Pro-Palestine demonstrations spread throughout US universities, resulting in over 100 arrests

Washington: According to CNN, ninety-three individuals were detained on suspicion of trespassing during Wednesday’s rallies at the University of Southern California as anti-Israel protests intensified at US institutions.
Ninety-three people have been taken into custody at the University of Southern California, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

“As a private university, the group had been disobeying several of the institution’s rules. Captain Kelly Muniz of the Los Angeles Police Department said at a briefing that “it was trespass at that point and we assisted with the arrests.”

According to CNN, Muniz said that one guy was also detained for assault with a dangerous weapon.

Police said that no injuries to protestors or cops had been recorded.

According to CNN, the USC Department of Public Safety gave demonstrators gathered at Alumni Park on campus instructions to leave or risk being arrested for trespassing.

Tensions increased throughout the protests, according to a university official, since at one point demonstrators refused to move and remove their tents and other forbidden objects.

The university then shuttered its campus on Wednesday night as the LAPD started taking protesters into custody.

In the midst of continuous protests at prominent American institutions spurred by pro-Palestinian sentiments, House Speaker Mike Johnson demanded earlier on Thursday that the president of Columbia University step down, CNN reported.

Demonstrators at Columbia University, where there have been continuing protests since last week, are calling for the cutting of all connections with Israeli academic institutions and total divestment from companies associated with Israel in light of the current confrontation between Israel and Hamas.

House Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized the need for discipline on campus and said the university president needs to step down if she is unable to bring everyone back to composure. Students’ responses to her resignation request, however, vary; some have expressed a desire to carry on working with her.