University of California, Los Angeles canceled classes Wednesday after dueling groups of protesters clashed overnight, shoving, kicking and beating each other with sticks after pro-Israel demonstrators tried to pull down barricades surrounding a pro-Palestinian encampment.
Hours earlier, police burst into a building occupied by anti-war protesters at Columbia University, breaking up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school.
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Police tell UCLA protesters to disperse or face arrest
Announcements broadcasted on the University of California Los Angeles campus Wednesday evening told demonstrators to disperse or they would be arrested and face a misdemeanor charge. The protesters largely stayed in place, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans.
UCLA posted on X that campus operations will be limited Thursday and Friday with all classes required to pivot to remote instruction. The post urged people to continue avoiding campus and the Royce Quad area.
Hundreds supporting Pro-Palestinian protesters at UCLA as police presence grows
Hundreds of supporters of the pro-Palestinian protesters, including students and alumni, stood on the UCLA campus steps beyond the encampment Wednesday while law enforcement presence grew. A small group of students holding signs and wearing T-shirts in support of Israel and Jewish people gathered nearby.
Metal and wooden barriers had been restored around the tent encampment, and overhead TV cameras showed people within the enclosure distributing goggles, helmets and other gear as well as medical assistance tents that had been set up.
Ray Wiliani, who lives near UCLA, said he came to the campus Wednesday evening to support the pro-Palestinian demonstrators following the attack by counter-protesters on their encampment hours earlier.
“We need to take a stand for it,” he said. “Enough is enough.”
WATCH: Students speak out about overnight violence at UCLA protests
Students speak out after counter-protesters “forcefully” attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA early Wednesday. (AP video by Rick Taber)(AP produced by Javier Arciga)
Police in Portland, Oregon, working to de-escalate library occupation at Portland State University
By LISA BAUMANN
The Portland Police Bureau in Oregon said Wednesday afternoon it is working with Portland State University leaders and city officials to address the occupation by protesters of a university library since Monday.
About 50 protesters left the library overnight after the university said it would not seek charges, expulsion or other discipline if they did so. It wasn’t known how many people remained inside Wednesday evening.
“It is important to emphasize that a tremendous amount of work is being done in the background to find a resolution to this event,” police said in a statement, adding that work so far has included unsuccessful attempts to begin a dialogue with the people inside.
The bureau also said it has received and is concerned about reports of serious damage to the library and the blocking of exits. Police said time is a key de-escalation tactic being used as they continue to work toward a tempered, methodical, and professional resolution.
“We will pursue all efforts at de-escalation, but make no mistake PPB will take appropriate action to do our part to hold individuals and groups accountable for their criminal conduct,” the statement added.
Muslim organizations, students, blast UCLA and police, saying they failed to help during clash
Muslim organizations and students blasted University of California Los Angeles officials and police in a Wednesday news conference, saying they failed to intervene as students in the pro-Palestinian encampment were verbally harassed, pepper sprayed and beaten.
“The community needs to feel the police are protecting them, not enabling others to harm them,” said Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Speakers disputed the university’s account that 15 people were injured and one hospitalized, saying the number of people taken to the hospital was higher. One student described needing to go to the hospital after being hit in the head by an object wielded by counter-protesters.
Several students who spoke said they had to rely on each other, not the police, for support as they were attacked, and that many in the pro-Palestinian encampment remained peaceful and did not engage with counter-protesters.
California State University, Sacramento, says protesters can continue demonstration if peaceful
At California State University, Sacramento, campus administrators said a group of students who set up an encampment Monday in protest of the Israel-Hamas war could continue demonstrating as long as they remain peaceful.
“As a public university, we are committed to creating and fostering safer conditions to support student engagement in constitutionally protected activities,” President Luke Wood said in a statement.
Police arrest 2 dozen people overnight at Northern Arizona University
Police at Northern Arizona University overnight arrested 24 protesters, 22 of whom are NAU students. The university also placed the organization, Students for Justice in Palestine, on interim suspension because of alleged violations of school policies.
After Tuesday’s protest, the university is prohibiting temporary structures on campus property, including tents, shade structures and fencing. And expressive activity allowed only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily, in line with the school’s business hours.
New York Police Department arrest protesters inside Fordham University building
New York Police Department officers entered a Fordham University building in Manhattan Wednesday evening and began arresting protesters who had set up an encampment inside.
