Around 100 students were detained in the last few hours on the University of Southern California (USC) campus during pro-Palestine protests, according to Los Angeles police reports this Thursday (25).
The city's Public Safety Department stated on its X account that there were no injuries during the arrests and that patrols sent to the campus will remain in the area at least through this day to prevent further incidents.
Police officers arrived in riot gear at USC on Wednesday night (24) and initially arrested at least 35 people as they went to clear a camp in the center of the campus, erected to protest the war between Israel and Hamas, according to reported the newspaper Los Angeles Times.
“Shame! Shame!” protesters shouted as police led students and activists off campus. The students set up camp at Alumni Park, where the university's graduation ceremony is scheduled to take place next month.
The camp was set up before dawn on Wednesday and grew quickly as students, some dressed in Palestinian keffiyehs and holding “Free Palestine” and “Liberated Zone” signs, beat drums and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans.
The USC camp is part of a growing number of student-led demonstrations that have emerged on college campuses across the United States since last week. The initiative came after more than 100 arrests occurred at a camp at Columbia University in New York, which sparked protests of solidarity at several universities, from Massachusetts to California.
According to authorities, the protests have so far spread across Texas, New Mexico, California, Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and Washington.
Within the USA, the political class took a stance mainly against the protests, also marked by some incidents involving left-wing Jewish groups, the largest of which was called “Jewish Voices for Peace”, very active on campus.
The president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, announced that he will go this Thursday to Columbia University, in New York – the epicenter of the protests and where the student movement began – and will hold a press conference with some of his Republican peers. (With EFE Agency)
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