On Friday, police in riot gear intervened at the University of California, Santa Cruz and surrounded pro- Palestinian protesters who had been blocking the main entrance to the campus for several days, and dismantled their encampment and barricades. The university confirmed that many were arrested during the operation.
Campus, local, and state police swarmed the protesters. Video footage from local news outlets captured officers instructing the demonstrators to leave and then dismantling signs and parts of the barricade. The footage also showed some pushing and shoving between police and protesters. Officers with zip ties appeared to detain several individuals.
Scott Hernandez-Jason, a spokesperson for the university, stated, "For weeks, encampment participants were given repeated, clear direction to remove the encampment and cease blocking access to numerous campus resources and to the campus itself. They were notified that their actions were unlawful and unsafe. This morning they were also given multiple warnings by law enforcement to leave the area and disperse to avoid arrest. Unfortunately, many refused to follow this directive and many individuals are being arrested."
No injury has been reported yet. Classes at the university were held remotely on Friday.
This incident coincides with ongoing strikes by graduate student workers at UC Santa Cruz, which began last week in response to the university system's treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters.
Protest camps have emerged across the U.S. and Europe this spring, with students urging their institutions to sever ties with Israel or companies supporting its actions in Gaza. Organizers aim to amplify calls to end Israel’s war with Hamas that they describe as genocide against Palestinians.
Since April 18, at least 83 incidents of arrests at campus protests have been recorded by the Associated Press, across the U.S., with over 3,025 arrests reported at 62 colleges and universities. These figures are based on AP reports and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.
The confrontation at UC Santa Cruz came just a day after similar arrests at a pro-Palestinian encampment at a Detroit campus and a student walkout during a commencement ceremony at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
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On Thursday, police in riot gear dismantled fencing and tents erected near the undergraduate library at Wayne State University in Detroit. At least 12 people were arrested.
At MIT Cambridge, an outdoor commencement ceremony went uninterrupted on Friday, but on Thursday, some graduates disrupted another ceremony by walking out. They wore keffiyehs, the checkered scarves that represent Palestinian solidarity, over their caps and gowns, chanted "free, free Palestine," and held signs reading "All eyes on Rafah."
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“There is going to be no business as usual as long as MIT holds research projects with the Israeli Ministry of Defense,” said David Berkinsky, who earned a doctorate in chemistry and participated in the walkout. “There are no graduates in Gaza. There are no universities left in Gaza because Israel has bombed every single one.”
The demonstration at MIT faced opposition from some attendees, who shouted at the protesters, calling them "Hamas terror fans." A similar pro-Palestinian encampment at MIT had been cleared earlier in May.
