Anti-Israel unrest persists on US campuses amid crackdown, looming graduations

Click here to follow continuing Fox News Digital coverage of the anti-Israel protests that are sweeping college campuses across the nation.

Hims & Hers founder and CEO Andrew Dudum said Sunday that his previous comments offering support for anti-Israel protesters on college campuses were "misconstrued by some" after the company's stock dipped.

In a thread on X, Dudum said he wished to clarify his earlier comments and said he does not support violence, antisemitism or intimidation.

"The last few days have been a disheartening reflection of just how divisive a time we live in," Dudum began. "I'd like to clarify a few things because my words have been misconstrued by some."

"I, in no way condone nor support acts or threats of violence, antisemitism, or intimidation and there is absolutely no justification for violence on our campuses," he continued. "Every student deserves to feel safe without fear of harm or being targeted for who they are. I am deeply saddened that my support for peaceful protest has been interpreted by some as encouraging violence, intimidation, or bigotry of any kind."

This is an excerpt of a story by Fox News Digital's Landon Mion. Click here to read the full report.

Columbia College Dean Josef Sorett and General Studies Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch announced through an email on Sunday that Columbia College and School of General Studies students will be able to elect to pass/D/fail for up to two classes for spring 2024, the Columbia Spectator reported.

The university has been rocked with anti-Israel protests for two weeks, with protest encampments, NYPD infiltrations and 112 people arrested just on Tuesday night at the university.

A pass/fail status for a class means that a students could wish to pass a specific class without having a major impact on their grade point average, but giving them passing credit hours toward graduation. A student wishing for a better GPA for grad school purposes could surpass the pass/fail option.

A sign hangs at a protest encampment on the University of Chicago campus on May 04, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The University of Chicago says it has suspended discussions with anti-Israel protesters on campus because their requests “were inconsistent with the University’s principles.”

The school also flagged misinformation being spread on social media, namely, that it was establishing a “Gaza Scholars at Risk Initiative.” The school said the “Scholars at Risk” program was an existing initiative at the University of Chicago and other leading universities and colleges.

“The program is open to scholars throughout the world. All scholars impacted by this conflict are being encouraged to participate,” the university said in a statement. “In addition, [University of Chicago Police Department] presence on the Quad has fluctuated based on needs and circumstances and at no point did we reduce – or agree to reduce – the security presence based on negotiations.”

Republican New Jersey state Sen. Jon Bramnick on Sunday slammed Rutgers University for reaching a deal with anti-Israel protesters, arguing that the school should never have had any discussions with “these lawbreakers” until they left the areas they were occupying.

Bramnick argued that the university conceding to eight of the protesters’ 10 demands will “set a really bad precedent.”

“It tells people you can break the law, and then we’re going to do what you want us to do,” Bramnick told ‘Fox News Live.’ “It sends a terrible message to students.”

Bramnick also criticized Rutgers for not demanding that the protesters, as a condition for meeting their demands, condemn the terrorism that Hamas unleashed on Israel on Oct. 7.

“How about simply asking these students before we do anything, condemn the fact that people have been kidnapped, children, senior citizens, people were killed and raped – no discussion of that at all, just simply saying, ‘what are your demands and we’ll do 80% of your demands?’”

As nationwide anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses near three weeks of activity, some universities have requested the assistance of police to deal with the problem, while others have caved in and agreed to certain demands by the protesters.  

The decisions by administrators to either concede some demands of the protesters or allow their activity to continue, stand out amid the chaotic scenes and more than 2,400 arrests on dozens of campuses nationwide since mid-April. Tent encampments and building takeovers have disrupted classes at some schools, including Columbia, USC and UCLA. 

The protesters have mostly demanded that their university cut all ties with Israel, including study abroad programs and links to the Israeli military, now embroiled in the war in Gaza.

This is an excerpt of a story by Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz. Click here to read the full report.

The University of Southern California (USC) has reopened its Park Campus to students, faculty, and staff after anti-Israel protests impacted operations.

