NEW DELHI (AP) — Every five years, the world’s most populous democracy holds a giant election for millions of Indians to cast their vote on a new parliament.
And it does so in its usual flamboyance — with a spectacle of dance, drumbeats and firecrackers echoing across India as candidates march in processions to canvass for votes.
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center in a saffron cap, and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, in saffron robes, ride in an open vehicle as they campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ghaziabad, India, April 6, 2024.India is in election mode with colorful, and frenzied, campaign underway by various political parties to woo voters across the country. From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians or over 10% of the global population are eligible to vote in India's general election. (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup)
NEW DELHI (AP) — Every five years, the world’s most populous democracy holds a giant election for millions of Indians to cast their vote on a new parliament.
Women do rituals as they welcome Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party candidate Thamizhachi Thangapandian, left, riding on top of a auto rickshaw during a roadshow ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A young Muslim boy waves as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party candidate Dayanidhi Maran's roadshow passes through a residential area ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A woman showers flower petals as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party candidate Dayanidhi Maran, center, rides on top of a vehicle during a roadshow ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Supporters shout slogans as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan, center, brandishes a sword presented to her during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A tea garden worker pastes a Bharatiya Janata Party poster on to a tree ahead of national elections in Marioni in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Congress party supporters take part in a bike rally during a road show of leader Priyanka Gandhi ahead of the first phase of national elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Chandra Saora, 45, a tea garden supervisor, campaigns for the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the first phase of national elections in Marioni in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Large cutout portraits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are displayed along the route as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan rides on top of a vehicle during a roadshow ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party ride an auto rickshaw during a roadshow in support of their candidate Vinoj Selvam during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
People watch as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party candidate Dayanidhi Maran's roadshow passes through a residential area ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, center, greets as she walks with tribal people during an election campaign rally for the national elections, in Siliguri, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024.(AP Photo/Diptendu Dutta)
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, M. K. Stalin, center, greets his supporters as he arrives to address them during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Supporters attend an election rally addressed by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, M. K. Stalin, ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Tea garden laborers walk to deposit their pluck after attending a Bharatiya Janata Party election campaign meeting ahead of general elections in Marioni in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Members of a local band wait next to a large cutout portrait of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan as they wait for her arrival for an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Security people stand guard on the top of a building during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election campaign for the upcoming national elections in Ghaziabad, India, April 6, 2024. India is in election mode with colorful, and frenzied, campaign underway by various political parties to woo voters across the country. From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians or over 10% of the global population are eligible to vote in India's general election. (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup)
India's Congress party supporters take part in a bike rally during an election campaign ahead of national elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi waves during a road show as she campaigns for the upcoming national elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Portraits of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party leaders and Indian National Congress (INC) leaders and other merchandise is for sale at an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wear Indian prime Minister Narendra Modi masks during an election campaign in Ghaziabad, India, April 6, 2024. India is in election mode with colorful, and frenzied, campaign underway by various political parties to woo voters across the country. From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians or over 10% of the global population are eligible to vote in India's general election. (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup)
Women supporters of the Congress party campaign for the upcoming national elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party leader M. K. Stalin, speaks on a stage resembling Indian parliament building during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
India's Congress party workers shout slogans during an election campaign rally ahead of the first phase of general elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center in a saffron cap, and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, in saffron robes, ride in an open vehicle as they campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ghaziabad, India, April 6, 2024.India is in election mode with colorful, and frenzied, campaign underway by various political parties to woo voters across the country. From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians or over 10% of the global population are eligible to vote in India's general election. (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup)
Large cutout portraits of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Indian National Congress (INC) leaders are erected overseeing political supporters during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Colorful convoys of motorbikes, jeeps and autorickshaws have been navigating narrow streets in cities and towns as people line up to glimpse the contestants.
The six-week national election will start Friday with polling scheduled in 21 states in the first phase.
From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians — or over 10% of the global population — are eligible to vote to elect a total of 543 lawmakers in the lower house of parliament.
Among the states voting on Friday is southern Tamil Nadu, where mega cardboard cutouts of political leaders are a common sight during the election season.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has been trying to make inroads in the state where regional parties have dominated for decades. Among the issues dominating the campaign are the rising cost of living, corruption, federalism and minority rights.
The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party is hoping to retain its influence. In the 2019 elections, DMK won 38 out of 39 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu.
DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has been campaigning for his party, which is part of the opposition INDIA alliance aiming to unseat Modi and to weaken his government’s increasingly powerful sway. The acronym INDIA, which stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, includes the main opposition Congress party.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, daughter of Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi, has been campaigning in eastern Assam state where some districts will go to the polls in the first phase.
