This Video Does Not Depict U.S. Police Dispersing Student Protests Against the Gaza War
The Claim
A video shows American police were sent against peaceful American college students numbering 300-700 people at best.
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Emerging story
Recently, social media users have been circulating a video clip purportedly showing a large assembly of security forces in the United States, allegedly deployed by authorities to quell pro-Palestinian protests at American universities and arrest students.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading, as the video clip does not depict security forces gathering to disperse student protests at American universities.
The Funeral of a U.S. Officer in New York
The video footage dates back to March 30, 2024, depicting the attendance of thousands of American police officers at the funeral procession of an officer named Jonathan Diller from the New York Police Department.
American media outlets have also published other scenes showing thousands who attended the funeral of a 31-year-old police officer killed in a shootout after pulling over an illegally operating vehicle in New York, where an individual in the car brandished a weapon at the officers.
Pro-Palestinian Student Protests in American Universities
The circulation of the claim coincides with ongoing pro-Palestinian protests and condemnation of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip at American universities, where police have arrested hundreds of protesting students.
Tensions have escalated in American universities in recent days, following the gathering of hundreds of riot police to disperse demonstrations and sit-ins on campuses.
Police forcefully dispersed pro-Palestinian protesters at several colleges on Thursday, May 2, and worked to dismantle encampments during a sit-in at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Police officers forcibly broke up the sit-in at the University of California, using riot gear to push through the ranks of protesters who attempted to block their advance.
Students across the United States have called for an end to the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and urged their universities to divest from Israeli companies, especially those supplying the Israeli army with supplies.
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