Tensions continued to simmer in US college campuses over the Israeli offensive in Gaza with more than 100 people being arrested at Columbia University and City College of New York on Tuesday night, even as Los Angeles Police Department officials arrived at UCLA early on Wednesday after reports of clashes, international media agencies said, quoting law enforcement officials.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass informed followers in a tweet on X that the Los Angeles Police Department "has arrived on campus," calling the violence there "abhorrent and inexcusable."
Multiple sources said objects were thrown around and fireworks being set off as pro-Palestinians and pro-Israelis clashed.
In unexpected scenes on campuses where free speech is usually encouraged, video footage has emerged of police entering Hamilton Hall in Columbia University which had been taken over by pro-Palestinians and barricaded.
About a 100 people were arrested as the hall and a tent encampment set up by protesters were cleared by NYPD.
Though pro-Palestine protests began in Columbia, violence and student unrest has been reported from various universities, including University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where 36 protesters were held and protesters removed the campus US flag, replacing it with a Palestinian flag.
At Florida State University, five people were arrested during a demonstration on Tuesday.
About 80 people were arrested at University of Texas-Austin on Monday
Ivy League universities such as Yale and Brown have managed to clear protesters' encampments with Brown reportedly agreeing to hold a vote on divestment from Israeli interests.
Students want their universities to “disclose and divest” their investments in companies and organisations linked to Israel and its war on Gaza.
Authorities at University of Southern California and Portland State University are attempting to engage with students to find solutions to end protests.
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