Campus Protests: Hundreds of arrests have been made at universities across the US as Gaza protests continue

Hundreds were arrested on college campuses across the United States on Saturday as student protests against the war in Gaza continued.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was among those arrested by police.

Protesters are calling for a boycott of companies and individuals associated with Israel.

But some Jewish students have complained about alleged anti-Semitism from some of the demonstrators.

Ms. Stein's spokesman said she was one of about 80 people arrested at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The spokesperson added that the Green Party presidential candidate is not currently believed to be facing charges.

California State Polytechnic has announced a transition to distance learning. The protests have canceled in-person classes and postponed graduation ceremonies.

Tents first appeared on the college green in Columbia on April 17. Protests spread across the country after more than 100 students were arrested and riot police were sent in to clear the tents. Shortly after, students set up another protest camp at Yale University in Connecticut.

At Northeastern University in Boston, more than 100 protesters were arrested by Massachusetts State Police for trespassing on Saturday after refusing to remove their tents from college grounds, according to a police report. Police cleared the camp.

Northeastern University wrote in X that the « demonstrations were infiltrated by professional organizers » with no connection to the university. Antisemitic slurs were heard and it added: « We cannot tolerate this kind of hatred on campus. » The protest leaders vehemently denied these allegations.

At the University of Southern California, pro-Palestinian demonstrators returned to campus days after police were called to break up a protest in the university's Alumni Park. The protest was said to be largely peaceful, but after Saturday's protest the university administration declared « love » for campus property.

The university said the campus was vandalized by « persons belonging to a group illegally camping on our campus, » adding that a statue and a fountain were vandalized. The campus will be temporarily closed to non-residents, the university said.

23 people were arrested at Indiana University on Saturday.

Other campuses, including Columbia and Emory University in Georgia, were said to be quiet on Saturday.

The protests were fueled by anger over Israel's offensive, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israeli military launched the offensive after Hamas attacked Israeli communities near Gaza on October 7 last year, killing about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, and taking 253 hostages.