By Nick Pope
Law enforcement began clearing a pro-Palestine encampment of protesters on a major university’s campus Saturday morning after shouts of “kill the Jews” were heard.
The Northeastern University campus police and officers from other departments moved in to break up the encampment in Boston after the demonstration was “infiltrated” by outside protesters, the university said in a Saturday post to X. Some individuals apparently used “kill the Jews” and used other antisemitic slurs on Friday night, according to the university. (RELATED: University Of Washington’s Pro-Palestinian Protest Delayed Because It’s Not Diverse Enough)
BREAKING: Arrests are taking place at Northeastern University: pic.twitter.com/o6Oj5hrUm4
— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) April 27, 2024
“Earlier this morning the Northeastern University Police Department (NUPD) — in cooperation with local law enforcement partners — began clearing an unauthorized encampment on the university’s Boston campus,” the university said in its statement. “What began as a student demonstration two days ago, was infiltrated by professional organizers with no affiliation to Northeastern. Last night, the use of virulent antisemitic slurs, including ‘kill the Jews,’ crossed the line. We cannot tolerate this kind of hate on our campus.”
The encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at Northeastern was one of numerous similar camps set up by students on college campuses across the country. Some of these encampments, such as the one at Columbia University, have been the sites of blatantly antisemitic activity, but other universities, such as the University of Florida, have taken a tougher stance against the protesters.
Authorities detained approximately 100 people as they cleared the encampment, according to CNN
At Columbia University, a leader of the anti-Israel protests, Khymani James, filmed himself saying, “Zionists don’t deserve to live,” and “Be glad — be grateful — that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” Earlier, he had told a meeting, “I hate white people.”
“The radical and hate-filled statements by James are hardly unique in higher education. Administrators, faculty and admissions committees have fostered this environment, including professors supporting violent actions against conservatives and dissenters,” says law professor Jonathan Turley.
