United State College Protests Escalate

Pro-Palestinian protests spread to more college campuses in the United States as authorities appeared to be running out of patience and police began to push back forcefully.

Riot officers used chemical irritants and tasers at one university as administrators at some of the country's most prestigious institutions battled to prevent occupations taking hold.

New sit-ins and boisterous demonstrations sprang up at campuses across the United States, with activists calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas, as well as for colleges to sever ties with the country and with companies they say profit from the conflict.

"For 201 days, the world has watched in silence as Israel has murdered over 30,000 Palestinians," said a message posted online by organizers of a new protest at the University of California, Los Angeles.

More than 200 protesters were arrested at universities in Los Angeles, Boston and Austin, Texas, where around 2,000 people gathered again.

Officers wearing gas masks used zip-ties to detain people, the college's Emory Wheel news website reported.

The Atlanta Police Department (APD) said the college had asked for help in "securing the campus".

"Law enforcement officers were met with violence," said a statement from the public affairs unit.

"We are aware APD officers used chemical irritants during the incident. However, APD did not deploy rubber bullets."

The spreading protests began at Columbia University in New York, where a midnight deadline was approaching for students to remove an encampment that has become the epicenter of the movement.

The protests pose a major challenge to university administrators who are trying to balance campus commitments to free expression with complaints that the rallies have crossed a line.

Demonstrators, including a number of Jewish students, have disavowed instances of anti-Semitism and criticized officials equating it with opposition to Israel.