USC said tents and related equipment “remain prohibited on campus and will be subject to immediate confiscation.”

Students protesting on campus were surrounded by police early Sunday and told they could face arrest if they didn’t leave.

USC President Carol L. Folt said the operation was “peaceful” and students “are returning to prepare for finals, and commencement set-up is in full swing.” “Over the last few weeks, the university exercised patience and restraint as we worked to de-escalate a volatile situation. We’ve spoken to the occupiers daily, issued repeated warnings, and offered opportunities and locations for them to protest lawfully. We’ve supported their right to express strong opinions and passions for their cause, as always,” Folt wrote in a statement. “Yet when free speech protests devolve into illegal occupations, violating the rights of others, we must draw a line. The occupiers repeatedly chose to ignore university policies designed to benefit everyone, and to break the law. We needed to act quickly to protect the rights of our 80,000 students, staff, and faculty. We are in the critical period from the end-of-term quiet study week, through finals and our commencement ceremonies.”

Folt said the protesters were beginning to spiral “in a dangerous direction over the last several days.”

“This had to stop,” she said.

USC, a private university, has been the subject of student protests over the war as well as the administration’s decision to cancel a commencement speech by the valedictorian, a Muslim student who had expressed support for Palestinians. The university made that decision last month, citing safety concerns after receiving threats. Some Jewish groups had criticized the student’s selection as speaker.

Administrators later canceled the entire main-stage commencement planned for May 10, when 65,000 people were expected to gather. Other commencement activities, including graduation ceremonies for individual schools and colleges, are still scheduled from Thursday through Sunday. Access to the private campus has largely been restricted for people not affiliated with the university since late April.

Anti-Israel protesters that were assembled on the campus of UT Austin dispersed Sunday afternoon after a brief demonstration that saw a crowd of more than 100 gathered.

Law enforcement officers from university police, the Austin Police Department (APD), and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), were seen assembled near the protesters but there was no interaction.

’A heavy police presence has been reported on DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Quad where an anti-Israel demonstration was underway.

The university posted on X that there is a heavy police presence on the Lincoln Park Quad and advised students and faculty to “avoid the area.”

“If you are on campus, remain indoors,” the university said in a statement. “We will send updates as available.”

Per the DePaulia, the university’s student-run weekly newspaper, Chicago police officers were guarding the entrance to the Quad as a counter protest appeared at the Fullerton Building.

The university, like others nationwide, has seen demonstrations from anti-Israel protesters who are demanding that their school cut all ties with Israel over its war in Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians.

DePaul is the nation’s largest Catholic university.

Law enforcement officers from the Austin Police Department (APS), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and UT Austin were seen gathering near the scene of another anti-Israel demonstration on Sunday.

Per the school newspaper, The Daily Texan, the crowd had grown to more than 100 on the university’s South Lawn.

More than 100 anti-Israel protesters have once again flocked to UT Austin’s South Lawn on Sunday for demonstrations.

The crowd on Sunday suggested that the anti-Israel demonstrations that have spread like wildfire across U.S. campuses in recent weeks are showing no signs of letting up.

Per the school’s paper, The Daily Texan, organizers are leading chants and introducing speakers as the crowd continues to grow.

The scene comes after rowdy protests on the campus resulted in more than 80 people arrested earlier this week. Demonstrators had set up tents and a barricade on the South Lawn despite lawmakers banning camping in 2021.

A UT Austin spokesperson said Monday that guns were found on its campus hidden in a breezeway. Buckets of large rocks, bricks, steel-reinforced wood planks, mallets and chains were all found on campus belonging to protesters.

Skyler Sieradzky, a senior at George Washington University, Joined Fox News to assess student protesters' demands as anti-Israel demonstrations continue on her campus Sunday.

Sieradzky explained that the protesters were demanding that the university divest itself of all companies that trade with Israel, as well as reveal all of the university's investment information.

"They made it abundantly clear that, unless the school complies 100% with their demands, they will not be leaving," Sieradzky said.

She went on to say that protesters need to be more "flexible" in order to ensure the "safety" of everyone on campus.