The students had remained inside Lowenstein Hall even after being notified that they had been suspended and would be barred from campus, final exams and graduation activities.
Police moved in at the request of Fordham administrators, who said in a letter that “the encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger.” Administrators requested that police clear the area and maintain a presence at the university until after graduation ceremonies May 22.
The encampment emerged hours after police broke up protests at nearby Columbia University and City College and arrested nearly 300 protesters.
Before the arrests, protesters at Fordham filled the windows of the building with signs and flags as others outside chanted and cheered. NYPD vehicles were positioned nearby for much of the afternoon, including a bus that appeared to be splattered with red paint.
A spokeswoman said a statement from the university was upcoming.
Pro-Palestinian protest supporters gather north of Columbia, CUNY, campuses ahead of rally
In the wake of mass Pro-Palestinian protest arrests at Columbia University and a nearby branch of The City University of New York, dozens of supporters assembled north of the campuses in Manhattan Wednesday ahead of an evening news conference called by activist organizers.
Sueda Polat, a Columbia graduate student who negotiated for protesters, has lost her voice after weeks of chanting and press conferences. But she hasn’t lost her words, condemning Columbia administrators and celebrating the students who occupied an administrative building on campus.
“They refused to accept capitulation and they took the moral high ground,” Polat said.
More demonstrators were expected to arrive for a solidarity rally at 7 p.m.
Texas police accuse journalist of “lunging” at state trooper; lawyer rebukes claim
By ACACIA CORONADO
Texas police are accusing an Austin-area journalist arrested during a protest on the University of Texas campus on April 24 of “lunging” at a state trooper.
Texas Department of Public Safety officials claim Carlos Sanchez, a photojournalist with Austin television station KTBC, allegedly struck a state trooper in the head and neck with his camera as officers worked to clear protestors from the campus.
“Both law enforcement officers and journalists should be expected to do their jobs in a professional manner – and we strongly believe a line was crossed last week when one of our Troopers was assaulted while trying to do his job,” Texas Department of Public Safety officials said in a statement Wednesday.
Gerry Morris, Sanchez’s attorney, rebukes the claim and said in an emailed statement that his client did not commit a crime. Morris said Sanchez was “performing an important news gathering function during a chaotic event” and accidentally bumped into the officer.
15 injured at UCLA clash involving protesters
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
University of California President Michael Drake says 15 people were injured, including one who was hospitalized, during “a protest that turned violent.”
Police were summoned to the University of California, Los Angeles, campus to help restore order early Wednesday.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said “a group of instigators” came on campus to “forcefully attack” a pro-Palestinian encampment. He said the incident “has shaken our campus to its core.”
But some are frustrated with Block’s leadership. The California Federation of Teachers called on Block to resign, saying he has “created an environment that has escalated tensions and failed to take meaningful action to prevent the violence that occurred last night.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has called for an investigation into the events at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Protesters’ camp cleared at University of Texas at Dallas
By ACACIA CORONADO
State troopers and local police cleared an encampment Wednesday as protestors looked on from the sidelines.
Law enforcement held a line behind a barricade as school officials and officers swiftly disposed of tents, banners and other supplies at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Meanwhile, dozens of protestors chanted nearby and held flags that said “Free Palestine” as a small group raised an Israeli flag.
A look at the protests on US college campuses
Columbia University to hold remote exams because of protests
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pandemic-era remote tests are making a comeback because of campus disruptions.
The Provost at Columbia University in New York says all final exams and any remaining class sessions should be held remotely for students at its Morningside Heights campus. Any papers, projects or presentations due this week also are being delayed until next week.
The university has been paralyzed by demonstrations, and police have cleared out a building that had been occupied by anti-war protesters.
The university is strongly encouraging students to leave campus and go home early for the semester.
Texas journalist released after campus protest arrest
By ACACIA CORONADO
A journalist who was arrested during a protest at the University of Texas was booked and released Wednesday on misdemeanor charges of assault and interference with public duties.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has accused Carlos Sanchez, a photojournalist with Austin television station KTBC, of hitting a state trooper with a camera while covering the April 24 protest.
Video on social media showed troopers pulling Sanchez to the ground after he followed a mass of protesters and police.
Gerry Morris, Sanchez’s attorney, said in a statement Wednesday that he looks forward to someone taking an unbiased look at the evidence and exonerating Sanchez.
