Student protests against Israel's offensive in Gaza spread

Student protests against the Israeli military assault on Gaza following the unprecedented Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel have spread to several countries.

Demonstrators have gathered on at least 40 U.S. university campuses since April 17, often erecting tent camps to protest against the soaring death toll in the Gaza Strip.

Nearly 2,000 people have been detained, according to U.S. media, in demonstrations reminiscent of protests against the Vietnam War.

In recent days, police have forcibly dismantled several student sit-ins, including one at New York University at the request of its administrators.

Demonstrators barricaded inside Columbia University, the epicentre in New York of the student protests, complained of police brutality when officers cleared the faculty.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, hundreds of police emptied a camp, tearing down barriers and detaining more than 200 protesters.

Dozens of police in riot gear used chemical sprays to break up a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Virginia, student paper The Cavalier Daily reported.

Officers ripped away umbrellas some of the protesters wielded as shields, scuffled with a few, and tore down tents, according to a video posted by the newspaper.

Brown University in Rhode Island reached an agreement with students to remove their camp from the grounds in exchange for it considering divesting from "companies enabling and profiting from the genocide in Gaza".

U.S. President Joe Biden broke his silence on the protests on Thursday, insisting "order must prevail".

University students in several countries joined the ongoing protests.

 France 

Police on Friday forcibly evacuated protesters...