Police in riot gear surrounded arm-in-arm protesters Friday at the University of California, Santa Cruz, to remove an encampment and barricades where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have blocked the main entrance to the campus this week. Many people were arrested, the university said.
Campus, local and state police swarmed the protesters, and video from local news stations showed officers telling people to leave, then taking away signs and part of a barricade. There appeared to be some pushing and shoving between police and protesters. Officers carried zip ties and appeared to detain a few people.
鈥淔or weeks, encampment participants were given repeated, clear direction to remove the encampment and cease blocking access to numerous campus resources and to the campus itself,鈥� Scott Hernandez-Jason, a spokesperson for the university, said in a statement Friday.
鈥淭hey were notified that their actions were unlawful and unsafe. And this morning they were also given multiple warnings by law enforcement to leave the area and disperse to avoid arrest. Unfortunately, many refused to follow this directive and many individuals are 小蓝视频 arrested,鈥� Hernandez-Jason said.
It wasn鈥檛 known if anyone was injured. The university was holding classes remotely Friday.
Graduate student workers at UC Santa Cruz that began last week over the university system鈥檚 treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters.
Protest camps sprang up and in Europe this spring as students demanded their universities with Israel or companies that they say support its war in Gaza. Organizers seek to amplify calls to end , which they describe as a genocide against the Palestinians.
The Associated Press has recorded at least 83 incidents since April 18 in which arrests were made at campus protests across the U.S. More than 3,025 people have been arrested at 62 colleges and universities. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.
The confrontation in California came at a pro-Palestinian encampment at a Detroit campus and a student walkout during commencement at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
On Thursday, police in riot gear removed fencing and broke down tents erected last week on green space near the undergraduate library at Wayne State University in Detroit. At least 12 people were arrested.
President Kimberly Andrews Espy cited health and safety concerns and disruptions to campus operations. Staff were encouraged to work remotely this week, and
The camp, she said, 鈥渃reated an environment of exclusion 鈥� one in which some members of our campus community felt unwelcome and unable to fully participate in campus life.鈥�
Another outdoor commencement 小蓝视频 was scheduled Friday at MIT in Cambridge, near Boston, a day after some graduates walked out of one, disrupting it for 10 to 15 minutes. They wore keffiyehs, the checkered scarves that represent Palestinian solidarity, over their caps and gowns, chanted 鈥渇ree, free Palestine,鈥� and held signs that said, "All eyes on Rafah.鈥�
鈥淭here is going to be no business as usual as long as MIT holds research projects with the Israeli Ministry of Defense,鈥� said David Berkinsky, 27, who earned a doctorate degree in chemistry and walked out. 鈥淭here are no graduates in Gaza. There are no universities left in Gaza left because Israeli has bombed every single one.鈥�
Some people at the event swore at the protesters and yelled, 鈥淕ood riddance to Hamas terror fans.鈥� A pro-Palestinian in early May.
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Associated Press journalists Christopher L. Keller, Ed White, Michael Casey and Steve LeBlanc contributed to this report.
Kathy Mccormack, The Associated Press