Congress members visit encampment at George Washington University
Several Republican members of the U.S. House Oversight Committee made a visit Wednesday to a campus protest site in the nation’s capital.
The congressional visit to George Washington University lasted about 15 minutes Some students shouted questions while others ignored the lawmakers and sang Palestinian nationalist songs. As the representatives headed back to their van, jubilant demonstrators marched back to the center of University Yard.
Last week, the university administration gave protestors an ultimatum to disperse. But that deadline came and went.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has confirmed that police declined the university’s request to intervene. Bowser said there was no violence that needed to be interrupted.
“Mayor Bowser has let down the city of Washington,” Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds said. “The mayor is weak in the face of foolishness.”
The congressional committee plans a hearing next week on the district government’s response to the protest at George Washington University.
Some of the arrested students have recieved summonses
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Wednesday that about 170 of the 280 arrested at Columbia University and City College the night before received summonses.
The remaining 100 or so cases will be making their way through the court system, with the earliest arraignments later Wednesday afternoon and into the evening.
He said he didn’t yet have a sense how many of those arrested were students and how many weren’t affiliated with the colleges.
“My impression in real time is that these cases are going to come to this office and we will do what we always do, which is apply the facts and the law,” Bragg said.
University of Minnesota in talks with protest leaders
By SCOTT McFETRIDGE
Interim university President Jeff Ettinger said he had “constructive dialogue” Wednesday with student leaders of an ongoing protest.
The protesters are demanding that the University of Minnesota divest from companies that do business in Israel and put out a statement that supports Palestinian students. Ettinger said the planned half-hour meeting stretched for 90 minutes.
University officials have allowed a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” that includes dozens of tents and hundreds of people to remain in the heart of the Minneapolis campus. That’s despite earlier orders by police to disperse. The university has closed buildings near the protest.
34 people arrested at University of Wisconsin at Madison
By RICK CALLAHAN
Campus police spokesperson Marc Lovicott said most of those arrested Wednesday were released “with no citation issued.”
But Lovicott said four people were booked into the Dane County jail. Two face charges of battery to a police officer. A third person was charged with that plus resisting arrest. And a fourth person was charged with attempted disarming of a police officer, resisting arrest and attempted escape.
Police made the arrests while taking down protesters’ tents. Some new tents have since been set up.
Have questions about the college protests?
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press is answering readers’ questions about the ongoing anti-war protests at college campuses across the United States.
▶ Use our question form to tell us what you want to know. We’ll use your questions to shape our reporting.
AP EXPLAINS: Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University after occupation
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Officers have taken protesters into custody after Columbia University called in police to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on the New York campus. The scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, massed at the Ivy League university’s entrance.
Georgia governor: ‘We are not going to allow Georgia to become the next Columbia University’
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp says he supports strong punishments for those arrested at recent protests at the University of Georgia and Emory University.
“If you’ve broken the law, if you’re damaging property, if you are assaulting police officers, you should have harsh penalties,” Kemp, a University of Georgia alumnus, said Wednesday.
The governor said he also supports suspending and expelling student protesters who break laws. Protesters arrested at the University of Georgia were issued interim suspensions and barred from campus without being given a chance to appeal.
Emory’s president has apologized for calling outside officers after police last week used pepper spray balls, tackled protesters and deployed a stun gun on at least one protester.
California governor denounces campus violence
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom says anyone who engaged in illegal behavior on the University of California, Los Angeles, campus should be held accountable “through criminal prosecution, suspension or expulsion.”
“The right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence, vandalism, or lawlessness on campus,” Newsom said.
His spokesperson Izzy Gardon says the California Highway Patrol was deployed to the Los Angeles campus after “unacceptable” delays and limited response from campus police to clashes between dueling groups of protesters.
WATCH: Student protests take over some campuses but at others their attention is elsewhere
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
As a student protest movement over the Israel war in Gaza roils campuses across the U.S., millions of students in other schools have continued with their daily routines of working their way through school, socializing and studying for exams. (AP Video shot by Charles Krupa)
Campus calm at University of Texas after school braced for large protest
By JIM VERTUNO
University of Texas officials had expected another large protest Wednesday but there was no activity on the campus, where more than 100 demonstrators have been arrested over the past week.