In neighboring West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress party led by the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee is facing a stiff challenge from the BJP. In the districts voting Friday, the campaign has centered around the distress of tea garden workers, who are demanding higher wages.
Modi has been travelling extensively across the country, holding road shows and rallies to campaign for the local BJP candidates, and promising voters that his party will make India a ‘developed nation’ by 2047.
Modi and BJP are widely expected to return to power for a third term. The results will be announced on June 4.
People wait at a crossroad to cheer Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election campaign of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming national elections in Ghaziabad, India, April 6, 2024. India is in election mode with colorful, and frenzied, campaign underway by various political parties to woo voters across the country. From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians or over 10% of the global population are eligible to vote in India's general election. (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup)
Women do rituals as they welcome Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party candidate Thamizhachi Thangapandian, left, riding on top of a auto rickshaw during a roadshow ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A young Muslim boy waves as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party candidate Dayanidhi Maran's roadshow passes through a residential area ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A woman showers flower petals as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party candidate Dayanidhi Maran, center, rides on top of a vehicle during a roadshow ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Supporters shout slogans as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan, center, brandishes a sword presented to her during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A tea garden worker pastes a Bharatiya Janata Party poster on to a tree ahead of national elections in Marioni in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Congress party supporters take part in a bike rally during a road show of leader Priyanka Gandhi ahead of the first phase of national elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Chandra Saora, 45, a tea garden supervisor, campaigns for the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the first phase of national elections in Marioni in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Large cutout portraits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are displayed along the route as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan rides on top of a vehicle during a roadshow ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party ride an auto rickshaw during a roadshow in support of their candidate Vinoj Selvam during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
People watch as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party candidate Dayanidhi Maran's roadshow passes through a residential area ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, center, greets as she walks with tribal people during an election campaign rally for the national elections, in Siliguri, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024.(AP Photo/Diptendu Dutta)
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, M. K. Stalin, center, greets his supporters as he arrives to address them during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Supporters attend an election rally addressed by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, M. K. Stalin, ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Tea garden laborers walk to deposit their pluck after attending a Bharatiya Janata Party election campaign meeting ahead of general elections in Marioni in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Members of a local band wait next to a large cutout portrait of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan as they wait for her arrival for an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Security people stand guard on the top of a building during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election campaign for the upcoming national elections in Ghaziabad, India, April 6, 2024. India is in election mode with colorful, and frenzied, campaign underway by various political parties to woo voters across the country. From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians or over 10% of the global population are eligible to vote in India's general election. (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup)
India's Congress party supporters take part in a bike rally during an election campaign ahead of national elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi waves during a road show as she campaigns for the upcoming national elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Portraits of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party leaders and Indian National Congress (INC) leaders and other merchandise is for sale at an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wear Indian prime Minister Narendra Modi masks during an election campaign in Ghaziabad, India, April 6, 2024. India is in election mode with colorful, and frenzied, campaign underway by various political parties to woo voters across the country. From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians or over 10% of the global population are eligible to vote in India's general election. (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup)
Women supporters of the Congress party campaign for the upcoming national elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party leader M. K. Stalin, speaks on a stage resembling Indian parliament building during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
India's Congress party workers shout slogans during an election campaign rally ahead of the first phase of general elections in Titabor in upper Assam, India, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center in a saffron cap, and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, in saffron robes, ride in an open vehicle as they campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ghaziabad, India, April 6, 2024.India is in election mode with colorful, and frenzied, campaign underway by various political parties to woo voters across the country. From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians or over 10% of the global population are eligible to vote in India's general election. (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup)
Large cutout portraits of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Indian National Congress (INC) leaders are erected overseeing political supporters during an election campaign rally ahead of country's general elections, on the outskirts of southern Indian city of Chennai, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
NEW YORK (AP) — The pro-Palestinian demonstration that paralyzed Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion, with police carrying riot shields bursting into a building that protesters took over the previous night and making dozens of arrests. On the other side of the country, clashes broke out early Wednesday between dueling groups at the University of California, Los Angeles.
New York City officers entered Columbia's campus late Tuesday after the university requested help, according to a statement released by a spokesperson. A tent encampment on the school's grounds was cleared, along with Hamilton Hall where a stream of officers used a ladder to climb through a second-floor window.
Protesters calling on the Ivy League university to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza seized the hall about 20 hours earlier.
“After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,” the school said. “The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.”
Police spokesman Carlos Nieves said he had no immediate reports of any injuries. The arrests occurred after protesters shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon the encampment Monday or be suspended and unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to end demonstrations that were inspired by Columbia.
