Pro-Palestinian protests spread to more US schools

STORY: Pro-Palestinian student protests expanded to more U.S. college campuses on Tuesday, after mass arrests at demonstrations among a handful of mostly East Coast schools in recent days.

They're all responding to Israel’s war in Gaza, launched after a deadly October raid by Hamas Islamist militants.

At University of California Berkeley – a school with a strong legacy of student activism– students erected a tent camp on Tuesday in solidarity with protesters at other schools.

The demonstrations coincide with the week-long Jewish feast of Passover.

“I’m here especially on the first day of Passover because I believe that in this moment where we celebrate the liberation of our people it is important to fight for the liberation of others.”

The campus of Cal Poly Humboldt, a public university also in California, was shut down after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a campus building.

And at the University of Minnesota campus in St. Paul, police cleared an encampment after the school asked them to take action, citing violations of university policy and trespassing law.

The new protests follow the arrest of more than 100 students at Columbia last week, and around 120 protesters on New York University's campus late Monday.

NYPD said university authorities reached out for help, and protesters failed to clear by the deadline given by the university.

New York Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday defended the actions of police, and also said that outside agitators had infiltrated the demonstrations.

“We have identified individuals who don't attend the schools, who are on the campuses.”

“They latch on to any protests to see our police officers having bottles thrown at them.”

Adams joined in with Columbia administrators, state officials, some members of Congress and the White House in citing incidents of extreme rhetoric by Pro-Palestinian protesters, and allegations that Jewish students have been subjected to antisemitism and harassment.

While student organizers from Columbia have acknowledged several such incidents, they maintain that quote "inflammatory individuals" do not represent their anti-war movement.

The White House has said it is closely monitoring the situation on college campuses.