Pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on university campuses across the US. Here’s what to know

Pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on university campuses across the US. Here’s what to know

Pro-Palestinian protests continued at a major US university throughout Wednesday afternoon, even after law enforcement was called to participate and made arrests on campus.

Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University, the epicenter of demonstrations that began last week, said they would not disperse until the school agreed to sever ties with Israeli academic institutions and commit to the “complete divestment” of its funding from entities linked to Israel, among other demands.

Tensions on several campuses flared after Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. Israel responded with a bombardment of Gaza that has killed more than 34,000 people after more than 200 days of war, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Some Jewish students say they are concerned about their safety on campus, and college administrators are facing growing pressure from lawmakers to rule in protests.

Here are the latest developments:

Emerson College: More than 100 people were arrested and four police officers were injured Wednesday at Emerson College in Boston during a pro-Palestinian protest, according to the Boston Police Department.
Columbia University: House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Columbia’s president to resign if he can’t bring order to campus. Although most of the protests were nonviolent, some Jewish students were concerned about their safety, with one Jewish student saying “antisemitic comments and activity are becoming more prevalent.” Negotiations between protesters and Columbia officials over clearing encampments on its lawn continued early Wednesday morning for another 48 hours.
University of Southern California: Police arrested nearly 100 protesters at the University of Southern California after orders to disperse.
University of Texas at Austin: Following a tense standoff, the Texas Department of Public Safety said that 34 arrests had been made by law enforcement on campus as of 9 p.m. A Fox 7 photographer was among those detained amid the fierce fighting, the newspaper said in a report.
Cal Poly Humboldt: The California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt campus will remain closed through the weekend as protesters, including “unidentified non-students,” continue to occupy two buildings, school officials said in an update.