Police have arrested at least 25 pro-Palestinian protesters and cleared an encampment at the University of Virginia (UVA) as campuses across the United States brace for more turmoil during graduation ceremonies.

Tensions flared at UVA’s campus in Charlottesville, where protests had been largely peaceful until Saturday morning, when police officers in riot gear were seen in a video moving on an encampment on the campus’s lawn, cuffing some demonstrators with zip ties and using what appeared to be chemical spray.

Students across the US have rallied or set up tents at dozens of universities to protest the months-long war in Gaza and call on President Joe Biden, who has supported Israel, to do more to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.

They also demand their schools divest from companies that support Israel’s government, such as the arms suppliers.

It was not immediately clear how many of those arrested were UVA students.

303