“Last night, the use of virulent antisemitic slurs, including ‘Kill the Jews,’ crossed the line,” Renata Nyul, Northeastern’s vice president for communications, said in a statement Saturday morning. “We cannot tolerate this kind of hate on our campus.”
The heated scene was just the latest clash between students, police and university leadership since campus protests erupted this month. From Boston to California, student groups are demanding schools cut any financial ties to Israel, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and defying pressure from administrators to disassemble.
The turmoil has prompted schools to cancel graduation ceremonies and shut down in-person classes. And zoomed out, it has put a sharp focus on American college campuses as the war in Gaza intensifies.
At the University of Indiana, Bloomington, authorities cleared an encampment, according to social media posts by the university’s student newspaper. That came after several protesters were arrested on Thursday, according to local news reports.
Indiana University police and university public relations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In video footage posted online by the campus newspaper, several officers wielding batons clashed with the crowd.
Demonstrations were also broken up at the University of Pennsylvania, where Interim President J. Larry Jameson said “harassing and intimidating comments and actions” violated university policies, along with state and federal laws. Jameson also said there was vandalism of a campus statue “with antisemitic graffiti” and said it would be investigated as a hate crime.
In downtown Denver, about 40 protesters were arrested on Friday at the Auraria Higher Education Center, home to the University of Colorado Denver, Community College of Denver, and the Metropolitan State University of Denver.
After Denver Mayor Mike Johnston urged for the tents to come down on Friday, the Colorado Palestine Coalition posted a photo of the encampment early Saturday on X saying, “Update we didn’t, and the cops have left!”
In some places, crackdowns have become especially tense. In Atlanta, police officers broke up an encampment at Emory University, with one officer used a stun gun on a protester who was being restrained, according to social media video examined by The Washington Post.
At Northeastern in Boston, there were conflicting accounts over who yelled out “Kill the Jews” during the protests. On Saturday morning, the Huntington News, Northeastern’s independent student paper, said its reporters “heard someone say the statement, but could not identify who said it.” Separately, a video posted to an Instagram account for Huskies for Palestine — which has been coordinating campus protests — said the statement was shouted by pro-Israel counter-supporters as provocation. The Post could not independently verify the claims.
Roughly 100 people were detained, Nyul, the university spokeswoman said. Those who could show a valid Northeastern ID card were released and would be disciplined within the university system. Those who refused to show their affiliation were arrested, the university said. It was not clear how many students were involved.
In Denver, the education center said the Auraria Campus police along with Denver police broke up an encampment of tents on one of the main quads. Then, after the encampment had been cleared, some protesters returned to the area and set up more than 30 tents.
“This action occurred only after exhaustive efforts to engage the protesters again and understand their perspectives and explain campus safety policies,” a statement from Friday said. “After the crowd and safety concerns grew, it became increasingly clear that our duty to protect students and the rest of our community was paramount.”
Footage from local television showed law enforcement authorities carrying students from the protest site. The Auraria Campus said those detained were charged with trespassing, and that student protesters had been joined by people from outside the schools.
Devra Ashby, a spokesperson for the Auraria Campus, said in a brief interview that as of Saturday morning, some of the protesters remained on the quad as campus officials were set to meet with law enforcement.
On Friday, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, announced the campus would be closed for the rest of the semester. The decision to finish out the next few weeks remotely came after administrators gave protestors who barricaded themselves inside a building this week a deadline to leave by Friday evening, or face arrest. Only a few left.
Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff contributed to this report.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
