U.S. Campus Protests Over Israel

Police deployed a heavy presence on US university campuses after forcibly clearing away some weeks-long protests against Israel's war with Hamas.

Dozens of police cars patrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles campus in response to violent clashes overnight when counter-protesters attacked an encampment of pro-Palestinian students.

At Columbia University in New York City, which has been the epicenter of the demonstrations, police were on standby after officers marched onto campus to end the protests there.

The sight of helmeted police at two of America's most prestigious universities left some students dismayed.

At Columbia and at the City University of New York, where police cleared demonstrators out overnight, some students decried "rough and aggressive" tactics used by officers.

A medical student offering treatment to student detainees as they were released described a litany of injuries.

About 300 arrests were made at Columbia and CUNY, Police Commissioner Edward Caban told a news conference.

Demonstrators have gathered in at least 30 US universities since last month, often erecting tent encampments to protest the soaring death toll from Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.

The protests have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints of criminal activity, anti-Semitism and hate speech.

In Los Angeles, fireworks were hurled as counter-protesters sprayed chemical substances onto the pro-Palestinian encampment and attempted to tear down wooden boards and metal barricades before police eventually arrived.

The administration of President Joe Biden -- whose support for Israel has outraged many protesters -- has also tried to walk that line.