The White House has said that pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked American universities in recent weeks must remain peaceful.
The statement comes after police arrested 275 people on four campuses over the weekend. Campus activists in the United States are calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s offensive on Gaza, as well as for colleges to sever ties with the country and with companies they say profit from the conflict.
The protests have posed a major challenge to university administrators who are trying to balance commitments to free expression with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and hate speech. Police have carried out large-scale arrests at universities in recent days, at times using chemical irritants and tasers to disperse demonstrators.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week programme, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said: “We certainly respect the right of peaceful protests.”
A few hours before the White House statement came out, Northeastern University said the area on campus where the protests were held was now “fully secured” and “all campus operations have returned to normal”.
In a statement on X, the school said it made the move after “what began as a student demonstration two days ago was infiltrated by professional organisers with no affiliation to Northeastern”.
It added that detained individuals who produced a valid school ID have been released and will face disciplinary proceedings, not legal action. “Those who refused to disclose their affiliation were arrested,” the school said.
