White House urges 'peaceful' campus protests after hundreds arrested
The Peninsula
Washington, USA: The White House insisted Sunday that pro Palestinian protests that have rocked US universities in recent weeks must remain peaceful,...
Washington, USA: The White House insisted Sunday that pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked US universities in recent weeks must remain peaceful, after police arrested around 275 people on four separate campuses over the weekend.
"We certainly respect the right of peaceful protests," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC's "This Week."
The wave of demonstrations began at Columbia University in New York but they have since spread rapidly across the country.
While peace has prevailed in many campuses, the number of protesters detained -- at times by police in riot gear using chemical irritants and tasers -- is rising fast.
They include 100 at Northeastern University in Boston, 80 at Washington University in St Louis, 72 at Arizona State University and 23 at Indiana University.