Photos show what appeared to be sharpshooters monitoring pro-Palestinian demonstrations at university campuses.
Clashes between police and pro-Palestinian protestors at college campuses across the United States have furthered tensions in the ongoing student activism against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Student protest encampments over the Israel-Hamas war have emerged at many college campuses since more than 100 demonstrators were arrested after Columbia called in police to clear an encampment on the university’s main lawn.
Universities have sought to clear out the encampments as commencement ceremonies near. But while some have continued negotiations, others have turned to force resulting in clashes with police.
The number of arrests nationwide has neared 1,000 since the arrests at Columbia on April 18. Among the commentary, photos appeared online recently of „snipers“ said to have been taken at Indiana University and Ohio State University. Several pictures appeared online showing police with tripod equipment and what looked like long-range firearms.
The post on X, formerly Twitter, by user rawsalerts, posted on April 26, 2024, and viewed 6.5 million times, said „#BREAKING: Snipers have been spotted on top of roofs at Ohio and Indiana universities as pro-Palestine protests causing a uproar #Ohio | #Indiana
„As dozens of protests break out across the United States at numerous universities, students and protesters have reported sightings of snipers on top of rooftops at Ohio State University and the University of Indiana Bloomingdale’s [sic], causing an uproar.
„Some comments express concern, stating that ‚putting snipers on the roof against students is exactly what police states do‘ or ‚this is absolutely outrageous.‘ However, the presence of snipers is likely for safety reasons, in case of any potential threats or emergencies.“
Newsweek has contacted the university and authorities involved to find out more.
