White House calls for peaceful protests after hundreds of university arrests

The White House insisted on Sunday that the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have rocked US universities in recent weeks must be peaceful, after police arrested some 275 people on four campuses over the weekend.

“We certainly respect the right to peaceful protest“National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC’s “This Week.”

But “we absolutely condemn the language of anti-Semitism that we have been hearing lately.” and we certainly condemn all hate speech and threats of violence out there.”

The wave of demonstrations began at Columbia University, in New York, but it spread quickly across the country.

Although peaceful protest prevailed, number of pro-Palestinian protesters detained by police, sometimes with tear gas and tasers, increases.

Arrests reach 100 at Northeastern University in Boston; 80 at Washington University, St Louis; 72 at Arizona State University and 23 at Indiana State University.

Protesters at Yale University set up new camp on Sunday, reported the independent student newspaper of that educational center. Days earlier, police took down another on the same campus that led to dozens of arrests.

University management tries to find a better answerbut they are caught between respect for freedom of expression and the need to curb protesters’ inflammatory and sometimes violently anti-Semitic slogans.

The activists behind the university protests, not all students, They call for a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and they want universities to sever ties with Israel.

With final exams in the coming weeks, Some universities have closed their campuses and will continue to operate with online classes.

On October 7th, Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing around 1,170 people., according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures. They also took around 250 people hostage. Israel estimates that 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are believed to have died.

In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed at least 34,454 people, mainly women and children, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian territory.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.