LONDON: American comedian Stephen Colbert has defended pro-Palestinian college campus demonstrators, countering recent criticism from former President Donald Trump.

Last week, Trump likened the student rallies to the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, claiming the latter was “nothing” in comparison.

On his “Late Show” segment, Colbert expressed solidarity with the protestors who are urging their institutions to cut ties with companies profiting from the conflict in Gaza.

The host said that peaceful protests “should be allowed,” rebuking Trump for “downplaying one of the darkest chapters in American history.”

He added: “Now even if you don’t agree with the subject of their protests, as long as they are peaceful, students should be allowed to protest. It’s their First Amendment right.”

The former “The Colbert Report” star criticized the response of both university officials and law enforcement to recent events at Columbia University, denouncing the use of heavily armed police and threats to call in the National Guard as a “classic de-escalation tactic.”

Trump, however, praised law enforcement’s handling of the situation, commending New York City’s police force.

Colbert’s remarks coincided with the deployment of riot police at Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, resulting in the arrest of numerous pro-Palestinian students who had occupied the building.

The raids drew condemnation from advocacy groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. New York City’s mayor reported the arrest of 282 students.

Subsequent clashes between pro-Palestinian groups, counter-protestors, and law enforcement erupted at other campuses across the US.

Meanwhile, Brown University in Rhode Island reached an agreement with protesters on Tuesday, marking what appears to be the first time a US college has agreed to vote on divestment in response to the protests.

DUBAI: Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company, has announced the appointment of Ashwaq Al-Shathri as country managing director for Saudi Arabia.

The appointment reflects the importance of the Kingdom and the Middle East for Publicis Sapient, the company said.

Based in the company’s Riyadh office, Al-Shathri will be responsible for accelerating business growth in Saudi Arabia and building the operational business and community.

She will lead the teams responsible for digital business transformation in the region, leveraging the company’s strategy, product, experience, engineering and data, and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient, said: “We’re committed to supporting KSA’s technology-driven transformation and realization of Vision 2030, while also, ultimately, helping position KSA as a leader in digital innovation on the global stage.”

Al-Shathri’s appointment “will directly contribute to our continued business growth as we scale our expertise in the Middle East to better serve our clients and their customers and help them transform digitally,” said Srinivas Devulapalli, managing director of Publicis Sapient MENA (Middle East and North Africa).

Publicis Sapient is the digital business transformation hub of Publicis Groupe with 20,000 people and over 53 offices worldwide. Its global clients include Marriott, Goldman Sachs, McDonald’s, and Walmart, while regional clients include Omantel, Diriyah Gate, and Miral.