Riot Police Deployed At US Colleges After Violent Protests Over Gaza War

New Delhi: There was heavy police deployment on US university campuses on Wednesday after forcibly clearing away weeks-long protests against Israel’s war with Hamas. Dozens of police cars patrolled the University of California, Los Angeles campus in response to violent clashes overnight when counter-protesters attacked an encampment of pro-Palestinian students. At NYC’s Columbia University, which has been the epicentre of the demonstrations, police were on standby after officers marched onto campus late Tuesday to end the protests there, news agency AFP reported.

About 300 arrests were made at Columbia and CUNY, Police Commissioner Edward Caban told a news conference Wednesday.

Mayor Eric Adams blamed “outside agitators” for ratcheting up tensions. Students at Columbia have denied that outsiders were involved.

Demonstrators have gathered in at least 30 US universities since last month, often erecting tent encampments to protest the soaring death count from Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. The protests have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints of criminal activity, anti-Semitism and hate speech.