Washington, April 30.- The protests at universities in the United States wrote new chapters in this history of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that spread like a wave throughout the country, amidst police repression.
The situation escalated at the University of Texas at Austin when police used pepper spray and stun grenades to break up a demonstration and dozens were arrested, according to the local newspaper Texas Tribune.
The arrests mark the second time in less than a week that police have broken up a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
On this occasion, the protesters tried to set up a camp on campus, the report indicated.
Texas Department of Public Safety officers surrounded the encampment and a tense scene broke out as they dragged away dozens of protesters and then used pepper spray and flash bangs to disperse them.
At least 40 people were arrested and several more received medical attention due to the sweltering heat.
The arrests began after a group of 60 protesters formed a camp in an unshaded area on the South Mall, which they have been occupying intermittently since pro-Palestinian action first broke out last Wednesday.
Students had walked out of class to demand that UT-Austin break with manufacturers supplying weapons to Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott applauded the resumption of arrests on his X account, where he posted a video of officers wearing face shields inside the campus and the message: No camping allowed.
For their part, students who defied the order to abandon the pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University in New York began to be suspended, center authorities reported. They had until Monday afternoon to end their actions.
“We have begun suspending students,” Ben Chang, vice president of communications and spokesperson for Columbia University, said about three hours after the deadline.
The notice sent by Columbia to the camped protesters ordered them to leave before 2:00 p.m. local time and to sign a letter of commitment to comply with the university's policies and in which it was also detailed that they would remain under disciplinary observation until June of 2025.
Following protest actions at other universities such as Yale, Indiana University in Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis, the number of arrests across the country has reached around a thousand since April 18. (Text and photos: PL)
