White House Calls for ‘Peaceful’ University Protests as Hundreds Are Arrested

The US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC: “We certainly respect the right of peaceful protests."

The wave of demonstrations began at Columbia University in New York but has since spread rapidly across the country – even globally.

While peace has prevailed in many campuses, the number of protesters detained – at times by police in riot gear using chemical irritants and tasers – is rising fast.

They include 100 at Northeastern University in Boston, 80 at Washington University in St Louis, 72 at Arizona State University, and 23 at Indiana University.

Among those arrested at Washington University was Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, who faulted police for aggressive tactics she said provoked the sort of trouble they are meant to quell.