NEW YORK (AP) — As upcoming commencement ceremonies grew closer Tuesday, universities across the U.S. grappled with how to clear out encampments of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, with some continuing negotiations and others turning to force and ultimatums that have resulted in arrests and clashes with police.
Dozens of people were arrested Monday during protests at universities in Texas and Virginia, while Columbia University in New York said it began suspending students.
Demonstrators are sparring over the Israel-Hamas war and its mounting death toll, and the number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up. The outcry is forcing colleges to reckon with their financial ties to Israel, as well as their support for free speech. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus.
At the University of Texas at Austin, an attorney said at least 40 demonstrators were arrested Monday. The confrontation was an escalation on the 53,000-student campus in the state's capital, where more than 50 protesters were arrested last week.