While Emory University hasn’t seen any arrests so far this weekend amid the ongoing war protests (after arrests that were made Thursday at the metro Atlanta campus), the demonstrations at some college campuses weren’t peaceful.
More than 200 protesters were arrested Saturday at Northeastern University, Arizona State University, Indiana University and Washington University in St. Louis, according to officials, as colleges across the country struggle to quell growing pro-Palestinian demonstrations and encampments on campus.
The New York Times reported that more than 700 protesters have been arrested on U.S. campuses since April 18, when Columbia University had the New York Police Department clear a protest encampment there. In several cases, most of those who were arrested have been released.
At Washington University in St. Louis, more than 80 arrests were made and the campus was locked down Saturday evening, university officials said in a statement, adding that campus police were still processing arrests. The New York Times reported that Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for the 2024 presidential election, was among those arrested, along with her campaign manager and another staff member, a spokesperson for the campaign said.
The Associated Press has noted that with the death toll mounting in the war in Gaza, protesters nationwide are demanding schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies they say enable the conflict. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus.
At Columbia University in New York City, where early protests sparked pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country, students and administrators have engaged in negotiations, the university said in a statement Saturday night.
