Four men were arrested following the protests while former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Queen’s University Belfast.

Police said they would maintain a presence in the area following minor disturbances during a pro-Palestinian protest early Thursday.

The former US presidential candidate spoke on the final day of the 2024 Global Innovation Summit at the university, where she is chancellor.

Protesters chanted “shame” and carried Palestinian flags and a cutout of Mrs Clinton with blood on her hands.

Footage from outside the room where Mrs Clinton spoke showed angry exchanges and scuffles between protesters and police.

A PSNI spokesman said: “Police have arrested four men following public order offenses in the University Road area of ​​south Belfast.

“The men have been arrested on suspicion of numerous offenses and remain in police custody at this time.

“Officers will remain in the south Belfast area tonight and a full investigation will follow in due course.”

In a statement, Queen’s University said that while it respected the right to protest peacefully, it was “disappointed by the action of this small number of protesters and condemns their behaviour”.

“Today’s protest coincided with the final day of a three-day international conference, the Global Innovation Summit, which brought together political, industry and academic leaders to discuss pressing issues of economic inclusion and sustainability facing our world,” it is said.

“The conference itself provided a platform for people to discuss and debate different points of view constructively on current global issues.

“Queen’s is committed to providing an open and safe space to have difficult conversations.

“Queen’s University has led the way in response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East by calling for a ceasefire, offering scholarships for Palestinian students and divestment policies, and has responded positively to the concerns of our university population where appropriate.”

Meanwhile, Mrs Clinton told the conference that Belfast was “reinventing itself” after decades of conflict ended.

She said: “You’ve heard so much in the last few days about Belfast, another city that is rapidly reinventing itself and one of the main reasons, I would say, is the end of the conflict, which I was. very – like many of us – pleased to see,” she said in her afternoon speech.

“We had an extraordinary conference here a year and a half ago to celebrate the Good Friday Agreement, the end of the conflict, a turning away from the past to look to the future, the very strong relationship that this university, in particular, but others have with the business community, making public-private partnerships.

“There is no path to innovation unless you support higher education. Higher education must be seen as a public good that businesses, governments and citizens understand.”

She said she saw some projects by young entrepreneurs in schools across Northern Ireland that afternoon, which focused on making new products using recycled clothes and 3D printing.

“Young children, between the ages of 11 and 18 or 19, are given the chance to learn about entrepreneurial opportunities and that goes hand in hand with education, with acquiring skills to create a competitive economy. And of course the government has to play its part.”

Mrs Clinton also said it was “an honour” to be chancellor of Queen’s University and said she could not express “how delighted I am to be here”. — PA