US pro-Palestine protest updates: Columbia University drops deadline to remove encampments

Columbia University retreated its midnight deadline which was given to pro-Palestinian protesters to abandonencampments on the campus, even as several other campuses saw new protests erupt.

"The talks have shown progress and are continuing as planned," said the office of Columbia University president Minouche Shafik on Thursday (Apr 25). "We have our demands; they have theirs," he added.

In the statement, the university also denied inviting the New York City police. "This rumour is false," it stated.

The news comes as massive pro-Palestinian protests embroiled more universities in the US on Thursday, forcing the police to adopt more severe measures to bring things under control.

Security concerns have forced the University of Southern California to cancelits main graduation ceremony scheduled for May 10.

At one of the universities, the riot officers had to resort to tasers and chemical irritants to control the protesters as some of the most prestigious institutionswere forcedto battle it out to prevent occupations from taking hold.

Violent police crackdown at Emory University

Multiple violent arrests were made by the police officials at Emory University in Decatur, Georgia.

Thiswas the first such police crackdown on protesters in recent dayswhichinvolved the firing of teargas and rubber bullets after multiple encampments were established by the students to express their solidarity with Palestine and against Cop City.

Policewere seenwielding tasers and wrestling with protesters at Emory University.

Zip-tieswere usedby officers wearing gas masks to detain people, reported the college's Emory Wheel news website.

Also Read:Pro-Palestine protests rock US schools, teachers stage walkout over mass arrests on campus

EmoryUniversity released a statement saying that outside protesters hadbeen joinedby "members of the Emory community" and that the group was "disrupting the university as our students finish classes and prepare for finals".

The university confirmed that Atlanta Police arrested several dozens and refuted using rubber bullets against protesters.

The Atlanta Police Department (APD) further confirmed that the college had asked for help in "securing the campus".

Protests spread across US campuses as activists call forceasefire

Demonstrations and new sit-ins were organisedacross college campuses in the US as activists appealed for a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas and continued demanding colleges sever ties with the country and with companies which have been profiting from the conflict.

"For 201 days, the world has watched in silence as Israel has murdered over 30,000 Palestinians," read a message, whichwas sharedby organisers of a new protest at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The police arrested more than 200 protesters on Wednesday and early Thursday at universities in Boston and Austin, Texas and Los Angeles.

Watch:Israel-Hamas war: Anti-war protests grip American Universities

The protests erupted at Columbia University in NewYorkwhere a midnight deadline was reaching for students to pull out their encampment, which has been theepicentre of the movement.

USC faces backlash after cancelling main stage commencement ceremony

TheUniversity of Southern California (USC)cancelled its main stage commencement ceremony for the 2024 graduates as the campus was shut down by the anti-Israel protests. After this, the university facedbacklash for the decision.

"With the new safety measures in place this year, the time needed to process the large number of guests coming to campus will increase substantially.As a result, we will not be able to host the main stage ceremony that traditionally brings 65,000 students, families, and friends to our campus all at the same time and during a short window from 8:30 amto 10 am," stated USCon its website.

More 'hate' at student protests than Charlottesville: Trump

Condemning the pro-Palestinian protests across US colleges, former president Donald Trump on Thursday said that the level of "hate" on display is much worse in comparison to the deadly rally by right-wing extremists in Charlottesville in 2017.

"We're having protests all over. Charlottesville was a little peanut, and it was nothing compared -- and the hate wasn't the kind of hate that you have here, thisis tremendous hate," Trump said.

India calls for "right balance" amid pro-Palestine protests

Speaking about the protests, India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the government has been in touch with the Indian students who are studying in US universities.

"We have seen reports on the matter and have been following related events. In every democracy, there has to be the right balance between freedom of expression, a sense of responsibility and public safety and order. Democracies in particular should display this understandingin regard toother fellow democracies. After all, we are all judged by what we do at home and not what we say abroad," said Jaiswal.

(With inputs from agencies)