Protests against the war in Gaza hit US universities. This is the latest

Protests against the war in Gaza hit US universities. This is the latest

Pro-Palestinian protesters have disrupted major US colleges and universities, bringing increasing pressure on school administrators to deal with demonstrations as their campuses prepare for graduation celebrations.

Although protesters have widely insisted their tactics are peaceful, administrators have often denounced their demonstrations as disruptive, and some have used school rules governing the use of public spaces to enact discipline or request police backup.

The main demand of many of the protests is that universities divest their funds from Israeli-linked companies that say they are profiting from the war in Gaza.

Here’s what happened over the weekend:

The campus was gripped by arrests and unrest

Protests at the University of California Los Angeles escalated into shouting and scuffling at times on Sunday as protesters breached security barriers meant to separate opposing groups of protesters. The university said it was “heartbroken” by the physical confrontation.
At the University of Washington, more than 80 people were arrested on campus on Saturday, the university said. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was among those detained.
About 100 people were arrested on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston on Saturday morning as authorities broke up an unauthorized encampment. Student organizers disputed some of the school’s claims about the camp.
At Arizona State University, police arrested 72 people in connection with camping on campus, university officials said.
The number of protesters on the George Washington University campus is dwindling, but other groups have set up an encampment of about 20 tents on a nearby public road.
Lawmakers and administrators weigh in

Portland State University said it will temporarily stop accepting gifts and grants from the Boeing Company – which has ties to Israel – until the college holds a forum to debate the ethics of doing so. The school’s president cited student and faculty requests in their decision to pause the funds.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders rejected claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some US lawmakers that the protests were motivated by antisemitism, telling CNN’s Dan Bash that it is not antisemitic to hold the Israeli government accountable for its actions in Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have been killed. killed