Protests over the Israel-Palestinian conflict have been taking place on college campuses across the US and Canada, leading to numerous arrests. At the University of Texas at Austin, dozens of protesters were arrested for trespassing and disorderly conduct after setting up an encampment on campus. The university had previously stated that encampments violate school policy.
Columbia University also saw protests and encampments, with students calling for divestment from Israeli military operations. The administration began suspending students as part of efforts to clear out the camps.
Many universities have expressed support for freedom of speech but have taken action against encampments. At Northeastern University in Boston, about 100 people were detained after a protest turned into an encampment with the involvement of 'professional organizers' who had no affiliation to the university.
At least 1,000 arrests have been made on campuses nationwide as demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war continue. Some Jewish students feel unsafe and believe that the protests have veered into antisemitism.
French police removed protesters from the Sorbonne university after they occupied the main courtyard, and student protest camps have appeared at universities in Canada, including the University of Ottawa, McGill University, and the University of British Columbia.
The clashes between protesters and police have led to cancellations of commencement ceremonies at some universities. USC refused to allow the valedictorian who supports Palestinians to make a commencement speech due to security concerns and then scrapped the keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu, declining to award any honorary degrees.
The backlash from USC's decision inspired encampments and protests on campus where 90 people were arrested by police in riot gear, leading to the cancellation of the main graduation event that typically draws 65,000 people to the Los Angeles campus.
