At
Least 2,000 People Arrested at Pro-Palestinian Protests on US Campuses: AP
Tally (Connecting the Dots: Universities, Muslims
& Soros Funding, All Networking)
Thursday,
02 May 2024 03:36 PM EDT
Police
officers detain a pro-Palestinian protester at UCLA on Thursday. (AP)
https://www.newsmax.com/us/israel-palestinian-campus-student-protests-war/2024/05/02/id/1163285/
Police
have arrested more than 2,000 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college
campuses across the United States in recent weeks, according to an Associated
Press tally Thursday.
Demonstrations
— and arrests — have occurred in almost every corner of the nation. But in the
last 24 hours, they’ve drawn the most attention at the University
of California, Los Angeles, where chaotic scenes played out early Thursday when
officers in riot gear surged against a crowd of demonstrators.
Hundreds
of protesters at UCLA defied orders to leave, some forming human chains as
police fired flash-bangs to break up the crowds.
At
least 200 people were arrested, said Sgt. Alejandro Rubio of the California
Highway Patrol, citing data from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Rubio said they were being booked at the county jails complex near downtown Los
Angeles. UCLA police will determine what charges to bring.
Later
Thursday morning, workers removed the barricades and dismantled the protesters’
fortified encampment. Bulldozers scooped up bags of trash and tents. Some
buildings were covered in graffiti.
Tent
encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with
Israel or companies they say support the war in Gaza have spread across
campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century.
The
demonstrations began at Columbia University on April 17, with students calling
for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, which has killed more than 34,000
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there. Israel
launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people,
mostly civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages in an attack on southern Israel
on Oct. 7.
California
Highway Patrol officers poured into the UCLA campus by the hundreds early
Thursday. Wearing face shields and protective vests, they held their batons out
to separate them from demonstrators, who wore helmets and gas masks and
chanted: “You want peace. We want justice.”
For
hours, officers warned over loud speakers that there would be arrests if the
crowd of more than 1,000 people did not disperse. Protesters and police shoved
and scuffled as officers encountered resistance. With police helicopters
hovering, the sound of flash-bangs pierced the air. Police pulled off
protesters’ helmets and goggles as they made arrests.
Police
methodically ripped apart the encampment’s barricade of plywood, pallets, metal
fences and dumpsters, then pulled down dozens of canopies and tents. The number
of protesters diminished through the morning, some leaving voluntarily with
their hands up and others detained by police.
The
law enforcement presence and continued warnings contrasted with the scene
Tuesday night, when counterdemonstrators attacked the pro-Palestinian
encampment, throwing traffic cones, releasing pepper spray and tearing down
barriers. Fighting between the two sides continued for hours before police
stepped in. No one was arrested, but at least 15 protesters were injured.
Authorities’ tepid response drew criticism from political leaders, Muslim
students and advocacy groups.
By
Wednesday afternoon, a small city sprang up inside the reenforced encampment,
with hundreds of people and tents on the quad. Demonstrators rebuilt the
makeshift barriers around their tents while state and campus police watched.
Some
protesters said Muslim
prayers as the sun set, while others chanted “we’re not leaving” or passed out
goggles and surgical masks. They wore helmets and headscarves, and discussed
the best ways to handle pepper spray or tear gas as someone sang over a
megaphone.
The
crowd grew as the night wore on and as more officers poured onto campus.
Ray
Wiliani, who lives nearby, said he went to UCLA on Wednesday evening to support
the pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
“We
need to take a stand for it,” he said. “Enough is enough.”
California
Gov. Gavin Newsom denounced the delayed law enforcement response on Tuesday and
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block promised an investigation. The head of the
University of California system, Michael Drake, ordered an “independent review
of the university’s planning, its actions and the response by law enforcement.”
“The
community needs to feel the police are protecting them, not enabling others to
harm them,” Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs
Council, said during a news conference Wednesday.
Iranian
state television carried live images of the police action at UCLA, as did
Qatar’s pan-Arab Al Jazeera satellite network. Live images of Los Angeles also
played across Israeli television networks.
Israel
has branded the protests antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say it uses those
allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on
camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, protest organizers — some
of whom are Jewish — call it a peaceful movement to defend Palestinian rights
and protest the war.
President
Joe Biden on Thursday defended the students’ right to peaceful protest but
decried the disorder of recent days.
On
Thursday, California Republican leaders blasted university administrations for
failing to protect Jewish students and allowing protests to escalate into
“lawlessness and violence.”
They’re
calling for the firing of leaders at universities such as UCLA and Cal Poly
Humboldt and are pushing for a proposal that would cut pay for university
administrators.
“We’ve
got a whole lot of people in these universities drawing six figure salaries and
they stood by and did nothing,” Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher told
reporters. “There does need to be accountability.”
Meanwhile,
protest encampments at schools across the U.S., were cleared by police —
resulting in more arrests — or closed up voluntarily. In New York, those
included the City College of New York, Fordham University, Stony Brook
University and the University of Buffalo. Others nationwide included the
University of New Hampshire in Durham, Northern Arizona University in
Flagstaff, and Tulane University in New Orleans.
A
college professor from Illinois said he suffered multiple broken ribs and a
broken hand during a pro-Palestine protest on Saturday at Washington University
in St. Louis, Missouri.
Bystander
video shows the arrest of Steve Tamari, a history professor at Southern
Illinois University Edwardsville. He seems to be moving in to take video or
photos of protesters being detained when multiple officers roughly take him
down.
