College protests: Pro-Palestinian protesters retake MIT encampment

CHICAGO (AP) — Police cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the University of Chicago on Tuesday as tensions escalated during clashes with protesters on other college campuses across the United States — and more more in Europe.

Nearly three weeks after a movement sparked by a protest at Columbia University began, the Rhode Island School of Design held talks with building-occupying protesters, and MIT handled a new camp on a cleared site but immediately taken over by the demonstrators.

The confrontations come as campuses attempt a range of strategies, from appeasement to threats of disciplinary action, to resolve protests against the war between Israel and Hamas and pave the way for beginnings.

At the University of Chicago, hundreds of protesters had gathered in an area known as the Quad for at least eight days. Campus administrators warned them Friday to leave the area or face eviction.

Police in riot gear blocked access to the Quad early Tuesday as law enforcement dismantled the encampment. Officers later picked up a barricade erected to prevent protesters from entering the Quad and moved it toward the demonstrators, some of whom chanted, “Up, up with liberation.” Down with occupation! Police and protesters moved along the barricade as officers moved to reestablish control.

“Protesters were given the opportunity to dismantle their structures and leave the encampment, and there were no arrests,” school President Paul Alivisatos said in a message to the university community. “Where appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken.”

By 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, the number of protesters had doubled to more than 200. About 30 minutes later, campus police removed a barricade and stood aside to allow protesters to return to the Quad where they gathered outside Levi Hall, campus administration. building.

At MIT, protesters had until Monday afternoon to leave voluntarily or face suspension. Many left, according to an MIT spokesperson, who said protesters breached the fence after demonstrators from outside the university arrived. On Monday evening, dozens of protesters remained at the encampment in a calmer atmosphere, listening to speakers and chanting before taking a pizza break.

Sam Ihns, an MIT graduate student in mechanical engineering and a member of the MIT group Jews for a Ceasefire, said the group has been in the camp for two weeks and is calling for an end to the killings in Gaza.

“Specifically, our camp is protesting the direct research ties between MIT and the Israeli Ministry of Defense,” he said.

No arrests had been made as of Monday evening, according to the MIT spokesperson.

At the Rhode Island School of Design, where students began occupying a building Monday, a spokesperson said the school affirms students’ rights to free speech and peaceful assembly and supports all members of his community. The RISD president and provost were meeting with protesters, the spokesperson said.

Student protests have spread across Europe, where they gain momentum. Police arrested around 125 activists on Tuesday as they dispersed a camp at the University of Amsterdam, and German police dismantled an occupation at the Free University of Berlin. Students have also organized protests or set up camps in Finland, Denmark, Italy, Spain, France and Britain.

Many protesters want their schools to divest from companies that do business with Israel or contribute to the war effort. Others simply want to draw attention to the deaths in Gaza and call for an end to the war.

Demonstrations at Columbia University in New York, where the protest movement began about three weeks ago, have rocked its campus. Officials canceled the large main ceremony Monday, but said students will be able to celebrate in a series of smaller school-based ceremonies this week and next.

Columbia had already canceled in-person classes. More than 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped on the green or Columbia Park occupied a university building have been arrested in recent weeks.

Similar encampments have sprung up elsewhere, leaving universities wondering where to go. Draw the line between enabling free speech while maintaining safe and inclusive campuses.

University of Southern California earlier canceled its main graduation ceremony. Students abandoned their camp at USC on Sunday after being surrounded by police and threatened with arrest. Other universities held graduation ceremonies with heightened security. The University of Michigan The ceremony was interrupted by chanting several times on Saturday.

A group of faculty and staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have asked the administration for amnesty for student protesters who were recently arrested and suspended.

Harvard University Interim President Alan Garber warned students that those in an encampment at Harvard Yard could face “involuntary discharge,” meaning they would not be allowed to enter on campus, could lose their student accommodation and would not be able to take exams.

At the University of California San Diego, police cleared an encampment and arrested more than 64 people, including 40 students. The University of California, Los Angeles moved classes online for the week due to disruptions following the dismantling of an encampment last week that led to 44 arrests.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. Israeli strikes have devastated the enclave and displaced most of its residents.

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LeBlanc reported from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Associated Press journalists from around the United States and around the world contributed to this report, including Jeff Amy, Christopher Weber, Mike Corder, Barbara Surk, Rick Callahan and Pietro de Cristofaro.