US Campus Protests: Unrest Boils As Israel Protestors Attack Pro-Palestinians At UCLA, 300 Arrested In NY

US Campus Protests: Nearly 300 protestors from Columbia University and City College of New York have been arrested in New York.

The mounting unrest on US college campuses boiled over on Wednesday after pro-Israel protestors attacked an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of California at Los Angeles, hours after police arrested activists who occupied a building at Columbia University and cleared a tent encampment from its campus, reported Reuters. 

As per the report, people wielded sticks or poles to hammer on wooden boards being used as makeshift barricades to protect the pro-Palestinian protestors before police were called to the campus. 

The classes were cancelled at the university for the day and UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said the school would conduct an investigation "that may lead to arrests, expulsions and dismissals."

The Chancellor termed the assault on pro-Palestine protestors as "appalling" which came hours after their encampment was declared an unlawful assembly by UCLA, was committed "by a group of instigators."

The unrest began at college campuses across the US against the war in Gaza which has killed over 34,000 Palestinians since the beginning of the October 7 war. 

The students are demanding their schools to divest, or snap ties, from Israel. 

300 Arrested In New York, Several Elsewhere

Nearly 300 students have been arrested in New York during campus raids at Columbia University and City College of New York on Tuesday night, the officials reported, as per BBC. 

At a campaign rally in Wisconsin, former US President Donald Trump described the police crackdown at Columbia as "a beautiful thing to watch".

Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian scholar at Columbia University who had been one of the leading negotiators was suspended on Tuesday, but the action was "abruptly reversed" by the university on Wednesday, Khalil told BBC. 

"[They said] that after reviewing the evidence, they don't have any evidence to suspend," he said, adding: "It shows how random the suspension was. They sent similar emails to a couple of other people as well." 

Four people, including two students, were arrested at the University of Arizona on Wednesday following a heated conflict between protestors and law enforcement. 

Police also started arresting protestors occupying a building at Fordham University, as per media reports. 

'Going To Be Really Forceful Here': White House

During a press briefing at the White House, press secretary Karine Jean Pierre said that the Biden administration is going to be "really forceful" and continue to underscore how antisemitism is hateful speech. 

Responding to a question on whether President Joe Bide supports the police clearing operations in New York and other college campuses, Pierre said, "Americans have the right to peacefully protest. They have the right to peacefully protest as long as it’s within the law and that it’s peaceful. Forcibly taking over a building is not peaceful." 

She said that it was a "small percentage" of students who were protesting. " They should not be able to disturb or disrupt the academic experience that students have. It is important that students and communities feel safe here," she added. 

"And at the same time, we are going to be really forceful here and continue to underscore how antisemitism is hateful speech. It is wrong. It is abhorrent. And we’re going to continue to call that out," Pierre remarked.