Emory University protesters hit with tear gas, rubber bullets amid clashes with police

Scores of pro-Palestine demonstrators on Atlanta’s Emory University campus clashed with authorities on Thursday in a confrontation that reportedly involved the use of tear gas, tasers and rubber bullets.

“Early this morning, several dozen protestors entered our Atlanta campus and set up an encampment on the Quad,” Emory said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

“These individuals are largely not affiliated with Emory and were disrupting the university as our students finish classes and prepare for finals,” the statement continued. “This is completely unacceptable. In response to this encampment, the Emory Police Department notified these individuals that they were trespassing. When they refused to leave, law enforcement cleared the Quad.”

In response, organizers of the demonstration blasted authorities for “indiscriminately” attacking peaceful protesters at a tent encampment set up on their Atlanta campus.

“The Georgia State Patrol, Atlanta Police Department, and Emory Police Department all bear responsibility for this overt act of terrorism,” they said. “Despite the violence authorized by Emory President Greg Fenves and Dean of Campus Life Enku Gelaye, protestors continue their action on campus and call for the broader Atlanta community to join them.”

Similar scenes have unfolded on college campuses nationwide as students demand universities divest from Israeli businesses and for the federal government to stop backing Israel’s military amid its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip. Tensions on many campuses across the U.S. were sparked in wake of Hamas’ invasion of Israel in October, during which more than 1,200 people were killed and roughly 200 taken hostage.

Israel’s brutal counter-strike has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

At the University of Texas at Austin, National Guard soldiers milled about, placed on standby a day after 57 people were arrested on campus.

On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas warned officials at the college against “violently censoring” demonstrators.

“The First Amendment guarantees people in Texas and across the nation the right to protest, including those who advocate for Palestinians,” a statement from the group read.

“However, state leaders rapidly escalated a planned day of peaceful demonstrations by deploying law enforcement in riot gear against students and the press,” it continued. “Public officials don’t get to forcefully suppress the voices of people they disagree with.”