Pro-Palestinian campus protesters face looming deadlines and risk of arrest

Activists and students participate in an encampment protest at the University Yard at George Washington University on Thursday.

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Activists and students participate in an encampment protest at the University Yard at George Washington University on Thursday.

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Pro-Palestinian encampments and demonstrations have cropped up at dozens of college campuses across the U.S., many turning chaotic as police arrived to disperse crowds and take protesters into custody.

Still, student activists nationwide appear determined to show their support for people in Gaza and push their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel or who otherwise profit from its war with Hamas.

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack killed 1,200 Israelis and resulted in another roughly 240 being taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities, while Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s military response has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, a majority of them women and children.

This latest wave of campus protests was sparked last week at Columbia University, where over 100 people were arrested after the administration called in New York City police to clear out a pro-Palestinian encampment. Undeterred protesters then built a larger encampment on an adjacent quad, prompting the school to switch to hybrid learning for the remainder of the semester.

Columbia officials and students have been in negotiations over clearing the encampment, with talks set to continue past their Friday morning deadline.

The administration originally set a deadline of midnight Tuesday for protesters to dismantle the setup, but repeatedly extended it due to what it described as constructive dialogue.

Columbia officials said Thursday that protesters had agreed to take certain steps, including removing a significant number of tents, limiting the protests to Columbia students only, complying with fire department requirements and prohibiting discriminatory or harassing language.

Officials announced just before midnight that “the talks have shown progress and are continuing as planned.”

“For several days, a small group of faculty, administrators, and University Senators have been in dialogue with student organizers to discuss the basis for dismantling the encampment, dispersing, and following University policies going forward,” the statement read. “We have our demands; they have theirs. A formal process is underway and continues.”

University President Minouche Shafik — who is facing criticism from faculty, donors and lawmakers for her handling of the protests — has said that if discussions are not successful, the school will have to consider “alternative options for clearing the West Lawn and restoring calm to campus so that students can complete the term and graduate.”

“I am deeply sensitive to the fact that graduating seniors spent their first year attending Columbia remotely,” she said. “We all very much want these students to celebrate their well-deserved graduation with family and friends.”

Also on Thursday, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles announced it would cancel its main commencement ceremony, citing the need for additional security measures. It had already canceled its valedictorian’s speech because of safety concerns stemming from the backlash she received over her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war.

At Columbia, student protesters still have their tents set up and are in negotiations with university officials.

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At Columbia, student protesters still have their tents set up and are in negotiations with university officials.

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Meanwhile, at George Washington University in D.C., a second day of protests is underway Friday despite the university’s 7 p.m. deadline for clearing the encampments.

The GW Hatchet reports that police were in the area as about 40 protesters remained in their tents overnight, but no arrests were made. Protests resumed shortly after 7 a.m., prompting the university to close and restrict access to University Yard.

More than a dozen demonstrators left the encampment, with some rejoining the chants from the opposite side of the barricades.

GW Law School Dean Dayna Bowen said in a video message on Thursday that the school is working to move law students’ final exams, which are currently underway, to more quiet and secure locations because of the protests.

“Now let me emphasize, there is nothing threatening your safety that’s going on at this moment,” she said. “But yet you are our primary concern. To protect your safety and the integrity of our academic program we are relocating student final exams.”

Thousands of people sit silently while fellow demonstrators pray during a rally at George Washington University on Thursday night.

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Thousands of people sit silently while fellow demonstrators pray during a rally at George Washington University on Thursday night.

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More than 500 protesters have been arrested

Protesters were arrested at schools including The Ohio State University, the University of Minnesota and Indiana University on Thursday, joining the fast-growing list of demonstrators who have been detained by police nationwide.

That same day, two graduate students were arrested at Princeton University for setting up encampments in violation of school policy, while more than two dozen people were arrested at Emory University in Atlanta, where participants were also protesting a police training facility nicknamed “Cop City.”

Police officers arrest a protester as pro-Palestinian students demonstrate at Emory University on Thursday.

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Police officers arrest a protester as pro-Palestinian students demonstrate at Emory University on Thursday.

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At Emory University in Atlanta, protesters — including students from other Atlanta universities and area activists — clashed with state, city and university law enforcement on campus. Videos on social media show officers using tear gas, tasers and handcuffs to detain protesters, including faculty members.

Cheryl Elliott, Emory’s vice president for public safety, said in a statement Thursday that the university called in Atlanta police and George State Patrol officers to disperse the crowd after protesters ignored multiple warnings for trespassing. During subsequent confrontations, she said, law enforcement “released chemical irritants into the ground” after protesters threw objects at them.

She said 28 people had been arrested, including 20 members of the Emory community, “some of whom have been released.”

“We are working with responding agencies to expedite the release of any Emory community members who remain in custody,” Elliott added.

More than 100 people were arrested at Emerson College in Boston early Thursday morning after police tore down an encampment there. The school subsequently added Boylston Place Alley, where the encampment was located, to its list of campus locations where demonstrations are not allowed.

At the University of Southern California, 93 people were arrested Wednesday for trespassing, a misdemeanor offense. One arrest was made for assault with a deadly weapon, though the department did not say what the weapon was. No injuries were reported, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

At The University of Texas at Austin, almost 60 people were arrested Wednesday for loitering, but charges have been dropped for most of them.

Still, the following day, faculty members gathered at a rally and called for the school’s president, Jay Hartzell, to resign after he praised the school and law enforcement for exercising restraint against the protestors, according to NPR member station KUT.