In a series of coordinated actions on Friday morning, police moved in to dismantle several pro-Palestinian student encampments on US campuses. The protests, which have been raging for weeks, were sparked by the war in Gaza and demands to sever academic ties with Israel.

Tent encampments at the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Arizona, Tucson, were all targeted by police. In Tucson, tear gas was deployed as demonstrators responded by throwing bottles at officers. Meanwhile, at the University of Pennsylvania, police in tactical gear formed a circle around the encampment that had been present for over two weeks.

The decision to disband the encampments followed pressure from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who urged the university to restore order and safety on campus. Over the past three weeks, pro-Palestinian campus protests have spread across the US, with more than 2,600 arrests reported on 50 campuses, according to the Associated Press.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, around 100 police officers cleared the protest site at MIT in the early hours of Friday. The demonstrators chanted nearby as tents, tarps, and flags were removed. Erica James, a professor of medical anthropology at MIT, expressed her disappointment in the lack of time for mediation before the police intervention.

The University of Arizona, Tucson, witnessed some of the most confrontational scenes, with police firing pepper balls at protesters armed with homemade wooden pallet shields. Tear gas was also utilized to disband the encampment. The university stated that it had adopted a zero-tolerance approach to ensure safety on campus, citing incidents of rocks and water bottles being thrown at officers and university staff.

In addition, police dispersed a pro-Palestinian demonstration on the campus of George Washington University in Washington DC, just a day after dismantling the encampment that had been present for two weeks.

These police actions reflect the heightened tensions and deep divisions within academia over the issue of academic ties with Israel and the war in Gaza. As the protests continue, universities face the challenge of navigating between freedom of expression and maintaining campus safety.