Police detain 100 as pro-Palestinian camp cleared at US university

Boston, United States — AFP

Police in riot gear detained about 100 people as they cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment at a Boston university Saturday, the latest in a series of clashes on US campuses triggered by protests over Israel’s war on Gaza.

The action was taken after some protesters allegedly resorted to “virulent anti-Semitic slurs, including ‘Kill the Jews,'” Northeastern University claimed in a statement on social media platform X.

No evidence has been provided to substantiate the claim.

The campus protests have posed a major challenge to university administrators across the country who are allegedly involved in massive divestments to Israel.

Police have carried out large-scale arrests at universities in recent days, at times using chemical irritants and tasers to disperse peaceful demonstrators.

In its statement, Northeastern said campus police backed by local law enforcement moved in Saturday to clear “an unauthorized encampment” on the campus.

“What began as a student demonstration two days ago was infiltrated by professional organizers with no affiliation to Northeastern,” the school said.

It added that detained individuals who produced a valid school ID have been released and will face disciplinary proceedings, not legal action.

“Those who refused to disclose their affiliation were arrested,” the school said.

Tensions were also escalating Saturday at the University of Pennsylvania, where the college president ordered a campus encampment to be disbanded immediately after what he said were “credible reports of harassing and intimidating conduct.”

Meanwhile, Columbia University in New York, where the protests originated, finally announced Friday that it would not be calling police back to campus after more than 100 people were arrested last week.

“To bring back the NYPD at this time would be counterproductive, further inflaming what is happening on campus, and drawing thousands to our doorstep who would threaten our community,” the leaders of the school said in a statement, referring to the New York Police Department.

“Chants, signs, taunts and social media posts from our own students that mock and threaten to ‘kill’ Jewish people are totally unacceptable, and Columbia students who are involved in such incidents will be held accountable,” the school said.

Israel’s unprecedented offensive has killed at least 34,356 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, and has reduced most of the besieged enclave to rubble.