Pro-Palestinian protests at universities across the United States continued unabated over the weekend, with demonstrations spreading from coast to coast.
Police crackdowns and ongoing arrests marked another week of activism as students maintained tent encampments, pledging to remain until their demands are addressed.
Students’ demands encompass a range of issues, from calling for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to urging universities to divest from Israeli businesses linked to the military and advocating for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
The wave of pro-Palestinian protests has extended to numerous college campuses nationwide, fueled in part by the mass arrest of over 100 individuals at Columbia University more than a week ago.
At Columbia, the campus remained peaceful on Saturday, with no reported arrests or disturbances overnight, according to reports by Reuters.
However, police actions persisted at several campuses on Saturday, including a lockdown at the University of Southern California (USC) and a strong police presence.
Over 200 individuals were arrested at multiple schools, with 80 arrests occurring late on Saturday at Washington University in St. Louis. Among those arrested at Washington University was Jill Stein, a 2024 Green Party presidential candidate.
“They are deploying riot police and essentially inciting a riot during what was otherwise a peaceful demonstration. This is simply disgraceful,” Stein remarked in a statement.
Washington University indicated that those arrested would face charges of trespassing.
On Sunday, conflicting demonstrations were anticipated at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, with external groups planning demonstrations both in support of and against the pro-Palestinian encampments.
