Clashes escalate at campus protests nationwide as law enforcement makes mass arrests

From New York to Los Angeles, college campus protests against the war in Gaza turned violent Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning as police sought to clear campuses of protesters in many locations, leading to mass arrests.

From New York to Los Angeles, college campus protests against the war in Gaza turned violent Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning as police sought to clear campuses of protesters in many locations, leading to mass arrests. Protesters opposed to Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza have been setting up encampments on campuses across the nation in solidarity, and calling on universities to divest from companies they say are supporting those military efforts. There have been clashes and arrests before Tuesday. But the conflicts on numerous campuses escalated overnight Tuesday and into early Wednesday. Here’s a rundown of some of the confrontations that took place: New York City police used flash-bang grenades to breach the building that had had been occupied by protestors at Columbia University. The flash grenades emit a bright flash and a very loud bang and are typically used to shock and disorient. The police then broke into the occupied building. Nobody was wounded during the operation, according to the NYPD. Officers arrested more than 200 protesters overnight at Columbia and made dozens of additional arrests at City College of New York located about a mile north in Manhattan, according to law enforcement sources. Columbia announced the NYPD could stay on campus through at least May 17, past the university’s commencement ceremony now scheduled for May 15.