Police Forces In Riot Gear Deployed In US Campus Amid Protest Over Gaza War; 300 Arrested

The Police forces in the United States are taking stern action against students protesting against Israel over the Gaza war. While NYPD police in riot gear cleared the campus of protesting students, their teams have been deployed at the campuses in Los Angeles and New York. As per reports, dozens of police cars patrolled the Los Angeles campus of California University in response to violent clashes between counter-protesters and pro-Palestinian students.

Police Commissioner Edward Caban said that around 300 arrests were made in Columbia and New York. While Mayor Eric Adams blamed outsiders for creating tensions, students at Columbia University denied the involvement of any outsiders. The police reached the campus after receiving a call from Minouche Shafik, the university's president. Shafik has come under fire over her decision to call in police. She expressed sadness over the turn of events.

Protesters have assembled across a minimum of 30 US universities in the past month, frequently setting up tent encampments to voice their dissent against the escalating death toll resulting from Israel's conflict in the Gaza Strip. These protests have presented a dilemma for university administrators as they navigate between upholding free speech rights and addressing concerns of criminal behaviour, anti-Semitic rhetoric, and hate speech.

The Biden administration, whose backing of Israel has sparked ire among many demonstrators, is also grappling with finding a delicate balance in this regard.

The action against students has exposed the double face of the United States on how it treats protests in countries like India compared to in its own country. America often cites freedom of speech and expression when it comes to any protests in India but now it has been contradicting its own stand by taking action against the students.