Sieradzky said she had participated in a peaceful counterprotest for several days near the anti-Israel encampment. She said she stood silently nearby holding an Israeli flag, and the anti-Israel protesters reacted by harassing and spitting at her as well as recording her on their phones.

The Biden administration has put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-manufactured ammunition to Israel for the first time since the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack, according to a report.

Two Israeli officials told Axios that the weapons shipment was stopped last week, leaving officials within the Israeli government scrambling to understand why.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to carry out a military operation in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where some 1.5 million Palestinians have taken shelter, and where Hamas maintains its last remaining stronghold.

The potential Rafah operation to root out Hamas terrorists comes despite warnings from President Biden and other Western officials that doing so would result in more civilian deaths and worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis.

The Biden administration has said there could be consequences for Israel should it move forward with the operation without a credible plan to safeguard civilians.

Biden has also faced criticism from Americans who are against his support of Israel, most recently seen in protests that have erupted across college campuses nationwide. 

The current war in Gaza began after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, in which the terrorist organization killed 1,200 people, and took about 250 people hostage.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News' Stephen Sorace

Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway and Democratic strategist Tim Hogan joined ‘MediaBuzz’ to discuss President Biden caving to pressure to speak on the campus protests on Sunday.

Hemmingway argued that Biden's recent criticism of the anti-Israel protesters falls flat because the ideology he supports is the source of the unrest.

"This is really the natural result of something that has taken root in the Democrat Party," Hemmingway said. "It's very difficult for President Biden. He knows [protesters] are very unpopular, but he knows that they present in his party to the point that you have members of Congress taking part in these protests."

"Columbia University has spent decades building up this ideology within their own institution," she continued. "These institutions have been taken over by this social justice ideology... That's why when we talk about these protests, we have to talk about the lies that are at the root of these protests, whether it's the lies that we were told during the BLM riots about what America is and what it means to be American, or whether its is the lies about the nature of the conflict between Israel and Palestinians."

"Saturday Night Live" took aim at the student anti-Israel protests on Saturday, specifically from the perspective of parents who have kids attending Columbia University, during the cold open.

Kenan Thompson played the father of a Columbia student and began by praising young people standing up for what they believe in during a mock interview. However, when asked about his daughter specifically, Thompson said she "better have her butt in class." 

"Let me find out she in one of those damn tents, instead of the dorm room that I pay for," he said, before the interviewer questioned his initial statement about supporting the students. 

"I am in favor of y'alls kids protesting. My kids know better," Thompson said. Asked what he thought of the group of protesters that took over Hamilton Hall, an academic building on Columbia's campus, he said, "that's good for y'alls kids, but they ain't mine." 

Thompson said Columbia had the "nerve" to charge $68,000 per year in tuition. 

"I’m out here busting my hump to pay all that tuition," Thompson said. "I do it all. Uber all day. Uber Eats all night. Cut grass on the weekends, sell Gucci wallets out of my truck. I bounty hunt whenever possible. All of that just so she can say she got a degree in African American studies. It’s like, little girl, you’ve been Black your whole life. You know what it is."

Thompson revealed exactly what he planned to do when his daughter graduated, and insisted that the university would hold a graduation, even if he had to do it himself. Several universities have weighed canceling their graduation ceremonies as anti-Israel protests have taken over campuses.

"You can take that to the bank. This girl started her college during COVID," he said. "Had me out here paying $68,000 for tuition, and she is at my house taking classes on Zoom, learning about the applied history of the BET Awards. If she don’t walk — Columbia is going to be on the news for something else!"

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Hanna Panreck

Ben Sasse (Getty Images)

University of Florida President Ben Sasse bragged that his campus is free of the disruptive protests seen across the country even as graduation ceremonies are underway Sunday.

Sasse, a former Senator from Nebraska, made the comments during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union with host Jake Tapper. Sasse emphasized that students at the U of F are allowed to protest, but they still face "rules."

