Protests Escalate at Columbia and Other US Universities
Dozens Arrested After Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Protests
Police officers in riot gear entered Columbia's campus on Tuesday evening
Pro-Palestinian protests continued at major US universities on Tuesday, with several schools calling police on protesters, leading to the arrests of dozens. New York police arrested dozens of people on two campuses Tuesday night after officers cleared out a Columbia University protest.
The protests have escalated in recent weeks, with students demanding that their universities divest from companies that do business with Israel. At Columbia, the protests began after President Lee Bollinger pledged to Congress that the university would not support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The arrests have drawn criticism from activists and civil liberties groups, who say that the police response has been excessive. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called on Columbia to drop the charges against the protesters.
The protests are a sign of the growing support for the BDS movement on US campuses. The movement has been endorsed by a number of student governments and faculty groups, and has been the subject of heated debate at many universities.
The protests are likely to continue in the coming weeks, as students continue to demand that their universities take action to support the Palestinian cause.
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