Colleges that embraced anti-Israel protests now changing their tune as encampments grow more chaotic

Police block pro-Palestinian protesters from returning to their encampment at the University of Chicago, on Tuesday, May 7. (AP/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Anti-Israel protests linger across college campuses nationwide nearly three weeks after they first appeared at Columbia University.

In the chaotic weeks since April 18, more than 2,600 people have been arrested on 50 campuses. The protesters have said they want their schools to cut all ties with Israel over its war in Gaza. 

Administrators have shown mixed reactions with some universities like UT Austin and Emory University cracking down almost immediately, while others have shown more restraint. 

But many colleges in the latter camp have started to lose patience amid the increasing combativeness of some of the protesters. Anti-Israel agitators at a George Washington encampment for instance, have called for the "guillotine" for school administrators. 

Campuses have tried tactics from appeasement to threats of disciplinary action to resolve the protests and clear the way for upcoming commencements.

At the University of Chicago, hundreds of protesters gathered on campus for more than a week. Administrators initially adopted a permissive approach, but later said the protest had crossed a line and caused growing concerns about safety.

The protesters were warned Friday to leave or face removal. On Tuesday, law enforcement dismantled the encampment after a scuffle.

Officials at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, told deans and department chairs Monday that some students have been informed by instructors opposing the suspension of student protesters that they will withhold grades.

The school provost's office said it would support "sanctions for any instructor who is found to have improperly withheld grades." 

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), protesters were given a deadline to voluntarily leave or face suspension. Many left, according to an MIT spokesperson, who said protesters breached fencing after the arrival of demonstrators from outside the university. On Monday night, dozens remained at the encampment in a calmer atmosphere.

MIT officials said the following day that dozens of interim suspensions and discipline committee referrals were in process, actions taken to ensure the "safety of our community."

Some schools are still showing a permissive attitude to the protests, letting students hold demonstrations and organize their encampments as they see fit.

Those include the Rhode Island School of Design and Wesleyan University, where protests continue.