Groups involved in earlier protests appeared to circulate a notice on social media that the demonstration was postponed until the weekend. A small group of Texas state troopers were on campus as students continued to pose in front of the clock tower or fountains for graduation photos.
WATCH: Columbia University’s complex history with student protest echoes into today
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
A week-long protest in April, 1968 that included building takeovers left a legacy at Columbia, one that inspired future generations including the current one. And it’s a historical connection that many Columbia students involved in this month’s protests are acutely aware of. Says one: It’s history repeating itself. (AP Video/Noreen Nasir)
Iconic “A” logo vandalized near University of Arizona
By WALTER BERRY
The top part of a large “A” logo on a mountainside has been painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag.
Tucson police say the vandalism near the University of Arizona will be considered as criminal damage.
Several protesters were arrested overnight after university President Robert Robbins directed school officials to “immediately enforce campus use policies.”
Classes remain canceled at Portland State University in Oregon
By EUGENE JOHNSON
University President Ann Cudd says the administration is planning for “a return to classes and regular university operations as soon as possible.”
An unknown number of people, including some non-students, remained holed up inside a university library on Wednesday. About 50 protestors left the library overnight after the administration offered not to seek criminal charges, expulsion or other discipline.
Protesters began occupying the library Monday.
Protesters plan more action at the University of Connecticut
By DAVID COLLINS
Protesters say they’ll rally on campus Wednesday evening — a day after 25 people were arrested as authorities removed an encampment.
The people arrested were charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct and later released pending court dates. Officials said they violated school rules on large outdoor gatherings and ignored police orders to remove the tents.
The Connecticut chapter of American Muslims for Palestine issued a statement calling the arrests “baseless” and urging people “to stand against student repression” by rallying Wednesday.
Columbia University calls Hamilton Hall ‘an active crime scene’ being investigated by the NYPD
Only people with Columbia University identification and essential personnel are allowed on campus, university president Nemat Shafik said in a statement.
Hours earlier, Hamilton Hall was where New York police burst in to break up a demonstration by protesters who had occupied the building.
WATCH: Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters clash on UCLA campus
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters clashed in Los Angeles on the campus of UCLA on Wednesday in the latest escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war that have spread to college campuses nationwide.
More than 100 people march near Columbia University campus
Most of the marchers identified themselves as Columbia University faculty and staff.
They marched and chanted on the eastern side of the campus by Hamilton Hall, where, hours earlier, New York police burst in to break up a demonstration by protesters who had occupied the building.
Many marchers held signs reading “No cops on campus,” and chanted slogans aimed at Columbia University president Nemat Shafik, including “How many kids did you arrest today?”
Carefully planned and partly improvised: Inside the Columbia protest that fueled a national movement
Months before they pitched their tents on Columbia University’s main lawn, inspiring a wave of protest encampments at college campuses nationwide, a small group of pro-Palestinian student activists met privately to sketch out the logistical details of a round-the-clock occupation.
In hours of planning sessions, they discussed communications strategies and their willingness to risk arrest, along with the more prosaic questions of bathroom access and trash removal. Then, after scouring online retailers and Craigslist for the most affordable options, they ordered the tents.
“There’s been a lot of work, a lot of meetings that went into it, and when we finally pulled it off, we had no idea how it would go,” said Columbia graduate student Elea Sun.
“I don’t think anyone imagined it would take off like it did.”
Those involved with the Columbia protest, also known as the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” describe their organizing efforts as both meticulously planned and heavily improvised. They say the university’s aggressive tactics to quell the movement have only lent it more momentum.
▶ Read more about how the Columbia protests fueled a nationwide movement.
Studies continue for many students — even as others protest
By STEVE LeBLANC, NICK PERRY
While some students protest the Israel-Hamas war, millions of others across the U.S. are going to class, socializing and studying for final exams.
Protester encampments and tumultuous arrests have garnered attention on campuses from New York to Los Angeles. But that’s not the case everywhere.
In Boston, for example, police broke up protests at Emerson College and Northeastern University. But the situation has remained calm at Boston College and Boston University.
New York University professor Robert Cohen has studied the history of student protests. He notes that most U.S. campuses don’t have demonstrator encampments. And even at those that do, the number of students involved often is not enough to fill a large lecture hall.
▶ Read more about how protests vary across the country.
