Presidential hopeful among arrested
Protests on college campuses multiply
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was among scores of protesters arrested over the weekend at Washington University in St. Louis as demonstrations and days-long encampments in opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza sweep across the nation’s college campuses.
Hundreds of protesters have been detained or arrested at more than a dozen schools from New York to California since a protest at Columbia University in New York City 10 days ago.
Students are calling for a cease-fire and want their schools to stop investing in Israeli companies that are involved with or profit from Israel’s war against Hamas. The protesters also want the U.S. to halt military aid to Israel’s war effort.
Many school administrations have ordered the demonstrators removed. They cite ordinances prohibiting the encampments, infiltration of the encampments by people with no connection to their universities and antisemitic chants that make Jewish students feel unsafe on campuses.
Student protest leaders insist the rallies have been peaceful.
Stein posted video on the social media site X of herself being taken into custody Saturday.
“The demand from the encampment was specifically for the university to divest from Boeing, which manufactures munitions used in the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza at their nearby St. Charles facility,” Stein said in a statement Sunday.
“The Stein campaign supports the demands of the students and their peaceful protest and assembly on campus,” it continued.
Columbia released a statement late Saturday saying it was a “quiet day on campus” and that talks between university officials and student organizers were continuing.
“There is no truth to claims of an impending lockdown or evictions on campus,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, activists in Washington, D.C., rallied outside a hotel hosting the annual White House correspondent’s dinner on Saturday night. They targeted President Joe Biden, who spoke at the event, for his support of Israel’s military campaign.
Northeastern University cites antisemitic slurs at protest
Northeastern University said 100 people were detained when an encampment was cleared late Saturday at the Boston school.
Those who produced a student ID were released but will face disciplinary proceedings at the school.
Those who did not produce a student ID were arrested, the university said.
“What began as a student demonstration two days ago, was infiltrated by professional organizers with no affiliation to Northeastern,” the school said in a social media post.
“Last night, the use of virulent antisemitic slurs, including ‘Kill the Jews,’ crossed the line. We cannot tolerate this kind of hate on our campus,” the post continued.
Video from the scene, however, appeared to show counterprotesters holding Israeli flags and suggesting a “Kill the Jews” chant that never gains traction.
Arrests at Arizona State and Indiana University
At Arizona State University, campus police on Saturday arrested 69 protesters, most of whom were not students or staff, the school said in a statement.
The Indiana University police department in Bloomington said 23 protesters were arrested there. At least 60 state police officers armed with shields, batons and other riot gear joined several IU police officers in breaking up an encampment the school says was illegal.
The Indiana Daily Student said arrested protesters were released without bond after being detained in jail for about 90 minutes, with charges ranging from criminal trespassing to resisting law enforcement. Hours later, nearly 40 people marched to the Musical Arts Center to protest what they said was a donors dinner, the newspaper reported.
McConnell: School presidents, not Guard, should deal with protesters
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Sunday that university presidents should be the first line of defense in controlling the wave of protests against the Israel-Hamas war that have erupted across college campuses in recent weeks.
On Sunday’s “Face the Nation” on CBS News, McConnell disagreed on the issue with some top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who issued calls to bring in the National Guard and local law enforcement to quell the protests.
“What needs to happen, at least at the beginning, is these university presidents need to get control of the situation, allow free speech and push back against antisemitism,” McConnell said.
“Why don’t they all sit down and have a civil conversation rather than trying to dominate the talk? Civil discussion is what college education is supposed to be about,” he said.