Pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked US campuses for weeks were subdued on Friday after a series of clashes with police, mass arrests and a strict directive from the White House to restore order.
Manhattan police cleared the encampment at New York University after sunrise and posted a video on social media showing protesters emerging from their tents and dispersing when ordered to do so over a loudspeaker.
The scene appeared relatively calm compared to the crackdown on other campuses across the country — and some around the world — where protests against Israel’s war in Gaza have multiplied in recent weeks.
University administrators, who have struggled to balance the right to protest and complaints of violence and hate speech, have increasingly called on police to clear protesters before final exams and graduations – and some clashed with counter-demonstrators.
More than 2,000 people have been arrested across the United States in the past two weeks, some during violent clashes with police, leading to allegations of excessive use of force.
President Joe Biden, who has faced pressure from all parties over the war between Israel and Hamas, delivered his first wide-ranging remarks on the protests on Thursday, saying “order must prevail.”
“We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or suppress dissent,” Biden said in a televised White House statement.
“But we are not a lawless country either. We are a civil society and order must prevail.”
His remarks came hours after police attacked protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles, which saw a violent confrontation when counter-protesters stormed a fortified camp there.
A large contingent of police forcefully cleared the sprawling camp early Thursday while flash bangs were fired to disperse crowds gathered outside.
School officials said more than 200 people were arrested.
On the opposite coast of the US, protesters at Rutgers University in New Jersey agreed on Thursday to destroy their camp after reaching a compromise with administrators, following a similar agreement at other institutions, including Brown University.
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Republicans have accused Biden of being soft on what they see as anti-Semitic sentiment among protesters, while facing backlash in his own party over his strong support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
“There should be no place on any campus in America for anti-Semitism or threats of violence against Jewish students,” Biden said.
Education Minister Miguel Cardona reiterated that condemnation in a letter to university leaders on Friday, pledging to “aggressively” investigate reports of anti-Semitism, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, similar student protests have emerged in countries around the world, including Australia, France, Mexico and Canada.
In Paris, police moved in to clear students who attended Sciences Po University.
A camp has sprung up at Canada’s prestigious McGill University, with administrators demanding it be “immediately removed” on Wednesday.
However, the police have yet to take action against the site as of Friday morning.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which left more than 1,170 dead, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures, according to AFP.
Israel estimates that 128 hostages remain in Gaza. The Israeli military says 35 of them are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 34,600 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
