JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – At least 200 people were arrested overnight at UCLA, bringing the nationwide total of arrests to more than 2,000 at dozens of college campuses since police cleared an encampment at Columbia University in mid-April, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Many of those individuals are not college students, but people police describe as “outside agitators.”
Demonstrations and arrests have occurred in almost every corner of the nation as protests continue over the war in Gaza. But in the last 24 hours, they’ve drawn the most attention at the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) where chaotic scenes played out early Thursday as officers in riot gear surged against a crowd of demonstrators.
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Meanwhile, the State University System of Florida is sending a strong message to the 12 presidents of the state’s colleges and universities: Do not cancel, modify, or delay their graduation ceremonies as a result of unruly protests on their campus.
The order comes as pro-Palestinian demonstrations have swept across the country, leading some out-of-state colleges to cancel or postpone their commencement.
News4JAX spoke with demonstrators at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville along with students who are not demonstrating and both said they think they’ve found the balance between having the campus ready for graduation and protesting peacefully.
The nationwide campus demonstrations began at Columbia on April 17 to protest Israel’s offensive in Gaza, following Hamas’ deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.
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While the protests turned violent at UCLA, and other demonstrations against the war in Gaza, law enforcement hasn’t been attacked in Florida. But more than two dozen people have been taken into custody.
Following nine arrests at the University of Florida earlier this week, the school issued a statement that read in part: “This is not complicated: The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children — they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they’ll face the consequences.”
At the peak of graduation season, the State University System’s Chancellor Ray Rodrigues issued a one-page memo, addressing university presidents.
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“While we respect and honor the First Amendment, a commencement ceremony is not the time nor place to hold a political protest,” Rodrigues said. “You are authorized to take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of all attendees during the ceremony.”
On the campus of UNF on Thursday, a peaceful encampment continues in the college courtyard for the third day. UNF’s spring commencement is scheduled for Friday for graduating seniors.
News4JAX spoke the organizer of their pro-Palestinian demonstration Marlo Crosby.
“At the end of the day, I think graduation is important so folks can get the things they worked for, but at the same time, we have the privilege to go to a university, every single university in Gaza has been destroyed, we have 35,000 people dead, 14,500 of them being children and we are still worried about a graduation, that is insane to me,” UNF demonstration organizer Marlo Crosby said.
Crosby said his group stands in solidarity with demonstrators across the nation, and at the same time respects the privacy and safety and students on the campus of UNF.
″I hope people get the degrees they worked for. Lord knows tuition is expensive, believe me, I know tuition is expensive. My college expenses are through the roof, but that being said, our humanity has to be our priority first, and anyone with a right mind should be supporting Palestine resistance and against genocide in every sense of the word,” Crosby said.
News4JAX also spoke with students who were not participating in local demonstrations about the highly anticipated graduation day.
“I think everyone has their right to their own opinion and voice. I think graduation should happen. If mine was cancelled I know I’d be upset,” student Garrett Kaplan said.