This Video Does Not Show Police Arresting a Student at American Universities’ Protests Supporting Gaza
The Claim
A video shows American police arresting a student during the protests supporting Gaza.
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Recently, social media users have been circulating a video claiming to depict the U.S. police arresting and suppressing a student during the recent protests at American universities in solidarity with Gaza amidst the ongoing Israeli war.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading. The video clip is old and does not depict the U.S. police assaulting a student during the recent protests at American universities in solidarity with Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli war.
The Assault on a Woman in Italy in 2023
Media outlets published the video in May 2023, documenting an assault by Italian police officers on a transgender woman before restraining and arresting her in Milan.
At the time, media reports stated that Italian police assaulted a transgender woman from Brazil outside the "Casa del Sole" elementary school in Milan. She was naked and screaming at the children, claiming she had AIDS, which led to her arrest and detention by the police.
Solidarity Protests With Gaza at American Universities
The circulation of the claim coincides with the U.S. police launching a series of arrests and assaults on students who organized solidarity protests with Gaza at American universities.
Protesters demand an end to the Israeli war on Gaza, the withdrawal of funds and investments linked to the Israeli occupation, and the termination of any partnership or support provided by universities and the government to Israel and its army.
In recent days, U.S. police have arrested 100 students from protests at Columbia University. Additionally, they have arrested several students in California, Texas, Boston, and other U.S. states while they were holding camps resembling those used by Columbia University students to show solidarity with Gaza.
New York police arrested dozens of students after forcibly entering Columbia University's campus. They also arrested dozens from around and within the university.
Similarly, police arrested about 36 protesters from the University of North Carolina while they were staging a sit-in inside the university campus demanding an end to the Israeli war on Gaza.
According to a report by The Washington Post on Tuesday, April 30, U.S. authorities have detained more than 1,200 students from various universities across the United States.
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