Campuses of universities and colleges in the United States of America have been thrown into mass chaos by pro-Palestine protesters who are protesting against the lingering Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza.

The protests were intense in Columbia, Harvard, USC, University of Texas at Austin and others on Wednesday as they got swarmed by protesters while security agents made frantic efforts to control the raging protesters.

A video posted by an X user, @CollinRugg, showed how Police at USC were taking out their batons and pushing the protesters who were turning violent.

Collin Rugg also said that Texas state troopers were on Wednesday deployed and made dozens of arrests at the University of Texas at Austin.

Also, Harvard Yard was taken over by the pro-Palestine protesters who set up camp after the university threatened to take action against them.

As the protest intensifies, Wall Street Journal reports that the protest has created high tension between students and administrators at Columbia University.

Columbia gave the protesters till Thursday night to disassemble their camp on the campus, following almost a week of protests the university has struggled to contain.

The university initially set a deadline of Wednesday midnight before extending the deadline to Thursday, saying that discussions between the university and the protesters continued.

SaharaReporters reported earlier this week that Columbia University had informed students in an overnight statement that all classes would be held virtually on Monday.

This came as anti-Israel protesters had taken over the campus, the school president announced.

In the statement addressed to the university community and posted on the school website, Minouche Shafik, President of Columbia University in the City of New York, said a cross-section of students have conveyed fears for their safety.

She said, “I am deeply saddened by what is happening on our campus. Our bonds as a community have been severely tested in ways that will take a great deal of time and effort to reaffirm. Students across an array of communities have conveyed fears for their safety and we have announced additional actions we are taking to address security concerns.”

“To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday. Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy. Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus,” she added.

Tensions have been high at Columbia, and many universities since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. The university's president recently requested the New York Police Department remove student protestors, leading to the arrest of over 100 people.

The protesters are demanding that the US must stop doing business with Israel or any companies that support its ongoing war in Gaza.