Tensions flared on Emory University's campus as pro-Palestine protesters and police clashed, resulting in the arrest of 28 individuals, 20 of whom were members of the Emory community, according to officials. The protest began early Thursday as demonstrators set up tents and used bullhorns in a call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. Laura Diamond, assistant vice president of University Communications at Emory, emphasized that Emory does not tolerate vandalism or criminal activity, leading to the involvement of Atlanta police in the removal of the protesters.

Meanwhile unrest spreads to college campuses across the nation, with the University of Southern California canceling its main graduation ceremony due to anti-war demonstrations. Protests have also sprung up at other institutions such as Indiana University Bloomington and City College of New York with police making dozens of arrests and some universities have been forced to hold security trainings for students in preparation for potential escalations according to AP News. The protesters have been calling for universities to divest from Israeli apartheid and so-called "Cop City," links between U.S. imperialism and the treatment of Palestinians and certain communities in Atlanta.

Emory University faced disruption earlier in the week when graffiti reading "Stop Cop City" was discovered on campus, amidst ongoing protests against the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, the site of significant contention following damage caused by protesters and the fatal shooting of protester Manuel Esteban Paez Terán in January 2023. FOX 5 Atlanta documented the use of Tasers and pepper balls by police and reported on a particularly tense encounter where Georgia State Patrol troopers applied a Taser drive-stun to subdue a resisting protester.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, responding to the protests, released a statement asserting that colleges will never be a safe haven for extremists and those breaking the law will face its full force, yet congressman Hank Johnson expressed concern over the deployment of Georgia State Patrol on a college campus and supported legitimate peaceful protests, denouncing any attempts to intimidate Jewish students or promote violence, "I am disturbed to learn that Governor Brian Kemp has deployed the Georgia State Patrol onto the Emory University campus," he told FOX 5 Atlanta. Protests were reported peaceful at Morehouse College and Kennesaw State University but the Emory University Vice President for Public Safety, Cheryl Elliott, shared a letter highlighting the necessity of clearing the disruptive encampment and ensuring accountability to the law.

As concerns over graduation ceremonies loom, other universities are taking measures such as banning encampments and relocating final exams. Some, like Columbia University, continue to negotiate with students and faculty to find peaceful resolutions. The ACLU of Georgia weighed in, highlighting the importance of protecting the right to protest and the function of college campuses as beacons of free speech, debate, and expression.