Fabien Lugo, a first-year accounting student who said he was not involved in the protests, said he opposed the university’s decision to call in police.
“This is too intense,” he said. “It feels like more of an escalation than a de-escalation.”
Meanwhile, violence broke out at UCLA overnight between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters. Police wearing face shields formed a line but did not immediately intervene.
People threw chairs and shoved and kicked one another. Some armed with sticks beat others. Before the police arrived, a group piled on one person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them until others pulled them out of the scrum.
“Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support,” Mary Osako, a senior UCLA official, told the campus newspaper the Daily Bruin.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spoke to the university’s chancellor and said police would respond to the school’s request, according to a post on social media platform X from her spokesperson Zach Seidl.
The clashes took place just outside a tent encampment, where pro-Palestinian protesters erected barricades and plywood for protection — and counter-protesters tried to pull them down.
Security was tightened Tuesday at the campus after officials said there were “physical altercations” between factions of protesters.
Police have swept through other campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks, leading to confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.
Just blocks away from Columbia, at The City College of New York, demonstrators were in a standoff with police outside the public college’s main gate. Video posted on social media by news reporters on the scene late Tuesday showed officers putting some people to the ground and shoving others as they cleared people from the street and sidewalks. Many detained protesters were driven away on city buses.
After police arrived, officers lowered a Palestinian flag atop the City College flagpole, balled it up and tossed it to the ground before raising an American flag.
Brown University, another member of the Ivy League, reached an agreement Tuesday with protesters on its Rhode Island campus. Demonstrators said they would close their encampment in exchange for administrators taking a vote to consider divestment from Israel in October. The compromise appeared to mark the first time a U.S. college has agreed to vote on divestment in the wake of the protests.
Columbia's police action happened on the 56th anniversary of a similar move to quash an occupation of Hamilton Hall by students protesting racism and the Vietnam War.
The police department earlier Tuesday said officers wouldn't enter the grounds without the college administration’s request or an imminent emergency. Now, law enforcement will be there through May 17, the end of the university's commencement events.
In a letter to senior NYPD officials, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the administration made the request that police remove protesters from the occupied building and a nearby tent encampment “with the utmost regret.”
Shafik also referenced the idea, first put forward by New York City Mayor Eric Adams earlier in the day, that the group that occupied Hamilton was “led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university.”
Neither provided specific evidence to back up that contention, which was disputed by protest organizers and participants.
NYPD officials made similar claims about “outside agitators” during the huge, grassroots demonstrations against racial injustice that erupted across the city after the death of George Floyd in 2020. In some instances, top police officials falsely labeled peaceful marches organized by well-known neighborhood activists as the work of violent extremists.
Before officers arrived at Columbia, the White House condemned the standoffs there and at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where protesters had occupied two buildings for more than a week until officers with batons intervened early Tuesday and arrested 25 people.
President Joe Biden believes students occupying an academic building is “absolutely the wrong approach,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
Later, former President Donald Trump called into Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News Channel to comment on Columbia’s turmoil as live footage of police clearing Hamilton Hall aired. Trump praised the officers.
“But it should never have gotten to this,” he told Hannity.
The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a 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 local health ministry.
As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasn’t clear whether those talks would inspire an easing of protests.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.
On Columbia’s campus, protesters first set up a tent encampment almost two weeks ago. The school sent in police to clear the tents the following day, arresting more than 100 people, only for the students to return.
Negotiations between the protesters and the college came to a standstill in recent days, and the school set a deadline for the activists to abandon the tent encampment Monday afternoon or be suspended.
Instead, protesters defied the ultimatum and took over Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, carrying in furniture and metal barricades.
Ilana Lewkovitch, a self-described “leftist Zionist” student at Columbia, said it’s been hard to concentrate on school for weeks. Her exams have been disrupted with chants of “say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here.”
Lewkovitch, who is Jewish, said she wished the current pro-Palestinian protests were more open to people like her who criticize Israel’s war policies but believe there should be an Israeli state.
Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Cedar Attanasio, Jonathan Mattise, Colleen Long, Karen Matthews, Jim Vertuno, Hannah Schoenbaum, Sarah Brumfield, Christopher Weber, Carolyn Thompson, Dave Collins, Makiya Seminera, Philip Marcelo and Corey Williams.
