere in the country.
Elsewhere, the vice-chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has reported “horrific acts of violence” overnight at the university’s own pro-Palestinian encampment
Footage online shows masked counter-demonstrators – supporting Israel – attacking their rivals with sticks and attempting to dismantle barricades
One person wearing a Palestinian flag was seen being dragged and beaten before the two sides were separated by police
US universities have been gripped by protests over the war in Gaza, as students demand a boycott of companies and individuals with ties to Israel
What’s been happening?
Protesters at some US universities have been clashing with police, as demonstrations over the conflict in Gaza continue.
Clashes between police and protesters have erupted at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), while overnight, police said they cleared a building at Columbia University in New York, which had been occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Here are the latest developments:
Speaking at a news conference earlier, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said approximately 300 arrests were made at Columbia University and the City University of New York last night after police officers raided the campuses
Police say the response at Columbia was to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who’d taken over Hamilton Hall, a building on campus
Adams says external actors were responsible for creating what he described as “a movement to radicalise young people”
Police commissioner Edward Caban said the universities “worked for weeks” to negotiate with protesters, but that “public safety was a real concern”
A student at Columbia University told the BBC that the police were “rough and aggressive” with demonstrators
Meanwhile, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, police arrested about dozen protesters on Wednesday morning
There remains a large police presence at the UCLA
