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Campus authorities prepare for heightened tensions as graduation ceremonies unfold in the coming weeks, anticipating further unrest
Pro-Palestinian rallies at colleges and universities across the United States have led to the arrest of nearly 2,500 individuals, as reported by various media outlets.
CNN's latest report, published on Sunday, reveals that the number of arrests made since April 18 has exceeded 2,200. Meanwhile, a similar report by Fox News indicates that the total arrests have climbed to over 2,400.
With graduation ceremonies underway, demonstrations are expected to persist in the coming weeks. In response, campus authorities are bolstering police presence and, in some instances, opting to cancel commencement events altogether.
In California, law enforcement in Los Angeles disbanded a protest encampment at the University of Southern California (USC) on Sunday, though no arrests were reported. USC has also canceled its primary graduation ceremony due to security apprehensions.
The situation turned tense at Chicago's DePaul University in Illinois as pro-Palestinian supporters clashed with counter-protesters on Sunday. Although authorities refrained from making arrests, multiple injuries were reported during the altercation.
Around 25 demonstrators were arrested at a pro-Palestinian rally held at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Saturday. Police dismantled a tent encampment erected by students following the declaration of an unlawful assembly near the campus center.
Elsewhere in Michigan, authorities intervened to remove a group of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan's main commencement in Ann Arbor on Saturday, briefly disrupting the ceremony. No arrests were made.
April 30 marked the highest single-day arrest count, with over 400 individuals detained at college campuses nationwide.
In a letter to senior NYPD officials, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the administration requested that police remove protesters from the occupied building and a nearby tent encampment “with the utmost regret.”
Columbia University in New York reported the highest number of arrests, totaling 282, marking it as the focal point of the pro-Palestinian rallies.
Protesters entered Hamilton Hall, which they have renamed "Hind's Hall" in memory of 6-year-old Palestinian Hind Rajab, who was brutally killed in Gaza, early Tuesday morning and maintained they would not leave the building unless their demands are met.
The second biggest arrest total happened on May 2, with more than 250 protesters arrested nationwide.
Most of those arrests were made at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where protests turned violent and multiple people were injured, forcing the university to cancel classes for the week.
UCLA will resume classes on Monday and has created a new office for campus safety to prevent future violent situations.
Source: Newsroom
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