Clashes have occurred in various parts of the United States in the past few hours, with police forces intervening at universities across the country to disperse occupations.
After Columbia, police officers disbanded a camp of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Tulane University in New Orleans, leading to 14 arrests.
“Early this morning, following numerous warnings, a coordinated effort was made by the New Orleans Police Department, the Louisiana State Police, and the university’s department to remove demonstrators who had been trespassing on our campus for the past two days and set up an illegal encampment,” the university stated in a press release.
“The overwhelming majority of demonstrators have no connection to our community,” the statement adds, noting that only two out of the 14 arrested individuals were students of the university.
At the same time, meanwhile, the University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD) stated that officers used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators in the early hours of Wednesday.
The university emphasizes that the intervention was not because it opposes the demonstrators’ ideas but because their actions endangered others. “The decision to engage with the New York Police Department came in response to the actions of the protesters, not the purpose they advocate,” a Columbia spokesperson stated in a written statement. “We have made it clear that life on campus cannot be endlessly disrupted by protesters who violate rules and the law.”
The university spokesperson noted that the demonstrators “chose to escalate,” causing a situation “that could have been avoided,” pointing out incidents of vandalism, destruction, and the expulsion of institution employees at Hamilton Hall.
“The safety of our community, especially our students, remains our top priority,” the statement concludes.
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Meanwhile, just hours after intervening on the American FOX network and praising the police, Donald Trump stated that the protests in support of Palestine on college campuses were aimed at diverting attention from issues at the US-Mexico border.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump propagates the theory that demonstrations in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza were made to “shift focus away from our southern border.”
“Do you believe that the Radical Left Loonies causing all of this chaos on our Colleges and Universities are doing it to distract attention from our Southern Border, where millions of people, many of them from prisons and insane asylums, are pouring into our Country? Just wondering,” he specifically wrote.
