What’s happening at Columbia and UCLA? Explaining the campus protests [Video]

A protest against the Israel-Hamas war at Columbia University that began in mid-April has sparked a wave of demonstrations at campuses across the country, including one at UCLA that was broken up by hundreds of police officers.

Demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza have popped up at nearly 60 colleges and universities around the U.S., several of which have ended with police storming protest sites and arresting students.

The wave of campus activism has drawn parallels to the anti-Vietnam War protests that swept universities in the late 1960s.

Here’s what to know about the rapidly spreading demonstrations.

Why are students protesting?

Student groups at dozens of universities have spoken out against Israel’s military action in Gaza, while calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and demanding a halt of U.S. military aid to Israel.

Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages in an attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Israeli officials. Israel has responded by killing more than 34,000 Palestinians, health …