"What we tell all of our students, protesters and non, is, there are two things we're going to affirm over and over again. We will always defend your right to free speech and free assembly, and, also, we have time, place, and manner restrictions. You don't get to take over the whole university. People don't get to spit at cops," Sasse said.

"You don't get to barricade yourselves in buildings. You don't get to disrupt somebody else's commencement. We don't allow protests inside. I have -- on my run this morning, I ran by our group of protesters waving their Palestinian flag. We protect their right to do that, but we have rules," he continued. "One of those rules is, we don't allow camping on campus. And so you can't start to build an encampment, but our goal is not to arrest people. It's to help them get into compliance with the rules. They can protest. They can try to persuade people, but they don't get to build a camp."

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., discussed the latest in the Israel-Hamas conflict,, the Democrats' abortion agenda, a possible Trump vice president pick and called for foreign students supporting Hamas to have their visa revoked during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.

Host Shannon Bream pressed Rubio on what the consequences should be for visa holders in the U.S. who participate in anti-Israel protests.

"You're not American. You're here on a visa," Rubio said of the group. "If you're here to teach or here to go to school and you're out there chanting on behalf of Hamas and Hezbollah, then we should revoke their visa."

"If you are here in this country as a visitor on a visa, and you are defacing statues of George Washington, ripping down American flags, putting up Palestinian flags, you should have your visa revoked and eliminated," he added.

President Biden has yet to issue a forceful statement condemning the protesters. The ongoing demonstrations at college campuses across the country now threaten commencement and graduation ceremnoes.

Federal and local law enforcement are preparing to handle massive protests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer, with the Secret Service saying they are already working on security measures.

The Secret Service has been hammering out details for the August convention throughout the year, and the Chicago Police Department has been training to effectively handle large groups of protesters.

“Individuals can expect to see a very heavy presence of uniformed officers to ensure the highest level of safety for residents, business owners and attendees," U.S. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told NBC News.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker downplayed the level of unrest in an interview with the outlet, however, saying there have always been protests at political conventions.

“I have been to almost every convention since I was able to vote. I have seen protests at every single one of them on a variety of issues,” Pritzker told NBC. “I don’t think any better or worse this coming summer. I do think, though, that even though there will be protests, the security plan for Chicago, and the experience that people who are coming here for the convention will have, will be an outstanding one just like it was in 1996.”

The preparations come as anti-Israel protests continue to rage on college campuses across the country, despite crackdowns by police.

A judge in Arizona has denied a motion that would have lifted the suspension of twenty students arrested last week amid anti-Israel protests. 

The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona denied the Arizona State University students' motion to have their college suspensions lifted on Friday, according to local outlet ABC 15.

The defendants filed the lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents on Tuesday, alleging that their suspension from ASU is causing "irreparable harm" due to their inability to enroll in classes.

The students, who are charged with trespassing, also alleged that the suspensions violate their First Amendment rights.

Approximately 72 individuals were arrested on Apr. 26 and taken into custody while continuing protests on the Arizona State University campus. 

Police officers cleared the Old Main lawn area overnight — those arrested included both students and faculty. 

Judge John Tuchi ruled that the students did not provide sufficient evidence that their First Amendment rights had been violated.

Anti-Israel protesters at the University of Southern California vacated their encampment Sunday morning in compliance with an order from administrators.

The university warned protesters that they could face arrest if they did not depart before police arrived.

“If you are in the center of campus, please leave. People who don’t leave could be arrested,” USC said on the social media platform X.

Police and campus safety officers could be seen dismantling the remains of the encampment after students departed later in the morning.

USC's campus has remained relatively peaceful in recent days after police arrested 93 people on April 24.

Anti-Israel protesters marred what should have been a celebratory event on Saturday during a commencement ceremony at the University of Michigan, as they voiced antisemitic chants and tried to disrupt speakers, one graduate said. 

The event at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor turned chaotic when a group of roughly 50 protesters displaying Palestinian flags and chanting antisemitic slogans marched toward the stage as U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro was speaking and addressing newly commissioned officers. 