Tamari
said in a statement Thursday that it was “a small price to pay for Israel’s
ongoing genocide in Gaza.” Campus police referred questions to the university’s
communications department, which did not respond to a request for comment.
Upcoming
graduations have become a concern.
Florida’s
state university chancellor ordered campus presidents to take whatever steps
necessary to prevent disruption of ceremonies. At the same time, University of
Minnesota officials reached agreement with protesters not to disrupt
commencements. Similar agreements have been made at Northwestern
University in
suburban Chicago and Brown University in Rhode Island.
Meanwhile,
a professors group at Columbia University condemned
school leadership on Thursday for asking police to remove protesters in what
the group called a “horrific police attack on our students.” Officers burst
into a building Tuesday, breaking up a demonstration that had paralyzed the
school.
U.S.
college campuses have become a flashpoint, with school leaders facing intense
scrutiny over their handling of allegations of antisemitism and the right to
free speech. The presidents of Harvard and the University
of Pennsylvania resigned
following questions at a congressional hearing about whether calls on campus
for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.
Connecting
the Dots:
University of California, Los Angeles is a University
of California campus.
Richard C. Blum was
a regent at the University of California, married to California
Senator Dianne Feinstein and an
honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Steven L. Rattner was
a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a fellow
at Brown University.
Ann M. Fudge is a
trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was an
overseer at Harvard University.
Lawrence H.
Summers was a professor; former president for Harvard
University, and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Aspen Institute (think
tank).
George Soros was the chairman
for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Stephen Friedman is
a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and was a chairman
for Columbia University.
Timothy
K. Krauskopf is trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank)
and a trustee at Northwestern University.
Martin Meyerson was
a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the
president for the University of Pennsylvania.
Judith Rodin was
the president for the University of Pennsylvania and an
honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Joan E. Spero was
an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and
a trustee at Columbia University.
Richard C. Blum was
an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), married
to California Senator Dianne Feinstein and a regent at
the University of California.
University
of California, Los Angeles is a University of California campus.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Human Rights Watch.
George Soros was the chairman
for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a benefactor for
the Human Rights Watch and is the founder & chairman for
the Open Society Foundations.
Open Society Foundations was a funder
for the Human Rights Watch.
Gara LaMarche was
a VP & director of U.S. programs for the Open Society Foundations,
an associate director for the Human Rights Watch and a director at
the White House Project.
Daisy Khan was a
director at the White House Project and is an executive director at
the American Society for Muslim Advancement and a developer
for Park51.
Muslim
Leaders of Tomorrow is the sponsor for the American Society
for Muslim Advancement.
Park51
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park51
Park51
(originally named Cordoba House[6]) is to be a 13-story Islamic community
center in Lower Manhattan including a "Muslim community center and a
mosque."[7] The developers hoped to promote an interfaith dialogue within
the greater community.[7] Due to its proposed location two blocks from the
World Trade Center site,[8][9] it was widely and controversially referred to as
the "Ground Zero mosque".
Alwaleed
Bin Talal Foundation was a funder for the Muslim Leaders of
Tomorrow, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Bill,
Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
US
Islamic World Conference was a funder for the Bill, Hillary
& Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
Open Society Foundations was a funder
for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
George Soros is the founder & chairman
for the Open Society Foundations and was the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the
Aspen Institute (think tank).
Stephen Friedman is
a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and was a chairman
for Columbia University.
Timothy
K. Krauskopf is trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank)
and a trustee at Northwestern University.
Martin Meyerson was
a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the
president for the University of Pennsylvania.
Madeleine K.
Albright was a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank)
and a professor at Georgetown University.
Prince
Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding was a
center at Georgetown University.
Alwaleed bin
Talal is the benefactor for the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal
Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and a member of the Breakthrough
Energy Coalition.
George Soros is a member of the Breakthrough
Energy Coalition.
Resources:
Past Research
Jerry
Brown Signs Law to Stop (Only) Anti-Muslim Bullying (Past
Research on the University of California, Los Angeles)
THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 6, 2016
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2016/10/jerry-brown-signs-law-to-stop-only-anti.html
ESPN
Analyst: 'Star Spangled Banner' a 'War Anthem,' Shouldn't Be Played Before
Games (Past Research on Northwestern University)
FRIDAY,
NOVEMBER 8, 2013
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2013/11/espn-analyst-star-spangled-banner-war.html
UPenn
Professor Anthea Butler: Brain-Surgeon Ben Carson Deserves ‘Coon of the Year’
Award (Past Research on the
University of Pennsylvania)
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 7, 2015
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2015/10/upenn-professor-anthea-butler-brain.html
Brown
University Students To Host Nudity Week (Past
Research on Brown University)
THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 10, 2013
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2013/10/brown-university-students-to-host.html
Mike
Rowe on How Many Are Following the ‘Worst Advice in the History of the World’ (Past Research on Harvard University & the University
of Pennsylvania)
SATURDAY,
NOVEMBER 16, 2013
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2013/11/mike-rowe-on-how-many-are-following.html
Parents
reading to kids blasted as 'unfair' (Past Research
on Harvard University)
TUESDAY,
MAY 5, 2015
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2015/05/parents-reading-to-kids-blasted-as.html
40
Columbia University Professors Sign Petition to
Boycott Israel (Past Research on Columbia
University)
SUNDAY,
MARCH 6, 2016
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2016/03/40-columbia-university-professors-sign.html
Uproar
as German Lawmaker Proposes Observance of Muslim Public Holidays (Past Research on Muslims)
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 16, 2017
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2017/10/uproar-as-german-lawmaker-proposes.html
