>> welcome to America tonight. I'm married to and we start with new developments in the unrest rocking college campuses nationwide. And we are learning more about the clearing of the building at Columbia University in New York. Prosecutors say a police officer fired his gun while clearing protesters from Hamilton Hall late Tuesday night. The Manhattan prosecutors office says nobody was injured. There were no students in the immediate vicinity. But this incident >> is now under review. And there's no sign unrest is slowing as pro-Palestinian demonstrations continue into their 3rd week. ♪ Even as the school year comes to a close tensions are heating up at student protests and encampments across the country. More than 2000 people have now been arrested at pro-Palestinian demonstrations since mid April. And that includes dozens of arrests made just over the past. 24 hours amid chaotic clashes between police and protesters that violence serious enough to prompt President Joe Biden to break his silence on the situation. >> This isn't a moment for politics. Small for Clark. So let me be clear. Peaceful protest in America. While protest is not protected. Peaceful protest she gets along. Violence occurs. >> We're not just talking about New York and Los Angeles here. The dots on this map show how protests on college campuses have exploded numbers across the middle of the country to despite crackdowns by police and university officials. But we are starting to see some encampments and demonstrations cleared out. That includes the massive protests on UCLA campus. Helmeted police officers moved into the pro-Palestinian encampment early this morning. Some clashing with protesters as they worked to clear the crowds. Scripps News national correspondent James Pack. It has been reporting from UCLA all weekend. James, it seems a pretty quiet there now compared to that scene we saw earlier yeah, good evening reads, it sure is a lot quieter and entirely different world from what we just 24 hours ago when a fortified encampment took over this area of UCLA campus. Now with barricades up in a clear quad, some stragglers are coming by to just observe. >> This is the story of one campus, though, in a city of many where these protests have taken >> Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations. Not this is a peaceful protest. >> After days of silence, President Biden speaking out about the protests on college campuses across the country emphasize peaceful protests are protected under the law, but violence isn't. ♪ His remarks come after police confronted about 1000 protesters early Thursday on UCLA campus. >> After hours of arrest warnings to the crowd, police began pulling down barricades and dismantling the police used flash bangs and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Some protesters left voluntarily. Police detained about 130 others. >> Some protesters were throwing night fire extinguishers at us as well as smoke bottles and other equipment, even kind of that they're doing. That But for the most part, the operation went well. >> Students have been arrested or detained at campuses across the country. According to an Associated Press tally, there have been at least 2000 arrests so far the arrests have created a divide between students, faculty members and college administrators. >> Faculty and staff. have no say and what's and this kind police state is is not going to work for free and open inquiry. The kind of college that we need. >> course, there was an order to disperse before those arrests were made this morning. What's interesting rates, as among people who've gathered here, I'm hearing some of the most substantive conversation and debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that I've heard since this encampment >> alright, national correspondent James Packard. I would love to hear more about that. We had more time. I get another day. Thank you so much for your on-the-ground coverage there. really appreciate it. And it's not just these coastal campus is seeing an uptick in unrest just a few miles from broadcasting here, students of the University of Montana in Missoula held a strike for Gaza in solidarity with their peers. And I was at UMC campus yesterday as dozens of students stood on the steps of main hall armed with signs calling for an end to the war in Gaza. The protest and march around campus remained peaceful. One counter-protester showed up with an Israeli flag. No protests at UNM today, but students are still calling on the university to disclose its financial investments and divest from companies that profit from the war. U.S. President Seth Bodner joins us now to talk more about these demonstrations on him. His campus and across the country. Good evening, President Biden or so. I want to start we're hearing from so many students who are saying, you know, they support free speech, but they don't necessarily feel safe right now. What are you doing to ensure students on your campus feel safe? >> Yeah, I think thanks And this is this is a and tension that's always existed on college campuses, you know, exercising free speech and free expression to critical pillar. >> Of public flagship universities like the University of Montana. At the same time, one person's right to free speech cannot infringe on the rights of others to access education and a safe environment that's conducive to learning. So we have clear policies and procedures in place to ensure that students can exercise their free speech rights. But without harming the educational operational mission of the University. >> Let's talk more about what administrators like you are up against here. There's a fine line between freedom of speech we're talking and ensuring the safety and wondering about the conversations you're having. Not only in your office, but with other administrators. >> Yeah, a look at it. We have to for that. We defend every member of our communities. First Amendment rights. incredibly important that we get college campus, especially public campus, is for for the for expression of ideas. But again, when it crosses the line into infringing the rights, the opportunities of others to to access education weekend, a lot it taking over public buildings, violating policies. That's not an effective way to make change. No, we we try to engage our students and encourage them to take part in civil discourse dialogue across difference to defend your position. But they do so in an informed, respectful way without infringing on the rights of others. These are the values we work every day to instill in our students. >> And you feel like the students at University of Montana accomplish that yesterday. >> you mentioned, we did experience here on our campus to protest this week regarding the conflict and gas leak out. But as you also mentioned, the protests counter-demonstrations here. If university, we're our our students, our community members that share their perspective they made their their point of view but they did so in accordance with the policies that we have here. And that's straighten of a dynamic that see too the the narrative around all of higher education institutions is dominated by what I would call an on representative sample of of mostly private that necessarily representing that full spectrum of of of educational institutions in country. >> Yeah, let's talk a little bit more about that. I mean, there are common themes, hearing criticisms around higher education, whether it's the costs are these demonstrations and protests and a look across the country protest all of different. I mean, the ones that Columbia are starkly different from the one that I saw your campus yesterday. But it seems that they're kind of all lumped together. So what would you like the rest of America to know about the protests unfolding at the smaller universities like yours? >> Well, you know, look, I think every campus is going to have a here at the University of Montana. Again, we have engaged in battle. We believe that's important. We believe in engaged in an educated citizenry is it's fundamentally important to the health of our republic. At the same time, we want them to be informed participants in that society. And what I think what this illustrates is maybe a broader trend where we see examples of what happens campus. And you mention student that you take a university like alum, you know, you know, Tony University, we're literally the situation is 10 times what it is here at the University of MontanaAnd again, it's just a very different institution and a very different experience. >> I want to show you very briefly here. We found article from Montana student newspaper showing that nearly 54 years ago to the day University, Montana students protested the deadly shootings at Kent State and the U.S. military's involvement in decades later, we're seeing, you know, this, this walkout yesterday. So what's your message to students about the school's roll in and legacy and events like these? >> As I mentioned, our our our goal >> is to create into shape, educated, informed, engage participants in their communities. So students protesting and sharing their perspective that in and of itself is not a bad thing. That is how progress is made in this country. It always has been it. But when it crosses the line into violence in a wooden infringes on others rights to receive their education, that's what we can't tolerate. So. A student protest. That's not a bad thing. In fact, that this country was was founded by people who protested the situation. They didn't with the Boston Tea Party. So so protesters in but it it cannot infringe upon the rights of others.
