Gaza war-related protests spread to additional universities on Thursday and Friday, leading to arrests of around 500 protestors across the United States, according to local media.
Students at Virginia Tech set up a tent on the campus lawn on Friday morning, bearing a sign that read “Gaza liberation encampment,” the local ABC network reported.
On Thursday night, police arrested 36 people at Gaza solidarity encampment at Ohio State University, following a few arrests earlier in the day, the local NBC affiliate reported. In a statement, Ohio State University said that university rules prohibit camping and overnight events. Of those arrested, 16 were university students, and the other 20 were not affiliated with the institution, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The same night, more than 30 were arrested at Indiana University during a protest in solidarity with Gaza. University police said the tents the students put up violate school policy and alleged that the students refused to take them down, according to the local ABC affiliate.
Students at Columbia University in New York City erected several tents earlier this month, demanding an end to Israel’s war against Hamas and that the university to divest from the country. The protests spread this week, and similar demonstrations and encampments have broken out at universities in Texas, New England, California and other regions. By Al-Monitor’s count, more than 25 schools have experienced protests in recent days.
There have been hundreds of arrests across the country as universities seek to prevent encampments, in some cases saying they are disrupting student life and posing safety concerns. Last week, police arrested 108 at Columbia. On Monday, 120 people at NYU and more than 45 at Yale were arrested. On Wednesday night, 118 were arrested at Emerson College, and at least 28 were arrested at Emory University on Thursday, according to reports.
The arrests have been condemned by some politicians and civil liberty groups. With the developments at Ohio State and Indiana on Thursday night, at least 485 people have been reportedly arrested.
Negotiations between the protesters and school officials are ongoing at some universities, including Columbia.
"We have our demands; they have theirs. A formal process is underway and continues," the office of president Minouche Shafik told the Columbia Spectator on Thursday night.
The Associated Press reported on Friday that California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, has been negotiating all week with students who barricaded themselves in a building.
Some school administrations are coming under fire for their response to the unrest. On Friday, the Columbia University Senate approved a resolution that accused Shafik of disregarding due process for students and hurting academic freedom with regard to the crackdown on the encampment, Reuters reported.
A day earlier, local media reported that faculty at the University of Texas, Austin, planned to hold a vote of no confidence in president Jay Hartzell.
Some faculty are divided. Yale Daily News reported on Friday that one letter by faculty sent to school president Peter Salovey accused him of not adequately protecting Jews on campus, while another criticized him over the arrests.