Officers with the New York Police Department arrest Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. The protesters had seized the administration building, known as Hamilton Hall, more than 20 hours earlier in a major escalation as demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war spread on college campuses nationwide. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Officers with the New York Police Department arrest pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. The protesters had seized the administration building, known as Hamilton Hall, more than 20 hours earlier in a major escalation as demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war spread on college campuses nationwide. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
A bicyclist cycles past a tent encampment in White Plaza in support of Palestinians, at Stanford University, in Stanford, Calif., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Officers with the New York Police Department raid the encampment by pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. The protesters had seized the administration building, known as Hamilton Hall, more than 20 hours earlier in a major escalation as demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war spread on college campuses nationwide. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
A group of prospective students walk by a tent encampment in White Plaza in support of Palestinians during a campus tour at Stanford University, in Stanford, Calif., Tuesday, April 30, 2024.(Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A New York Police bus filled with arrested protesters makes its way down Amsterdam Avenue, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
Pedestrians walk by fluttering flags at a tent encampment in White Plaza in support of Palestinians, at Stanford University, in Stanford, Calif., Tuesday, April 30, 2024.(Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
New York Police officers escort a protester outside the Columbia University campus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
A person engages with a New York City police official as he, along with other officers, move to clear a main gate at Columbia University in New York on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, as authorities cleared parts of the campus of protesters after a building was taken over by activists earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
As light rain falls, New York City police officers take people into custody near the Columbia University campus in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building taken over by protesters earlier in the day was cleared, along with a tent encampment. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
New York City police officers take people into custody near the Columbia University campus in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building taken over by protesters earlier in the day was cleared, along with a tent encampment. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Using a tactical vehicle, New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building was taken over by protesters earlier Tuesday. Hundreds of police officers swept into Columbia University on Tuesday night to end a pro-Palestinian occupation of an administration building and sweep away a protest encampment, acting after the school’s president said there was no other way to ensure safety and restore order on campus.(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus using a tactical vehicle, in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building was taken over by protesters earlier Tuesday. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Using a tactical vehicle, New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building was taken over by protesters earlier Tuesday. Hundreds of police officers swept into Columbia University on Tuesday night to end a pro-Palestinian occupation of an administration building and sweep away a protest encampment, acting after the school’s president said there was no other way to ensure safety and restore order on campus. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Pro-Palestinian protester Mercedes, a student at Southwestern University, raises a fist as she walks out of the Travis County Jail Tuesday April 30, 2024, a day after getting arrested at a protest at the University of Texas, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Students watch from their residence hall windows as members of the New York Police Department strategic response team move towards an entrance to Columbia University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that student protesters began occupying in the morning. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate on the campus of DePaul University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Pro-Palestinian protesters settled into a portico of Millar Library on the Portland State University campus over the weekend, shown on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Portland, Ore. Permission was originally granted by President Ann Cudd, but the PSU president reversed course on Monday and saying it needs to come down because of health and safety hazards. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Portland State University's library, advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)
A demonstrator pumps his fist as he hangs a sign from a window in Hamilton Hall inside the Columbia University campus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at Portland State University in support of a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)
Student protesters camp near the entrance to Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. Early Tuesday, dozens of protesters took over Hamilton Hall, locking arms and carrying furniture and metal barricades to the building. Columbia responded by restricting access to campus. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)
Members of the New York Police Department strategic response team escort protesters from Columbia University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that student protesters began occupying in the morning. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
Members of the New York Police Department strategic response team load arrested protesters from Columbia University onto a bus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that student protesters began occupying in the morning. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
Students with the Gaza solidarity encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Members of the New York Police Department strategic response team load arrested protesters from Columbia University onto a bus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that student protesters began occupying in the morning. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
Members of the New York Police Department strategic response team load arrested protesters from Columbia University onto a bus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that student protesters began occupying in the morning. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
A police bus loaded with protesters arrested at Columbia University departs an entrance to the campus on 114th Street, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that student protesters began occupying in the morning. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
Police stand in front of a University of Utah sign as they move demonstrators who had gathered to show support for Palestinians off the property at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)
A police bus loaded with protesters arrested at Columbia University departs an entrance to the campus on 114th Street, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that student protesters began occupying in the morning. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
Members of the New York Police Department strategic response team move towards an entrance to Columbia University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that student protesters began occupying in the morning. (AP Photo/Julius Motal)
Using a tactical vehicle, New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building was taken over by protesters earlier Tuesday. Hundreds of police officers swept into Columbia University on Tuesday night to end a pro-Palestinian occupation of an administration building and sweep away a protest encampment, acting after the school’s president said there was no other way to ensure safety and restore order on campus. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Using a tactical vehicle, New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building was taken over by protesters earlier Tuesday. Hundreds of police officers swept into Columbia University on Tuesday night to end a pro-Palestinian occupation of an administration building and sweep away a protest encampment, acting after the school’s president said there was no other way to ensure safety and restore order on campus.(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
