More than 500 people have been arrested at pro-Palestinian protests at colleges : NPR

More than 500 people have been arrested as pro-Palestinian protests roll on at colleges and universities across the country.

Protesters are demanding an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas and, in some cases, for their schools to cut business ties with Israel.

At Columbia University, more than 100 people were arrested last week after police attempted to clear out an encampment. The school is still in negotiations with student protesters to remove the tents after giving them multiple deadlines that were not met.

It denied rumors that the New York Police Department was expected on campus Thursday.

At The University of Southern California, 93 people were arrested Wednesday for trespassing, a misdemeanor offense. One arrest was made for assault with a deadly weapon, though the department did not say what the weapon was. No injuries were reported, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

As a result of the protests, USC canceled its already controversial commencement ceremony Thursday. It previously canceled its valedictorian’s speech because of safety concerns stemming from backlash she received over her social media posts about the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

At The University of Texas at Austin, almost 60 people were arrested Wednesday for loitering, but charges have been dropped for most of them. Still, the following day, faculty members gathered at a rally and called for the school’s president, Jay Hartzell, to resign, after he praised the school and law enforcement for exercising restraint against the protestors, according to NPR member station KUT.

More than 100 people were arrested at Emerson College in Boston, after police tore down an encampment there. The school subsequently added Boylston Place Alley, where the encampment was located, to its list of places on campus where demonstrations are not allowed.

On Thursday, almost 100 people were taken into custody at Princeton University, while dozens were arrested at Emory University in Atlanta, where people were also protesting a police training facility nicknamed “Cop City.” Arrests were also reported at The Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota, among others.