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Police arrest over 40, clear pro-Palestinian protest camps at Penn, MIT & Arizona

Police made more than 40 arrests as pro-Palestinian protest encampments were dismantled Friday at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hours after police tear-gassed demonstrators and took down a similar camp at the University of Arizona.

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Police Arrest Over 40 in Clearing Pro-Palestinian Protests at U.S. Universities

  • Campus Crackdowns: Over 40 individuals were arrested as police dismantled pro-Palestinian protest encampments at the University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Arizona.
  • Early Morning Operations: At Penn, arrests occurred early Friday morning with 33 people, including students and faculty, charged with defiant trespass after police cleared the encampment.
  • MIT and Arizona Actions: In Cambridge, 10 students were arrested at MIT after police encircled and cleared the encampment. At Arizona, police used tear gas to disperse protesters and dismantle the encampment, though specific arrest details were not provided.
  • Rising Tensions: These university actions reflect increasing tensions and varying responses to the ongoing campus protests related to the Israel-Hamas war, with some schools enforcing strict measures against the encampments.
  • Nationwide Movement: The protests, part of a larger movement that started at Columbia University, aim to draw attention to the conflict and pressure institutions to sever ties with Israeli military efforts or related companies.

The Associated Press has the story:

Police arrest over 40, clear pro-Palestinian protest camps at Penn, MIT & Arizona

Newslooks- (AP)

Police made more than 40 arrests as pro-Palestinian protest encampments were dismantled Friday at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hours after police tear-gassed demonstrators and took down a similar camp at the University of Arizona.

Protesters stand on the University of Pennsylvania campus, in Philadelphia, on Friday, May 10, 2024. (Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

The dismantling at Penn came around 5:30 a.m., as campus and Philadelphia police moved in to remove protesters from an encampment that had been in place for more than two weeks. School officials said protesters were given warnings and the chance to leave without being detained. About 33 people, including students and faculty members, were among those arrested without incident and charged with defiant trespass, the school said.

Police detain a protester on the University of Pennsylvania campus, in Philadelphia, on Friday, May 10, 2024. (Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, video showed police roaming through the MIT encampment. Police in riot gear arrived around 4 a.m., encircled the camp and gave protesters about 15 minutes to leave. Ten students who remained were arrested, the university’s president said. A crowd outside the camp began gathering and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans but were dispersed by 6 a.m.

Police arrive to remove protesters on the University of Pennsylvania campus, in Philadelphia, on Friday, May 10, 2024. (Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

At the University of Arizona in Tucson, campus police in riot gear fired tear gas late Thursday at protesters before tearing down an encampment that included wood and plastic barriers on campus. In statement, the university said the encampment violated school policy but did not say whether any protesters had been arrested.

Police gather to clear protesters at the University of Pennsylvania campus, in Philadelphia, on Friday, May 10, 2024. (Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

“A structure made from wooden pallets and other debris was erected on campus property after 5 p.m. in violation of the policy,” the school said in a statement. “University officials issued warnings to remove the encampment and disperse. The warnings were ignored.”

Several area law enforcement agencies stand at the intersection of University Boulevard and Park Avenue after ejecting a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators off the University of Arizona campus, Friday, May 10, 2024, Tucson, Az. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

The school also said that police vehicles were spiked, and that rocks and water bottles thrown at officers and university staff.

Police confront protesters at the University of Pennsylvania campus, in Philadelphia, on Friday, May 10, 2024. (Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

Tensions have ratcheted up in standoffs with protesters on campuses across the United States and in Europe. Some colleges cracked down immediately, while others have tolerated the demonstrations. Some have begun to lose patience and call in the police over concerns about disruptions to campus life and safety.

A man removes posters of Israeli hostages from a pro-Israeli display, which were the last items to be removed from the area after police raided and dismantled the pro-Palestinian encampment at MIT, which police raided before dawn Friday, May 10, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

The protest movement began nearly three weeks ago at Columbia University in New York City. It has since swept college campuses nationwide, with demonstrators generally seeking to draw attention to the deaths from the Israel-Hamas war or calling for their schools to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support its war efforts.

A police officer in riot gear walks past a garbage truck being loaded with the remains of the pro-Palestinian encampment at MIT, which police raided before dawn Friday, May 10, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

The Associated Press has recorded at least 72 instances since April 18 in which arrests were made at U.S. campus protests. More than 2,800 people have been arrested at 56 colleges and universities. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from schools and law enforcement agencies.

The move at MIT came several days after police first attempted to clear the camp, only to see protesters storm past barriers and restore the encampment, which includes about a dozen tents in the heart of the campus in Cambridge.

Demonstrators retreat along University Boulevard in a cloud of teargas as law enforcement officers use chemical ammunition to clear an encampment off the University of Arizona campus, Friday, May 10, 2024, Tucson, Az. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

Before removing the encampment, MIT earlier in the week had started suspending dozens of students, meaning they wouldn’t be able to take part in academic activities or commencement.

Protesters insisted the move would not stop them from demanding that MIT end all ties to the Israeli military. They encampment had been up for at least weeks and especially angered Jewish students, who have held counterprotests nearby.

Demonstrators lock arms near the intersection of Park Avenue and University Boulevard as they confront law enforcement officers, Friday, May 10, 2024, Tucson, Az. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

“This is only going to make us stronger. They can’t arrest the movement,” said Quinn Perian, an undergraduate student at MIT and organizer for MIT Jews for Ceasefire. “We are going to continue and won’t back down until MIT agrees to cut ties with the Israeli military. MIT would rather arrest and suspend some students than they would end their complicity with the genocide going in Gaza.”

Demonstrators retreat as several area law enforcement agencies clear an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters off the University of Arizona campus, early Friday, May 10, 2024, Tucson, Ariz. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

MIT President Sally Kornbluth, working to strike a balance between recognizing the suffering in Gaza and concerns about the “safety of our community,” had warned Monday the encampment would have to be removed.

Demonstrators lock arms after retreating out of their encampment as law enforcement officers push them down Park Avenue and off the University of Arizona campus, Friday, May 10, 2024, Tucson, Az. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

In a letter confirming Friday’s arrests, she wrote that her responsibility is “to make sure that the campus is physically safe and functioning for everyone … and that everyone feels free to express their views.” The encampment, she wrote, “increasingly made it impossible to meet all these obligations.”

Officers from several area law enforcement agencies form a line and advance on an encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the University of Arizona campus, Friday, May 10, 2024, Tucson, Az. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

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