Iran calls on US not to undermine democracy as country cracks down on uni protesters
The Los Angeles Police Department said 93 people were arrested on suspicion of trespassing during Wednesday’s demonstrations at the University of Southern California.
“The university is a private campus and the group had been violating some of their orders. It was a trespass at that point and we assisted with the arrests,” Los Angeles Police Captain Kelly Muniz said during a briefing.
One person was also arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, Muniz said. She did not provide further details.
No protesters or officers have been reported injured, police said.
The USC’s Department of Public Safety ordered protesters gathering at the campus’ Alumni Park Wednesday afternoon to disperse or face arrest for trespassing.
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At one point during the demonstrations, tensions escalated as protesters refused to relocate and remove their tents and other prohibited items, a university official said.
The university closed its campus Wednesday evening as LAPD began arresting demonstrators.
Negotiations between protesters and Columbia University officials about clearing the encampment on its lawn that had been extended for 48 hours have been “unstable,” said Esha Karam, managing director of Columbia Daily Spectator, citing student organizers.
“We’re about halfway through that extended deadline of 48 hours and we heard from organizers on the student front earlier today in a press conference who told us that the negotiations are ongoing so unstable at the moment,” Karam told CNN.
There’s still around another 24 hours to go until the extended deadline “but really after that, we don’t really know where things are going,” Karam added.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called Wednesday for the resignation of the university’s president if she can’t “bring order to this chaos.”
Student reactions to calls for the college president’s resignation have been mixed, Karam said.
She said there are “some who are willing to see her continue to lead and continue to work with her.”
In relation to this, Iran’s foreign ministry says it is concerned with US government’s crackdown on peaceful protestors and tasked the US not to undermine democracy.
