Recently, the US police have taken enforcement actions against the protest camps and violent occupation activities on university campuses across the United States, resulting in the closure of several anti-Israel camps and the arrest of nearly 2,200 people.
On Thursday morning, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over twenty pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a road leading to a gate at Kirtland Air Force Base. They sat in the middle of the road, waving Palestinian flags and threatening to “shut everything down.”
Police subsequently blocked off nearby streets and dispersed the protesters. Rob Smith, a spokesperson for the base, stated that security personnel would continue to monitor the situation.
Just a few days ago, a protest camp at the University of New Mexico, located just miles away from Kirtland Air Force Base, was intervened by the police. Sixteen people were arrested, including 5 students, for occupying the student union building and causing internal damages.
On Friday, pro-Palestinian protest camps appeared on university campuses in various locations across Australia.
At the University of Sydney, rows of tents popped up on the campus. A group of people waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans.
Simultaneously, some pro-Israel protesters and Jewish students also arrived at the scene to express their concerns.
Michael Gencher, the executive chairman of “Stand with Us” in Australia, told the Associated Press that the protest camps disrupted campus order.
He said, “This is not related to conflicts overseas. This concerns the safety of Australian students on campus, which universities cannot provide or guarantee. The verbal abuse, intimidation, insults, and attacks that we are witnessing must stop.”
Similar protest camps also appeared on university campuses in Mexico. On Thursday, anti-Israel camps were reported at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
According to reports from the Associated Press, since April 18, US police have entered campuses at the request of universities to enforce the law and prevent the spread of anti-Israel protest camps and illegal occupation activities. Police have carried out at least 56 arrest operations at 43 universities, leading to the arrest of nearly 2,200 individuals.
Earlier on Thursday, at the University of California, Los Angeles, police arrested at least 200 people while clearing a pro-Palestinian protest camp.
Before initiating enforcement actions, police waited outside the protesters’ tents for several hours, repeatedly urging them to vacate the campsite through loudspeakers.
During the clearance process, police dispersed the crowd by launching flashbangs into the air, forcefully dismantled sturdy barricades made of plywood, pallets, metal fences, and trash cans, and cleared tent camps from the campus square.
Police also utilized heavy machinery, including large bulldozers, while clearing the tent camps.
During enforcement actions at other institutions, many protesters who refused to leave the camps were arrested, while some campgrounds were voluntarily closed.
However, officials at the University of Minnesota reached an agreement with protesters not to disrupt the graduation ceremony, and similar compromises were made at Northwestern University in Chicago suburbs and Rutgers University in New Jersey.
A UCLA student, Johann Arevallo, stated in an interview with NTD News on Thursday that the protest camps severely disrupted normal campus routines.
He said, “For example, the library – I can’t even get in now. Final exams are approaching, the semester is about to end, there’s just a month and a half left. It is affecting my studies as I cannot concentrate properly.”
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block issued a statement committing to investigate the incident and holding accountable violent individuals among those arrested, removed, or fired.
Governor Newsom of California also condemned the violent protest activities, emphasizing that under the law, freedom of speech does not include inciting violence, engaging in destruction, or unlawful behavior on campuses.
On Thursday, relatives of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas gathered outside the Israeli Ministry of Defense, holding up photos of their loved ones, hoping for their swift release.
Amir Alfassa spoke at the gathering, urging global attention to the Hamas-captured hostages and pleading for their prompt release.
He said, “We hope that everyone hears our voice and exerts pressure to make the ceasefire agreement a reality and bring our loved ones back home.”
On October 7 last year, the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas launched a terror attack against Israel, killing at least 1,200 people and holding 253 individuals hostage. To date, about 130 hostages are believed to be still held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
(This article referenced reports from the Associated Press and Reuters)