Police stormed the usually peaceful Emory University campus in Atlanta after demonstrators set up tents on Thursday morning, leading to the latest clash in the pro-Palestinian protests that have spread across American campuses this week.
As Emory demonstrators screamed, officers struggled with demonstrators on the ground and escorted others away. Onlookers watched the incident from dozens of yards away and recorded it on their cellphones.
Officials did not immediately say how many people were arrested in Atlanta, but more than 400 people have attended protests across the country since April 18, when more than 100 protesters were arrested at Columbia University in New York. person was detained by police. A wave of student movements spread across the country.
As some Jewish students have expressed safety concerns and politicians have called for a crackdown on growing demonstrations, university administrators and law enforcement officials have begun arresting students, clearing encampments, and disrupting academic work. We are taking measures such as threatening the impact.
Boston police arrested 108 protesters at Emerson College late Wednesday, just hours after Los Angeles police arrested 93 people who refused to disperse on the University of Southern California campus.
Early Wednesday, dozens of police officers, many in riot gear and some on horseback, arrested 57 people at the University of Texas at Austin. It is unclear how many of the protesters arrested in either incident were students.
Still, new protests continue to erupt and have spread far beyond some prominent universities.
At Emory, demonstrators accused police of using pepper spray and tear gas to quell the protest. The university did not immediately comment on the allegations, but spokeswoman Laura Diamond said the protesters were “at university while students were finishing classes and preparing for finals. “Activists who are trying to disrupt the world,” he said.
Ms. Diamond added that the university “does not tolerate vandalism or other criminal activity on campus.”
As universities struggle to quell unrest, some lawmakers are calling for stronger measures, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who visited Columbia on Wednesday, and urged the White House to take action. He said that ultimately the use of military force should be considered.
Under pressure from lawmakers, donors and alumni who called the protests anti-Semitic, the university called in police and suspended students.
Many student activists have criticized the crackdown on mostly peaceful protests on other campuses and the university's economic relationship with companies that protesters say make weapons used against Palestinians. He says he is energized by the connections he has made.
There was little sign that the movement would lose momentum. About 100 demonstrators set up tents at Harvard University on Wednesday night, despite the university warning students that they could face disciplinary action.
John Yoon Contributed to the report.