An Atlanta police spokeswoman confirmed officers were sent to the campus at the university’s request but would not say how many arrests had been made, referring all questions to Emory officials.

Emory police Commander Thomas Mann told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that people unaffiliated with the university had infiltrated the group.

“The ones that were arrested, there wasn’t anything peaceful about what was going on,” he said, adding that charges will include criminal trespass and assaulting police officers.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones also weighed in, telling the AJC: “We will not allow pro-terrorist radicals and liberal anarchists to invade Georgia’s campuses. These criminals have only one goal: disruption. These heinous acts of antisemitism seen across the country cannot continue. In Georgia, they will be stopped, and these criminals will be punished.”

Tara Doyle, a lecturer at Emory’s Candler School of Theology, said the use of force was unnecessary.

“I am so disappointed in this university,” she said. “It was … heavy-handed, unnecessary violence against our students.”

Nearly 30 miles north, the scene was markedly different as about 150 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched across Kennesaw State’s campus without a police officer in sight.

Carrying signs and waving flags, the students called for an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Chants of “Free Palestine” and “End the Occupation” echoed across the campus as a small contingent of Pro-Israel counter-protesters stood nearby.

Among the counter-protesters was Dave Clark, a Jewish KSU student who is a member of the university’s Chabad and Hillel groups. Holding up one side of an Israeli flag, the sophomore history major said the pro-Palestinian demonstrators made him feel “unsafe” on campus.

Several of the pro-Palestinian students pushed back on that sentiment, saying they were there for a peaceful demonstration.

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