Police dismantle demonstration sites at prestigious American colleges.
The countrywide college demonstrations in the US against the Israeli military assault in the Gaza Strip have been happening for several weeks. At the well-known Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), security forces have stepped up their actions before sunrise. Likewise, the same thing is happening in Philadelphia.
The police have cleared a pro-Palestinian protest camp on the grounds of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Over ten people were arrested during the early-morning operation on Friday morning (local time) at the university near Boston, according to university president Sally Kornbluth. She stated that after multiple unsuccessful appeals to the demonstrators to willingly leave, she "had no option" and had to phone the authorities.
The protest site had developed into a "high-risk danger zone," Kornbluth stated, adding that the dispute between Israel's detractors and advocates had reached a boiling point around the camp. The police dismantling of the camp was their "final resort" to address the situation, she added.
The campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia was also the site of a police operation early Friday morning. However, there was no violent reaction from the police at either university or MIT.
The nationwide college protests in the US against the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip have been taking place for several weeks. Demonstrators are urging institutions to sever their financial and economic connections to Israel. Backers of Israel have criticized antisemitic incidents during the college protests.
At certain institutions, like Harvard, protesters have faced harsh disciplinary actions such as forced suspension. When asked by NBC Boston, the university wouldn't say how many times this has already been implemented.
The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip is the reason behind the protests. It began after Hamas conducted an unprecedentedly major attack on Israel on October 7. According to figures from Israel, around 1170 people were killed and another 250 were taken captive in the Gaza Strip. According to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled territory, which can't be confirmed independently, more than 34,900 people have now been killed due to the subsequent Israeli attacks.
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Source: www.ntv.de
