All the colleges where Gaza protests are taking place

At Columbia University, where the mass wave of protests began, a coalition of professors are backing students

Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments have popped up at dozens of universities across the US this month.

Much of the national spotlight is focused on Columbia University, where student protests and encampments have been ongoing for nearly two weeks. On Tuesday night, 109 people were arrested at Columbia after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the school’s Hamilton Hall.

Now, some professors are banding together to support student protesters as well as to condemn the university’s response and on-campus police activity.

Also on Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams blamed Columbia upheaval on “outside agitators” but provided little evidence to support that claim.

Columbia has suspended some students for their involvement in protests and also threatened expulsion.

Pro-Palestinian protesters are, by-and-large, asking their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel. Their calls come amid Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which is believed to have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. The ongoing attacks come in the wake of 7 October, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 people hostage.

Here’s a look at the universities where students are staging demonstrations — and how administrators and local police have responded.

A student protester parades a Palestinian flag outside the entrance to Hamilton Hall. Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the building on Columbia University’s campus early Tuesday morning (Getty Images)

Columbia University in New York City, New York: The “Gaza Solidary Encampment” began at Columbia University on 17 April. University President Minouche Shafik called the New York Police Department to campus on 18 April. On Wednesday, 109 protesters were arrested by officers. A coalition of professors are backing student protesters and condemning police activity on campus.

University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California: An encampment at the school was attacked on Tuesday night, which the school paper called a “life-threatening assault”. The school has since cancelled classes due to the “distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad.”

City College of New York in New York City: More than 170 protesters were arrested at campus on Tuesday night, according to the NYPD. It’s not immediately clear how many of those arrested were affiliated with the school.

George Washington University in Washington, DC: Students established a pro-Palestinian encampment on 25 April. More than 200 people — including students from several area schools — have joined the camp since. No arrests have been made but at least one demonstrator has been escorted away by campus police, a university spokesperson told NBC Washington on 29 April.

University of Texas, Austin in Austin, Texas: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators began planning an encampment on 24 April after a protest on campus. Police arrested 57 people on trespassing charges that same day, the Austin American-Statesman reports. At least 100 additional people were arrested on Monday in connection with the pro-Palestinian encampment on 29 April, the outlet reports.

Pro-Palestinian protesters stand with linked arms surrounded by Texas state troopers and police at an encampment at the University of Texas, Austin on 29 April. Officials have made dozens of arrests at the school in recent days (Austin American-Statesman)

The California State Polytechnic Institute, Humboldt in Arcata, California: Law enforcement arrested some 35 people at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt on 30 April, after pro-Palestinian protesters barricaded themselves inside the dean’s office. The students had occupied Siemens Hall since 22 April.

Tulane Univeresity in New Orleans, Louisiana: Pro-Palestine protests began on 29 April at the New Orleans campus. On Monday, six people — including one student — were apprehended. As of Wednesday, police arrested 14 more demonstrators, only two of whom are Tulane students. In a statement on 1 May, the school’s president wrote, “Free speech and the freedom to protest are sacred to us...However, we remain opposed to trespassing, hate speech, antisemitism and bias against religious or ethnic groups.”

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia: Pro-Palestinian student protesters established an encampment on 29 April. That evening, multiple students were arrested by police in riot gear, local outlet WRIC reports.

New York University in New York, New York: Pro-Palestinian protesters established an encampment on 22 April in a university plaza. Officers arrested some 150 protesters the same day.

New York University (NYU) students and faculty participate in a pro-Palestinian protest at Washington Square Park on 23 April. Police arrested some 150 people the previous day (Getty Images)

University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Students began staging Pro-Palestinian protests and erecting an encampment on 23 April. Police arrested nine students that same day. Protesters erected another encampment on 29 April. Officials ordered the students to disperse that evening but have yet to enforce the demand as of 30 April, local outlet Fox 9 reports.

University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California: Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police on 24 April after students erected an encampment on campus. Officers arrested more than 90 people. The next day, the university cancelled its in-person commencement scheduled for 10 May over the protests.

Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts: Pro-Palestinian student protesters began an encampment in a public alleyway on 21 April. Local police arrested more than 100 protesters on 25 April, . On 28 April, Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt said the school will not take disciplinary action against those arrested, local outlet MassLive reports.

Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio: On 23 April Pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged a protest and began pitching tents on the school’s campus, The Columbus Dispatch reports. That night, law enforcement began making arrests. As of 30 April, officers have arrested 40 people connected to protests on the school’s campus since — about half of those arrested were affiliated with the school.

Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia: Pro-Palestinian protesters began erecting an encampment on 25 April, Fox 5 Atlanta reports. Police then arrested dozens of people, only 20 of whom were students.

Police arrest a demonstrator during a pro-Palestinian protest at Emory University on 25 April. Police arrested some 20 students at the Georgia school (AFP via Getty Images)

University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin: Dozens were arrested after three days of protesting when police cleared the encampment on Library Mall, according to an email sent from the school’s Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. The email said 30 protesters were cited, including some faculty and staff, who allegedly obstructed law enforcement efforts to remove the tents. Four police officers were injured on Wednesday when police while emptying the encampment, ABC News reported.

Indiana University Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana: Pro-Palestinian student protesters began demonstrations on 22 April. Since 25 April, 56 protesters have been arrested for pitching tents on campus, local outlet WRTV reports.

Auraria Campus in Denver, Colorado: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators launched a protest on 26 April on Auraria Campus, which houses facilities for three different Denver-area universities. Officers have arrested 44 people in connection with that protest, local outlet KDVR reports.

Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona: Several students and members of the public established an encampment on 26 April, local outlet 12News reports. Officers arrested 72 people on 26 and 27 April. Most of those detained were not affiliated with the university.

Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts: Pro-Palestinian protesters began demonstrations on 25 April, CBS News reports. Officers arrested 98 people on 27 April, including 29 students and six people employed by the university, CBS News later reported.

Pro-Palestinian protesters stand in front of a police barricade at Northeastern University on 27 April. Police arrested 29 students and six university employees (AFP via Getty Images)

Washington University in St Louis in St Louis, Missouri: On 13 April, students staged a pro-Palestinian sit-in protest on campus. Roughly a dozen people were arrested, local outlet KSDK reports. On 27 April, students held another protest and encampment. Officers arrested some 80 people at that protest, including former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, KSDK reports.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Pro-Palestinian protesters began demonstrating on campus on 26 April. Officers arrested some 30 protesters on the morning of 30 April, Axios Raleigh reports.

Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia: Pro-Palestinian protesters erected an encampment on 26 April. On 28 April, officers arrested more than 80 people involved in the demonstration, The Washington Post reports. 53 of those detained were students.

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland: Protests began on 29 April, when 100 people, some of whom were students, established an encampment. On Tuesday, school officials said they would allow students to continue protesting, but not between the hours of 8pm and 10am. However, Hopkins Justice Collective said it did not agree to these terms, CBS News reported. So, demonstrators camped out overnight, prompting the school to warn that the “consequences of violating our policies and creating unsafe conditions include academic discipline, which is determined by University officials, and trespass, which is handled by local law enforcement.”

Students have also staged protests or encampments at the following schools:

Yale University; Michigan State University; University of Mary Washington; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of South Carolina; the Fashion Institute of Technology; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Florida State University; University of Connecticut; The New School; Harvard University; Brown University; University of Delaware; Northwestern University; Cornell University; University of Pennsylvania; Stanford University; City College of New York; Indiana University; University of Rochester; Rice University; Swarthmore University; University of North Carolina; University of New Mexico Albuquerque; University of Georgia; Princeton University; Tufts University.