Nearly 200 more people have been arrested at three universities as anti-war protests continue

Boston (AP) - As pro-Palestinian anti-war demonstrations continued at American universities, police detained nearly 200 people as they cleared protest camps at three campuses.

On Saturday, Boston police detained about 100 people as they cleared a protest camp at Northeastern University. Northeastern University said in a statement on the social media platform X that it had taken action after the student demonstrations, which began two days earlier, were "infiltrated by professional organizers not affiliated with Northeastern University."

The statement also said that some protesters used extreme anti-Semitic words such as "kill Jews." The detainee who presented a valid student ID was released and will later face disciplinary action, but not legal prosecution.

Posts on social media platforms showed security personnel in riot gear maintaining order and police loading tents set up by students onto trucks. Northeastern University said the area of the campus where the protest was held is now completely secure and all campus activities are back to normal.

On the same day, 69 people were arrested for trespassing at Arizona State University. The university said a protest group, most of whom are not students, had set up an encampment on campus Friday and had ignored repeated orders to disperse.

According to the Indiana Daily Student Newspaper, 23 people were also arrested at Indiana University in the central United States when police cleared the camp.

Large campus demonstrations have continued for days at universities across the country, with protesters camped out on campus calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and for schools to sever ties with businesses involved in Israel.

The wave of demonstrations has posed a huge challenge to university administrators, who have sought to balance their commitment to free speech with responding to complaints of anti-Semitism and hate speech that have arisen from the rallies.

In recent days, the police have made a series of arrests at colleges and universities, sometimes using chemical irritants and stun guns to disperse protesters. The school's move to call in the police has also sparked strong controversy and opposition.

More than 100 people were arrested last week at Columbia University, which has been in the spotlight recently. The university said in a statement Friday that it will not call police into the school again, which could further inflame the situation and threaten the community.

In many of the demonstrations, students were joined by outside activists and professors demanding that the university divest from the business.

The University of Florida has issued a stern statement that faculty members, including professors, will be fired if they participate in disruptive demonstrations that are prohibited by the university. Students who violate the rules may be suspended from school.