4 officers injured as police removed protesters at University of Wisconsin in Madison
Campus police spokesperson Marc Lovicott said a state trooper was hit in the head with a skateboard and three sheriff’s deputies suffered injuries “directly related to the physical resistance from protesters” as police tried to remove protesters’ tents from a central square.
At least a dozen people were arrested.
Police removed all but one tent while clashing with the demonstrators. But scores of protesters resumed chanting and, a few hours later, had erected more tents on the square.
Lovicott said police plan to continue monitoring the protests.
Columbia University’s president outlines why she called in the police
By RUTH BROWN
In a statement, Nemat Shafik said protesters taking over an administration building on campus early Tuesday was a “drastic escalation” of the encampment at the college, which “pushed the University to the brink, creating a disruptive environment for everyone and raising safety risks to an intolerable level.”
Shafik, who goes by Minouche, acknowledged the school has a “long and proud” history of activism on campus, but argued those occupying the building committed “acts of destruction, not political speech.”
“I know I speak for many members of our community in saying that this turn of events has filled me with deep sadness. I am sorry we reached this point,” she wrote.
Pro-Palestinian protesters set up encampment on University of Texas at Dallas plaza
By JAMIE STENGLE
Last week, protesters there held a sit-in in a wing of the administration building at the university located in the Dallas suburb of Richardson.
The new encampment set up Wednesday included tents and a sign that read: “Welcome to Gaza Liberation Plaza.”
UCLA announces that Wednesday classes are canceled
By JOHN ANTCZAK
“Due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night and early this morning, all classes are cancelled today. Please avoid the Royce Quad area,” the school said in a social media post.
The clashes at UCLA took place around a tent encampment built by pro-Palestinian protesters. Counter protesters tried to pull down a line of parade barricades, plywood and wooden pallets at the edge of the camp.
Protesters arrested and encampments cleared out at two Arizona campuses
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Several people were arrested by police in riot gear early Wednesday at the University of Arizona in Tucson after President Robert Robbins directed school officials to “immediately enforce campus use policies.”
And about 20 people were arrested at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff on Tuesday night on trespassing charges. Police dismantled a small fence made of chicken wire as well as nearly two dozen tents.
Demonstrators planning a gathering at Yale
By DAVID COLLINS
Student demonstrators there call it a “community assembly” planned for Wednesday evening to decry police crackdowns on college protests around the country and continue calls for Yale to divest from defense companies doing business with Israel.
“We gather as a community to resist the interrelated violent and colonial systems of militarized policing in the United States and Palestine,” the Occupy Yale group said in an Instagram post.
Police on Tuesday removed a second protesters’ encampment at Yale without arresting anyone, as students heeded warnings to leave or face discipline and arrest. The first camp was taken down April 22 and 48 people were arrested.
Arrests made at University of Wisconsin in Madison
Campus police spokesperson Marc Lovicott said at least a dozen people have been arrested at the school as police removed tents erected by protesters.
On Wednesday morning, police pushed into the protesters with shields, resulting in a scrum. Protesters chanted “students hold your ground” and “long live Palestine.”
Police have removed all but one of the tents protesters erected. The protesters’ tents and belongings were loaded into a dump truck.
The university said camping is prohibited under campus policy and state law.
Protests expected at the University of Texas at Austin
By PAUL WEBER
School officials there braced for an expected large protest Wednesday on the main lawn where demonstrations resulted in more than 100 arrests over the past week.
Barricades remained in place in front of the administration tower building and there was a small police presence and barricades near the main fountain. That didn’t stop groups of students from lining up to pop champagne corks and wade into the water for photos celebrating their upcoming graduation.
New York police took down a Palestinian flag
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Officials at City College requested the help of New York police, noting in a letter that protestors had set up tents and raised a flag on a flagpole without permission.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams praised police officers who pulled down the Palestinian flag demonstrators had hoisted. An officer balled up that flag and threw it to the ground. Other officers then raised an American flag.
“You don’t take over our buildings and put another flag up,” Adams said. “Blame me for being proud to be an American.”
New York Police escort protesters onto a bus after making arrests during a standoff between police and demonstrators outside the City College of New York, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in New York. Police have swept through other campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks, leading to confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests nationwide. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
Brown University reached an agreement with protesters on its Rhode Island campus
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Demonstrators at the Ivy League school said Tuesday they would close the encampment in exchange for administrators taking a vote to consider divestment from Israel-linked companies in October.
