As tensions simmer around college campus protests and university responses, Gov. Maura Healey gave a mostly muted response Tuesday to the proliferation of pro-Palestinian encampments, saying “there has to be” space for both protest and Jewish student safety alike.

Colleges around the country are grappling with how to respond to student demonstrations against Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, some of which have featured growing tent encampments. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the campus protests escalated when more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators camped out on Columbia University’s green were arrested last week. Some Jewish students have called on higher education leaders to respond to the protests, which they say can threaten their safety on campus.

The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that hundreds of students are involved in the protests across Greater Boston, including tent encampments at MIT, Emerson College, and Tufts University. Harvard, which was roiled with controversy that contributed to its president’s ouster at the start of the year, closed Harvard Yard to people without a school ID.

“You need to protect the safety and well-being of students. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a rise in antisemitism, a rise in Islamophobia, a rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Arab sentiment,” the governor said on WBUR on Tuesday. “And so you know, I think for me, it’s really important that we stay focused on combating hate, combating racism and protecting people, making sure that we respect the dignity and worth of everybody, making sure that people are safe on campus.”

At Emerson on Tuesday, pro-Palestine protesters had scrawled slogans in chalk along the alleyway that connects a school building and the State Transportation Building to Boylston Street. There were a handful of tents set up, and a defaced statue of television producer Norman Lear along with banners with pro-Palestine slogans.

The governor also gave a general take on the situation in the Middle East on Tuesday, calling the strife “an incredibly troubling situation,” and saying it’s the “civil rights lawyer in me” that drives her focus on making sure people feel safe and know their rights.

“I’ve joined with others in calling for a cease-fire and calling for humanitarian aid to Gaza, and calling for the release of hostages by Hamas. These things need to happen. These things need to happen,” Healey said. “And here in the commonwealth, we need to work together to ensure that we’re doing all that we can to fight what has been a really troubling rise in hate and vitriol and the like.”

Healey said on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” that there is “absolutely” a way to have both room for protest and safety for students on campus.

“There has to be,” the governor said. “We’re a free country and people have the right to express their views and protest within the bounds of the law, of course, right. And that’s where you see some of the tension and some of the problems arise there.”

Sam Doran contributed
reporting.