Early Sunday morning, students protesting the war in Gaza vacated their camp at the University of Southern California after the Los Angeles Police Department, assisting campus safety officers, surrounded the encampment around 4 a.m., following the university’s social media and in-person arrest warnings.
Videos captured some protesters voluntarily leaving, while others were pushed away by police officers lining up as the camp cleared. Despite the potential for arrests, the university later confirmed that none had taken place.
“The operation was peaceful,” wrote USC President Carol Folt regarding the clearance, per the Associated Press (AP). “Campus is opening, students are returning to prepare for finals, and commencement set-up is in full swing.”
USC had previously canceled its main graduation ceremony but allowed other commencement activities to proceed.
Simultaneously, at Northeastern University’s commencement at Boston’s Fenway Park, the atmosphere was markedly different. The event started peacefully with a majority of attendees, including some waving Palestinian flags, though outnumbered by those waving other national flags, including those of India and the U.S. Graduate students were the first to participate, with the larger undergraduate commencement scheduled thereafter.
The issue of protests has not been confined to USC and Northeastern. The AP reports a significant number of arrests at various universities since April 18. Over the last weekend alone, at the University of Virginia, 25 individuals were arrested for trespassing after confrontations with the police over the removal of tents. Similarly, at the Art Institute of Chicago campus, a freshly erected pro-Palestinian encampment was dismantled within hours by police, resulting in 68 arrests for criminal trespass.
In Charlottesville, Virginia, a city known for its history of controversial protests featuring strong criticism of Jews, a protest that began on a Tuesday outside the university chapel escalated by Saturday.
Videos showed police in riot gear, moving against demonstrators who chanted “Free Palestine.” The university maintained that the demonstrators had been repeatedly asked to remove their tents, which violated school policy. During the confrontation, students were reportedly pushed to the ground and sprayed with a chemical irritant.
While USC is currently in the headlines for the anti-Israel protests which recently concluded there, the school is better known as the collegiate football home of the late O.J. Simpson, a famous football player and later actor who recently passed away. Simpson’s football career at USC was one of the most storied in the history of college athletics. During his tenure from 1967 to 1968, Simpson set numerous records and left an indelible mark on the Trojans’ football program. He was a two-time consensus All-American and won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 as the best player in college football, a testament to his extraordinary skill and athleticism. His explosive speed and powerful running style thrilled spectators and often turned the tide of games, making him a pivotal figure in USC’s offensive strategy.
Simpson’s contributions to USC went beyond his individual accolades, as he significantly elevated the team’s performance during his time there. In both years of his enrollment, he helped lead the Trojans to victories in the Rose Bowl, reinforcing the team’s dominance in collegiate football. His performance in the 1967 game against UCLA, where he ran for 64 yards to score the winning touchdown, is particularly legendary and is credited with securing his Heisman Trophy win the following year. Through his remarkable achievements and electrifying gameplay, O.J. Simpson remains a legendary figure in USC’s storied football legacy, embodying the peak of athletic excellence at the university.
The post USC Anti-Israel Protest Disperses After LAPD Surround Encampment appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Nicholas Dolinger
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://resistthemainstream.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.