33 arrested at George Washington University as D.C. mayor’s congressional hearing is canceled – WSB-TV Channel 2

District of Columbia police said officers took steps to disperse protesters because “the volatility of the protest gradually escalated.” Thirty-three people were arrested on charges including assault on a police officer and unlawful entry. Some protesters were sprayed with pepper spray as police kept them away from the camp.

“While the university is committed to protecting students’ rights to free expression, the camp has evolved into an unlawful activity with participants in direct violation of multiple university policies and city regulations,” the university said in a statement School.

Since April 18, just over 2,600 people have been arrested on 50 campuses. These numbers are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies after this latest anti-war movement was launched by a protest at Columbia University.

A pro-Palestinian tent camp was cleared by officers in riot gear at the University of Chicago on Tuesday after the initially permissive administration said they had crossed a border, heightening security concerns. Hundreds of protesters had gathered for at least eight days until the administration warned them on Friday to leave the site or face removal.

Officers later lifted a barricade that had been erected to keep protesters away from the Quad and moved it toward the demonstrators, some of whom were chanting, “Up, up with the liberation.” Down, down with the occupation!” Police and Protesters pushed back and forth along the barricade as officers tried to restore control.

“The university remains a place where dissenting voices have many opportunities to express themselves, but we cannot create an environment in which the expression of some dominates and disrupts the healthy functioning of the community for the rest,” wrote Paul Alivisatos, president of the university of Chicago.

Other schools allow protesters to hold rallies and organize their encampments as they see fit.

The president of Wesleyan University, a liberal arts college in Connecticut, praised the campus demonstration – which included a pro-Palestinian encampment – as an act of political expression. The camp there has grown from about 20 tents a week ago to over 100.

“The demonstrators’ cause is important – they should draw attention to the killing of innocent people,” University President Michael Roth wrote to the campus community on Thursday. “And we will continue to make space for it, as long as that space does not impact campus operations.”

Rhode Island School of Design President Crystal Williams spent more than five hours with protesters discussing their demands after students began occupying a building on Monday. The school affirms students’ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and supports all members of the community, a spokesman said.

On Tuesday, the school announced it was moving classes from the building, which was covered with posters reading “Free Palestine” and “Let Gaza Live.”

Some colleges have tried tactics ranging from appeasement to the threat of disciplinary action to clear the way for freshmen.

And the police arrived on Tuesday evening to break up an encampment at the University of Massachusetts. Video from the crime scene in Amherst showed an hours-long operation in which dozens of police in riot gear systematically tore down tents and arrested protesters. The operation lasted until early Wednesday.

UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes said he ordered the eviction after discussions over a variety of demands failed to produce an agreement to dismantle the encampment and begin “constructive discussions.”

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Associated Press journalists from around the U.S. and around the world contributed, including Charles Rex Arbogast, Pat Eaton-Robb, Steve LeBlanc, Jeff Amy, Christopher Weber, Mike Corder, Barbara Surk, Rick Callahan, Sarah Brumfield and Pietro de Cristofaro.