Israel-Gaza war: Columbia suspends pro-Palestinian protesters, police make arrests at Texas campus
- Columbia University began suspending student demonstrators after they defied an ultimatum to disperse
- Move follows almost two weeks of protests against Israel’s war in Gaza that have swept US campuses
Protesters and police clashed at the University of Texas in a confrontation that resulted in dozens of arrests, and Columbia University began issuing suspensions as colleges around the US begged pro-Palestinian demonstrators to clear out tent encampments as commencement ceremonies approach.
From coast to coast, demonstrators are sparring over the Israel-Gaza war and its mounting death toll, and the number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up.
The outcry is forcing colleges to reckon with their financial ties to Israel, as well as their support for free speech.
The protests have even spread to Europe, with French police removing dozens of students from the Sorbonne university after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the main courtyard.
In Canada, student protest camps have popped up at the University of Ottawa, McGill University in Montreal and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, The Canadian Press reported.
At the University of Texas at Austin, a lawyer said at least 40 demonstrators had been arrested Monday, some of them by officers in riot gear who encircled about 100 sitting protesters, dragging or carrying them out one by one amid screams.