Police remove Pro-Palestine camps at three US universities — RT World News
Schools in Arizona, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have cracked down on tent cities
More than 40 people were arrested on Friday as authorities moved to dismantle pro-Palestinian camps at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Protesters against Israel's war on Gaza have set up tents across major American universities over the past three weeks, starting at Columbia University in New York City.
At around 4 a.m. on Friday, riot police surrounded the camp at MIT, giving protesters 15 minutes to leave. The 10 students who chose to stay were arrested, according to MIT President Sally Kornbluth. A group of demonstrators gathered outside the camp chanting “Pro-Palestinian slogans” The school said they were dispersed by 6 a.m.
“This will only make us stronger. They cannot arrest the movement.” Quinn Berian, a college student and organizer for Jews for Ceasefire at MIT, told the AP. “MIT would rather arrest and suspend some students than end their complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
Berrian vowed that the students would not back down until MIT “He agrees to sever ties with the Israeli army.”
In a statement about Friday's arrests, Kornbluth said it was MIT's responsibility to ensure freedom of expression and campus safety, and that the protests were… 'Increasingly making it impossible' To fulfill both obligations.
About 90 minutes after the MIT raid, campus police and Philadelphia police moved against the encampment at the University of Pennsylvania, which had been in place for more than two weeks. The school said students and faculty were among 33 people arrested and charged “Defiant trespass.”
Campus police at the University of Arizona in Tucson dispersed the protest camp late Thursday. The school cited policy violations and safety concerns after protesters barricaded their tent city with planks.
The school said that the police fired tear gas to evacuate the area after it was pelted with stones and water bottles. But no arrests were reported.
More than 2,800 people have been arrested at 56 colleges and universities across the United States since April 18, when pro-Palestinian protests began, according to the Associated Press. The demonstrators called on their schools to stop dealing with Israel or companies that support the Israeli war effort against Hamas in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians since last October.
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