Police say arrests have been made in Washington, D.C., as a crackdown continues across the U.S. on student-led demonstrations in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Police in the US capital dismantled a student protest camp at George Washington University, one of dozens of camps set up on campuses across the country in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department said in a declaration which “moved to disperse” protesters on Wednesday morning after “a gradual escalation in protest volatility”. He did not elaborate on what exactly this means.
“During the operation, arrests were made for assault on a police officer and unlawful entry,” the department said, without specifying how many arrests were made.
Citing an unnamed law enforcement source, CNN reported that between 30 and 40 people were arrested.
The Gaza camp at George Washington University is one of dozens that have sprung up around the world since late April in protest against Israel’s war in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Students in the US, as well as in Canada, the UK, France and other countries are demanding an end to Israel’s military offensive, which has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians since the beginning of October.
They also call on their universities to disassociate themselves from any companies that are complicit in Israeli human rights violations, among other demands.
The arrests at George Washington University are part of a wave of similar police crackdowns on US college campuses, including Columbia University in New York, the University of Chicago and the University of California, Los Angeles.
University administrators accused pro-Palestinian protesters of using anti-Semitic language and creating an unsafe environment on campus.
The students rejected these allegations, which they say aim to distract people from what is happening in the Gaza Strip.
“The goal is to shift the focus away from the genocide in Gaza and shift the focus away from our demands,” Mariam, a Jewish student protester at George Washington University, told Al Jazeera late last week.
US politicians – including President Joe Biden, a Democrat and staunch supporter of Israel – have criticized the Gaza camps.
Republican James Comer, chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight and Accountability Committee, will hold a hearing about the response to the George Washington University camp on Wednesday.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith will testify.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