They were greeted by a chorus of boos from the thousands in attendance.  

In addition, planes flew overhead displaying pro-Palestinian slogans and some of the protesters wore keffiyehs, clothing that has become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, said Benny Shaevsky, who graduated Saturday from the university's Ross School of Business. Law enforcement confronted the protesters and pushed them toward the back where they stayed for the rest of the event, he told Fox News Digital. 

"They were screaming the whole time. I couldn't hear anything," Shaevsky said. "I had to be moved to a different seat because I missed half of the commencement speakers because of this." 

Shaevsky, who yelled at the protesters to leave, said he didn't see any of them being arrested. On its website, the school announced restrictions that include a "prohibition of banners, flags and anything that obstructs sightlines."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the university. 

Like other universities, Michigan has had to contend with anti-Israel protests on campus amid clashes between demonstrators and authorities as well as vandalism. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Louis Casiano

An alleged violent, outside agitator arrested at the anti-Israel Columbia University protest is reportedly the privileged heir of a multimillion-dollar ad empire, according to New York City police.

The New York Post reported that James Carlson, aka Cody Carlson, aka Cody Tarlow, is a "longtime anarchist" with no known ties to Columbia University who was arrested when police raided the encampment at Hamilton Hall on Tuesday. Carlson is being investigated as a "possible leader" of the group of agitators that broke into the building and occupied it unlawfully, NYPD and City Hall sources told the Post.

The report identified Carlson, 40, as one of three children of prominent advertising executives Richard "Dick" Tarlow and his wife, Sandy Carlson Tarlow. 

Dick Tarlow died in 2022 at age 81 with an estate worth at least $20 million, according to court records.

Tarlow is most famous for his work with cosmetic and fashion clients, including Revlon, Ralph Lauren and Neutrogena, according to an obituary by AdAge. He was also a loyal supporter of John Jay College and the John Jay Justice Awards, Long Island outlet Dan's Papers reported. 

James Carlson is heir to the family fortune and owns a 2,893-square-foot, three-story brownstone with four wood-burning fireplaces and a carriage house purchased in Park Slope in 2019 for $2.3 million, property records and online listings show. 

Carlson has a lengthy arrest record dating back to 2005, with charges including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, conspiracy and criminal trespassing, the Post reported.

Footage released by NYPD showed officers in riot gear using flash-bang devices and climbing ladders to infiltrate Hamilton Hall and clear the encampment late Tuesday.

On Oct. 7, 2023, a series of pivotal events unfolded that could shape the landscape of the upcoming November election. 

That was when Hamas staged its audacious, terrifying raids into Israel,  launching a Middle East conflagration which dwarfs the wars of 1967 and 1973.

The subject of abortion remains a prominent factor in this fall’s election. But the Middle East has the potential to supersede that. The schism which is cleaving the Democratic Party is now on full display in quadrangles across the country. Photos of occupation, tent cities and ransacked university buildings are now a staple of the daily news consciousness. This all comes nearly 54 years to the day of the massacre at Kent State University in Ohio.

Democrats are struggling to balance the First Amendment rights of students on top of support for human rights in Gaza. But a thread of rampant antisemitism permeates many of these demonstrations. This isn’t lost on voters. Democrats are torn between criticizing the protests and not alienating their base.

A cynic might argue that Republicans are exploiting the Democratic schism. But the GOP really doesn’t need to do much. The daily collegiate contretemps speaks for itself.

Neither party frankly has much of a legislative agenda for the rest of the year. The foreign aid package is complete. TikTok is on the books. Months of work on a bipartisan border security package evaporated within minutes over the winter. Nothing exists in a vacuum. So, the university melees simply presented the GOP with an opening. And the GOP is seemingly better equipped to grapple with the issue than Democrats.

"Students are students, and you're going to have demonstrations. And that's just part of being a college student," said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the top Democrat on the House Education Committee. "There's a difference between protesting against the war and being antisemitic. And many of the protests have slipped into antisemitism."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., led the charge to challenge higher education. Johnson deputized multiple committee chairs to launch a myriad of investigations and hearings into prospective wrongdoing by universities, failures to protect students and threats of switching off the financial spigot for colleges.

