From the Liveblog of
Friday, May 10, 2024
Police dismantle anti-Israel encampment at MIT, move to clear Philadelphia and Arizona protests
Police have dismantled an anti-Israel tent encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and moved to clear protesters from the University of Pennsylvania’s campus in Philadelphia, just hours after police tear-gassed protesters and took down an encampment at the University of Arizona.
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, video shows police roaming through the MIT encampment. Protest organizers say about 10 students have been detained after police in riot gear arrived around 4 a.m., encircled the camp and gave protesters about 15 minutes to leave.
early morning raid at MIT:
at around 4am, police in riot gear raided the MIT pro-Palestine encampment, per @mit_caa livestream
around 10 students who held the encampment have been arrested, tents being cleared out by officers now https://t.co/xAG4CwCFFy pic.twitter.com/uTc9ENHtWW
— Tori Bedford (@Tori_Bedford) May 10, 2024
A crowd outside the camp began gathering and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans but were dispersed by 6 a.m.
At the University of Arizona, campus police in riot gear fired tear gas late last night at protesters before tearing down an encampment that included wood and plastic barriers on campus. In a statement, the University of Arizona says it made the decision because the encampment violated school policy.
The school also says that police vehicles were spiked, and rocks and water bottles thrown at officers and university staff.
In Philadelphia early this morning, police detain people at an encampment that has been in place at the University of Pennsylvania’s campus for more than two weeks. Officers move in after giving pro-Palestinian protesters a warning to leave campus or face possible arrest.
Tensions have ratcheted up in standoffs with protesters on campuses across the United States and increasingly in Europe. Some colleges cracked down immediately, while others have tolerated the demonstrations. Some have begun to lose patience and call in the police over concerns about disruptions to campus life and safety.
The students are calling for universities to divest from Israel and protesting the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
