United Nations, May 1 (RHC)-- The United Nations has criticized the police crackdown on student protests in the United States. 

Marta Hurtado, spokesperson for the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters: “We are troubled by a series of heavy-handed steps taken to disperse and dismantle protests across university campuses in the United States of America.  Freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are fundamental to society, particularly when there is a sharp disagreement on major issues, as there are in relation to the conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.”

According the latest news reports: 

In Richmond, Virginia, police deployed pepper spray on student protesters at Virginia Commonwealth University.  At least 13 arrests were reported.

In Louisiana, a police SWAT team raided an encampment at Tulane University early this morning, arresting at least 14 students.  The raid came hours after the school suspended five students and the school’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society.

In Missouri, a history professor was hospitalized Saturday after police violently threw him to the pavement.  Steve Tamari, who teaches at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, was filming a protest at Washington University on his phone when he was attacked.  His wife, Sandra Tamari, who is Palestinian American, was arrested during the same protest.

Meanwhile, at Brown University, student protesters have voluntarily ended their encampment after school officials agreed to hold a vote on divesting from Israel.