More than 2,000 people arrested at US university protests | Abroad

From counts by various American media, including news agency AP and The New York Times, it appears that police have arrested more than 2,000 protesters across the country. The protests began two weeks ago at Columbia University in New York and then spread to more than forty universities across the United States.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have occupied several university campuses with tent camps. They demonstrate against the war in Gaza and the attitude of the American government in the conflict. In recent days, the protests have also led to pro-Israel counter-demonstrations.

In many places this went without major problems, but at the University of California in Los Angeles it went wrong on Wednesday. There, fighting broke out between the two groups.

Two hundred people were arrested in Los Angeles. Police started dismantling the protest camp on Thursday.

On Tuesday, police in New York cleared a university building occupied by demonstrators. More than a hundred people were arrested.

US President Joe Biden spoke out against vandalism, intimidation and the flattening of campuses in a speech on Thursday. He called on people to adhere to the rules and protest without violence.

Biden said the US is not an authoritarian country where people are silenced. But violent protests are not allowed, according to the president. “There is a right to demonstrate, but not a right to cause chaos.”

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