The Media Line: Police Arrest Dozens of Anti-Israel Protesters at Chicago Art Institute

Dozens of protesters were arrested outside the Art Institute of Chicago during a demonstration on Saturday, following a police request from the institute to clear the premises, according to the Chicago Police Department’s post on X (formerly Twitter).

Meanwhile, protests on other campuses did not escalate to arrests. In Ann Arbor, pro-Palestinian demonstrators temporarily interrupted a University of Michigan commencement ceremony. Videos on social media showed several students donning keffiyeh headscarves and graduation caps while waving Palestinian flags. They marched down the Michigan Stadium’s central aisle, evoking cheers and boos from the crowd. Campus police escorted the protesters toward the stadium’s back but made no arrests, according to Colleen Mastony, a university spokesperson.

“Peaceful protests like this have taken place at U-M commencement ceremonies for decades,” Mastony said in a statement, reaffirming the university’s commitment to free speech and expression.

Controversial reactions to Israel’s conflict in Gaza have fueled heated protests across US campuses recently, with institutions like Columbia University seeking police assistance to manage the demonstrations. Police have so far detained over 2,000 protesters nationwide.

Demonstrators are protesting Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, in which Hamas operatives killed around 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and took more than 250 people hostage. The Israeli counteroffensive has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza’s Hamas-run government.