The encampment began last week and on Monday, school President Christina H. Paxson offered protest leaders the chance to meet with officials to discuss their arguments for divestment in exchange for ending their encampment. The compromise appeared to mark the first time a U.S. college has agreed to vote on divestment in the wake of the protests.
Squares mark a lawn where tents once stood after an encampment protesting the Israel-Hamas war was taken down at Brown University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Providence, R.I. Brown University administrators and leaders of several student groups on Tuesday said a deal would end a protest there by evening. The statements said President Christina Paxson had committed to an October vote by the school’s governing board on the students’ divestment proposal. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Columbia University’s main campus remains on partial lockdown
No tents could be seen through fences from outside the campus and a photo from the college’s student newspaper showed the encampment area empty of tents.
At the base of the Hamilton Hall building, which was occupied by protesters the previous day, a few signs of the police action remained, including hand marks on the outside of a dusty window police had opened to get inside.
NY mayor says nearly 300 arrested in crackdowns on protests at Columbia University and City College
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who was formerly a police captain, insisted that while the people who entered Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall included students, “It was led by individuals who were not affiliated with the university.”
“There is a movement to radicalize young people. And I’m not going to wait until it is done to acknowledge the existence of it,” Adams said.
Clashes at the University of Wisconsin in Madison
By KATHY McCORMACK, RICK CALLAHAN
Police were removing an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Wisconsin’s Madison campus and have taken away several protesters.
Several police officers arrived at the encampment on the campus’ Library Mall around 7 a.m. Wednesday and played a recorded message on a loop saying it was a final warning and that protesters were in violation of university code, WISC-TV reported.
About 20 minutes later, nearly 60 police officers, some with riot shields, arrived and began removing tents and other items, the station reported.
Video from WISC-TV showed police with riot shields pushing against protesters and the protesters pushing back while chanting slogans. The station said that at least 10 protesters were taken away by police with their hands zip-tied by officers.
Police later removed some tents that had remained at the encampment, but about 30 protesters surrounded another tent to prevent officers from reaching it.
Were ‘outside agitators’ part of the New York protests?
By SARAH BRUMFIELD
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in an appearance on on “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday that police had identified organizations and individuals who weren’t university students, but professional agitators.
“Once I became aware of the outside agitators who were part of this operation, as Columbia mentioned in their letter and their request with the New York City Police Department, it was clear we had to take appropriate actions when our intelligence division identified those who were professionals, well trained,” Adams said.
Adams and the NYPD made similar claims before the arrests that the protest had been co-opted by outside agitators, though did not provide specific evidence to back up that contention. While people involved in the Columbia demonstrations acknowledge that some people not part of the college community have participated, they forcefully dispute the idea that outsiders were driving or unduly influencing the protests.
Adams pointed to protesters breaking into Hamilton Hall at Columbia University, saying some of the tactics and methods have been used across the globe.
“And we understood how really dangerous this situation had become,” Adams said, noting they made sure that a minimum amount of force was used to “eradicate the problem” at City University of New York and Columbia.
When there’s an analysis of those arrested, Adams said a substantial number of them won’t be City University of New York or Columbia students.
Adams said he understands the power of protests, but they have to make sure they don’t turn violent. Breaking into Hamilton Hall was not protesting, “that was committing a crime,” he said.
IN PHOTOS: Police clear Columbia University protests
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Officers with the New York Police Department raid the encampment by pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. The protesters had seized the administration building, known as Hamilton Hall, more than 20 hours earlier in a major escalation as demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war spread on college campuses nationwide. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Journalism School faculty prevent students from being arrested by officers with the New York Police Department at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. The protesters had seized the administration building, known as Hamilton Hall, more than 20 hours earlier in a major escalation as demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war spread on college campuses nationwide. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
New York Police escort protesters onto a bus after making arrests during a standoff between police and demonstrators outside the City College of New York, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in New York. Police have swept through other campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks, leading to confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests nationwide. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
The current situation at UCLA
By EUGENE GARCIA
Things were subdued at the campus early Wednesday. Police were moved back and there were no counter-protesters in sight.
At the protesters’ encampment, people would peer out from behind their barricades every so often but it was quiet there too.