"The biggest supply of money comes from us. And so we're taking a look at how to condition that money on how they handle their campuses in situations like this," promised Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

House Republicans have already targeted higher education for months – with great success. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., bragged "one down, two to go," after University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill stepped down in December following her congressional testimony about collegiate antisemitism.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Chad Pergram

A 110% rise in the number of antisemitic incidents in New York last year set a disturbing new record for the Empire State, and 60% of the outbreaks of Jew hatred unfolded in New York City.

The exploding levels of antisemitism were revealed last month by the Anti-Defamation League and have implications for recent incidents of anti-Jewish rhetoric and behavior in the city’s public school system.  

"The failure by the school system to impose consequences on Jew hatred is a major factor in the increased bigotry we see every day," said Brooke Goldstein, a human rights attorney, executive director of The Lawfare Project and founder of the End Jew Hatred movement.  

Noting recent antisemitic events, Goldstein demanded more needed to be done.

"Whether at Hillcrest High School, where a Jewish teacher was reportedly targeted and hunted down just for being Jewish, or at Origins High School, where faculty reported a pattern of harassment and discrimination lasting for years, or now at schools in Staten Island, we are not seeing any action."

Jewish students and their parents, along with local politicians and community leaders, are raising alarm bells over shocking outbreaks of antisemitism in the New York City public school system.

They spoke with Fox News Digital about what they say are serious acts of anti-Jewish hatred coupled with a public school administration that has turned a blind eye to growing antisemitism.

Jewish students at Susan E. Wagner High School on Staten Island told Fox News Digital that after the terrorist organization Hamas invaded Israel Oct. 7, a Middle Eastern student "screamed free Palestine" and could be heard saying  "f---ing Jew" on the way to school.

The Jewish students said some anti-Israel students "claim they are not antisemitic and say Israel should not exist." One student of Middle Eastern origin said it would be "OK if the Holocaust happened," according to a witness at the school.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal

The police union representing officers at University of California schools is criticizing UCLA administrators for the "lack of response" to violence that broke out at anti-Israel student protests on campus last week.

The union also called for an independent investigation into the response.

"UC administrators are solely responsible for the University’s response to campus protests, and they own all the fallout from those responses," Federated University Police Officers Association president Wade Stern said in a press release Saturday.

Hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators set up an encampment on UCLA's campus in Royce Quad last week to demand that the university divest from companies and institutions that are "complicit in the Israeli occupation, apartheid, and genocide of the Palestinian people."

Early Wednesday morning, pro-Israel counter-protesters attacked the encampment, which started a clash between them and the anti-Israel protesters, Fox 11 reported. Fights broke out, fireworks were shot at demonstrators and items were thrown as part of the violence. 

Law enforcement initially stood by while the violence unfolded, according to Fox 11. Local police in riot gear did not respond to the scene until hours later. Law enforcement eventually moved in and cleared the encampment, and more than 200 protesters were arrested.

""In the end, the encampment on Royce Quad was both unlawful and a breach of policy.," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement Thursday. "It led to unsafe conditions on our campus and it damaged our ability to carry out our mission. It needed to come to an end."

A group of anti-Israel protesters stole the keys to a building at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago campus on Saturday and barricaded themselves inside for several hours, despite being offered amnesty, administrators said.

A group began protesting in the north garden property at the campus before shoving a security guard and taking the keys to a museum, an Art Institute spokesperson told Fox News Digital. They then blocked emergency exits and barricaded the gates, officials said.

The school offered the protesters an alternative location to continue their protest on campus, which was was refused, officials said.

"During multiple rounds of negotiations, SAIC student protesters were promised amnesty from academic sanction and trespassing charges if they agreed to relocate," the spokesperson said. "The School also agreed to meet with a student group to discuss their demands."

After five hours of unsuccessful negotiations, the Chicago Police Department ended the protest and arrested 50 people.