UN concerned by police action against US campus protesters
Police clashed with protesters at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday, including using pepper spray, and made arrests while dismantling an encampment, adding to the more than 350 people detained nationwide over the weekend.
The UN on Tuesday voiced concern over heavy-handed steps taken to disperse and dismantle pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses in the United States.
Police clashed with protesters at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday, including using pepper spray, and made arrests while dismantling an encampment, adding to the more than 350 people detained nationwide over the weekend.
Footage of police in riot gear summoned at various colleges to break up rallies has been viewed around the world, recalling the protest movement that erupted during the Vietnam War.
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"I am concerned that some of law enforcement actions across a series of universities appear disproportionate in their impact," said UN human rights chief Volker Turk.
"Freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are fundamental to society -- particularly when there is sharp disagreement on major issues, as there are in relation to the conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel," he added.
The protests have reignited the debate since the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7 over freedom of expression and allegations of anti-Semitism.
"Incitement to violence or hatred on grounds of identity or viewpoints -- whether real or assumed -- must be strongly repudiated," Turk said.
