Nearly 100 people arrested at USC, police say (2024)

The Los Angeles Police Department said 93 people were arrested on suspicion of trespassing during Wednesday's demonstrations at the University of Southern California.

"The university is a private campus and the group had been violating some of their orders. It was a trespass at that point and we assisted with the arrests," Los Angeles Police Captain Kelly Muniz said during a briefing.

One person was also arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, Muniz said. She did not provide further details.

No protesters or officers have been reported injured, police said.

Some context: USC's Department of Public Safety ordered protesters gathering at the campus' Alumni Park Wednesday afternoon to disperse or face arrest for trespassing.

At one point during the demonstrations, tensions escalated as protesters refused to relocate and remove their tents and other prohibited items, a university official said.

The university closed its campus Wednesday evening as LAPD began arresting demonstrators.

There is growing tension at Columbia University amid the pro-Palestinian protests on the New York campus.

Student protesters against Israel's assault on Gaza are demanding Columbia cut all financial ties with Israel.

While most protests have been non-violent, some Jewish students are expressing concern for their safety.

"The antisemitic comments and activityis running rampant," said Jessica Schwalb, a Jewish student at Columbia.

The university recently shifted to hybrid classes due to safety concerns, allowing students to take classes and final exams online.

The California State Polytechnic University, Humboldtcampuswill remain closed through the weekend as protesters, including "unidentified non-students," continue to occupy two buildings, school officials said in anupdate.

Work and classes will remain remote, and officials are considering keeping the campus closed for longer.

Other buildings on the campus in Arcata are at risk of being occupied, and protesters “have shown a willingness” to lock themselves in facilities and steal equipment, the officials said.

“Campus officials are communicating with protestors and continuing to encourage them to leave as soon as possible.”

Graffiti described as “hateful” has been painted on campus, the officials said.

The university "supports free speech through open dialogue that is respectful and constructive," the officials said.

Th Columbia University Board of Trustees released a statement Wednesday saying they strongly support President Minouche Shafik, who has faced calls for her resignation amid intense pressure to rein in days-long protests.

The board said it is "urgently working" with Shafik to resolve the unrest on campus and "rebuild the bonds of our community."

Amid arrests of pro-Palestine protesters across universities, the Muslim Public Affairs Council condemned calls for the deployment of the National Guard.

It said the “crackdown on students with an overwhelming militaristic force has set a dangerous precedent for university administrations nationwide.”

MPAC urged for a reevaluation of strategies used to handle protests on campuses across the country and says it advocates for “approaches that emphasize de-escalation and address students’ concerns through constructive means rather than force and intimidation.”

In a previous statement on Tuesday, MPAC accused the White House of having double standards for issuing a response condemning violence and physical intimidation against Jewish students at Columbia, but says the administration “consistently fails to extend the same sentiments to students who face repeated violence, intimidation, doxing, and harassment for their pro-Palestinian advocacy.”

Travis County Sheriff's office said Thursday that 57 arrests were made at the University of Texas, Austin campus.

On Wednesday university police had warned students in an email that they faced more arrests if they didn't disperse from the site.

Assistant Police Chief Ashley Griffin wrote in the email that protesters were violating the law and could be arrested for disorderly conduct, rioting, and obstructing a highway or other passageway, according to an email obtained by CNN.

Some context:The Palestine Solidarity Committee in Austin organized a walkout and occupation on the school's South Lawn in Austin.

It led to multiple confrontations between police officers, state troopers "in full riot gear with batons" and the students, Amelia Kimball, associate managing editor at The Daily Texan, told CNN News Central.

"I don't think students were expecting this kind of a response," she said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called onColumbia University PresidentNemat "Minouche" Shafik to resign during a tense press conference Wednesday.

The crowd repeatedly interrupted the speaker and booed him and other GOP lawmakers who were with him as they stood at the mics.

Johnson visited Columbia University to meet Jewish students and delivered remarks along with other Republican lawmakers. Johnson’s words come as he faces his own onslaught of conservative criticism and as a handful of House members have threatened to oust him.

The speaker said he met with Shafik and other top university administrators Wednesday and urged her to take immediate action to address the unrest on campus.

"Our feeling is that they have not acted to restore order on the campus,” he said.

Johnson said he would call President Joe Biden immediately after departing the campus and demand he take action, not ruling out the need for the National Guard to step in at some point.

Althea, a Jewish student in the encampment, said she’s been subject to harassment being part of the pro-Palestinian movement on the Columbia University campus.

She wears a Star of David necklace and a keffiyeh, which hasbecome asymbol of Palestinian identity. She said her family has roots in the Middle East, and that she’s a Mizrahi Jew.

She asked not to be referred to by her last name for privacy concerns.

Althea said combatting anti-Semitism and Islamophobia go hand in hand.

“I would honestly say that the biggest threat to us on campus right now is the heavy presence of NYPD,” she said.

She said Palestinian rights came to the forefront of her consciousness after she visited Israel last year through a trip organized by the campus Hillel. She said she visited a town on the Mediterranean coast where on one side was a Palestinian town and the other was an Israeli.

The encampment at Columbia observes the Muslim daily prayersas well as Sederfor the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Texas at Austin would continue "until the crowd disperses."

State troopers in riot gear, including some on horseback, were seen by CNN affiliate KEYE breaking up a group of protesters at demonstrations at the University on Wednesday.

The Palestine Solidarity Committee in Austin organized the walkout and occupation on the school's South Lawn.

Amelia Kimball, an associate managing editor at The Daily Texan, told CNN there was a "physical clash" between students and police at UT Austin on Wednesday.

Abbott called for the expulsion of any students protesting in Texas. "Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled," he wrote.

However, Democratic Rep. Greg Casar, whose district covers part of Austin, was critical of the police response to protesters in a post on social media.