Since pro-Palestinian protests first erupted on Columbia University’s campus a few weeks ago, more than 2,900 protesters on college campuses across the country have been arrested. Officers have made arrests on more than 59 different campuses across at least 23 different states.
At the epicenter of the civil unrest was Columbia, where arrests were first made by officers on April 18. Since then, authorities have arrested more than 200 protesters. In addition, a campus building was illegally occupied and damaged, classes were moved to remote locations, and the university’s main commencement ceremony was canceled.
The threat looms that the student protests across the country have evolved into a pro-Hamas movement. Now, the inverted red triangle symbol, which has been identified with Hamas since the beginning of the Gaza war, has begun to appear on college campuses. A report from the Middle East Media Research Institute even shows this red triangle appearing as hand gestures and on circulated New York University posters.
It’s known as the “Abu Obaida triangle,” named after the spokesman of Hamas’s military wing, and it is now appearing on posters and signs at the protests. A photo taken on April 25 at the University of Pennsylvania shows an anti-Israel protester flashing the symbol at Jewish students. MEMRI explains that the inverted red triangle “first appeared in Hamas videos of the fighting in Gaza, where it is used to mark an Israeli target about to be attacked.”
Here is a breakdown of some of the biggest protests that have been dismantled across the country.
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Police arrested about 130 protesters after they refused to remove the “tents and barriers” on campus.
University of California San Diego
Authorities arrested 64 protesters while clearing the campus’s pro-Palestinian encampment. Inside the encampment, authorities discovered wooden stakes, propane tanks, metal and plywood shields, aerosol spray cans, and a sword. In addition, the protesters refused to allow the fire marshal and health inspectors to enter and established checkpoints, limiting free access to certain areas on campus.
New York University
Officers arrested 133 people at New York University on April 22. According to the university, fewer than half of the arrested protesters were linked to the academic institution.
University of Southern California
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that 93 protesters were arrested on April 24. Following the arrests, the university announced its decision to cancel its main commencement ceremony, citing safety concerns.
University of California, Los Angeles
In a much-publicized, early morning takedown of the encampment on campus, police arrested roughly 1,000 protesters gathered on UCLA’s campus, including inside of the barricaded tent encampment. Officers arrested 200 protesters after they defied orders to leave.
Yale University
Police dressed in full riot gear arrested 47 pro-Palestinian protesters on April 21, and later four protesters were arrested among 200 who walked to the president’s house and the Yale Police Department at 9 p.m.
University of Texas at Austin
Between two separate days, 136 protesters were arrested on campus. Guns were found on campus.
“University staff found a 5-gallon bucket filled with large chunks of concrete strategically hidden in a breezeway of Calhoun Hall leading to the South Lawn,” the spokesperson told Fox 7.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Police arrested 82 protesters on campus, including 53 students.
Emerson College
Boston police arrested 118 protesters at the university’s encampment on April 25. Four officers suffered minor injuries.
Northeastern University
This past weekend, 98 protesters were arrested, including 29 students and six staff members.
Washington University in St. Louis
Police arrested 100 protesters on campus, including 23 students and four employees.
Arizona State University
Officers arrested 69 people, “most of whom were not ASU students, faculty or staff,” according to school officials.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Indiana University
Between two days, 56 protesters were arrested.
