By EFE
Apr 30, 2024, 01:55 AM EDT
Three students from the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, on the west coast of the state, were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest, when they were trying to set up a tent in solidarity with students from other universities and their rejection of the US policy towards Israel.
Law enforcement officers arrested the young people after they began setting up at least one tent near MLK Square, on the university campus, in protest against Israel’s actions in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. reported the Tampa Bay Times.
Protests have led to the arrest of students
In recent days, dozens of American universities have been the scene of student protests against the war in Gaza, which has led to the arrest of hundreds of people and clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
The young people have decided to set up camps on university campuses, which has led to tensions with the institutions, since many of them claim that this protest model violates their policies and have ordered evictions.
USF university officials allow tents to be set up on campus under certain conditions, but students had previously been informed in a written notice that they did not have the required permission in advance, the newspaper added.
The demonstration at USF, organized by the group Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, brought together nearly a hundred protesters, among whom were activists from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Florida universities join the protest
Florida students joined this movement last weekend with protests at the University of Florida (UF), Florida State University (FSU), and the University of Central Florida (UCF), with no arrests made.
The demonstrations, which began at Columbia University in New York and spread to campuses in dozens of states, including Georgia, Indiana, California and Texas, have in common the rejection of US policy towards Israel and the request that the centers educational institutions to break relations with the Israeli government and private sector.
Biden: “anti-Semitic demonstrations”
US President Joe Biden condemned what he called “anti-Semitic demonstrations” at universities and rejected “those who do not understand what is happening in Palestine.”
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, criticized that in the student protests against the war in Gaza, “nothing is said about Hamas” or the Islamist group’s attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Iran condemned the “repression” of student protests against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip and affirmed that the voices of protesters cannot be silenced with violent and police actions.
Keep reading:
- Columbia University begins suspending students involved in pro-Palestine protests
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott approves that pro-Palestinian student protesters should go to jail
- Pro-Palestinian protests move to Virginia Tech with several detainees