In the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict, protests advocating for a ceasefire and Palestine have surged across US college campuses, resulting in the arrests of hundreds of demonstrators.
Encampments have been set up on campuses, where clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-protesters, as well as law enforcement, are heating up.
As tensions escalate and arrests exceed 1300, as reported by The Guardian, freedom of speech and peaceful protests are questioned, as accusations of anti-Semitism loom over the demonstrations
Here’s everything you need to know about the pro-Palestine protests across US universities:
What do the protestors want?
Rooted in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, the demands are simple and call for universities to sever ties with Israel and companies supporting its actions in Gaza.
However, the specifics of these demands vary from campus to campus and include a range of measures aimed at disengaging from entities encouraging the genocide in Gaza.
As reported by Sky News, some of the key demands are that students want universities to cease all business with companies supplying arms to Israel. Universities must refuse research funding from Israel that directly aids its military efforts.
Increased transparency regarding financial ties with Israel is demanded, detailing the source and purpose of all funds received. Universities should also divest their endowments from any companies or contractors that profit from their association with Israel.
With approximately 100 US colleges reporting gifts or contracts from Israel totaling $375 million over the past two decades, according to the Education Department database, balancing the complexities of institutional ties and ethical responsibility turns into a huge dilemma.
Where are the protests happening?
A student encampment was established at Columbia University on April 17, the same day its president, Nemat Shafik, was set to appear before Congress for questioning.
Meanwhile, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) became another battleground as police clashed with protesters who had erected barricades and fortified their positions.
The University of Southern California, Northeastern University, and numerous other institutions have also experienced protests from its student body.
However, these represent only a fraction of the nationwide unrest. From prestigious Ivy League universities like Harvard and Princeton to public institutions such as the University of Michigan and the University of California Berkeley, demonstrations have sprung up, reflecting solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
What triggered the protests?
University of Southern California (USC) announced that Asna Tabassum, a Muslim biomedical engineering student, would not be allowed to deliver the traditional graduation speech, possibly due to sharing a link to a pro-Palestinian page on her Instagram account sparked outrage.
This decision on April 15, citing security concerns, brought up questions regarding freedom of expression and discrimination on campus.
Simultaneously, as reported by AP News, Nemat Shafik, president of Columbia University, testified before Congress about anti-Semitism on campus. This coincided with hundreds of students pitching tents on campus.
The subsequent police intervention further fueled the unrest, leading to the cancellation of in-person classes and the continuation of protests, eventually spilling into an academic building called Hamilton Hall.
While there was some coordination, such as a phone call involving students from Columbia and other universities interested in initiating similar protests, as reported by Sky News, the demonstrations were primarily organized independently by separate student groups.
What’s the reaction?
At UCLA on Tuesday night, as reported on AFP, a largely peaceful pro-Palestinian encampment became the target of a violent attack by counter-demonstrators.
Video footage captured the harrowing scene, showing masked and hooded individuals attempting to break down barricades and wielding long sticks. The situation escalated further as fireworks were launched into the camp, and some form of substance was sprayed, resulting in clashes that lasted several hours.
Protestors at Columbia University had occupied Hamilton Hall and renamed it Hind’s Hall, after a Palestinian six-year-old child who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Dozens of helmeted police officers flooded the campus on Tuesday, entering the building via a second-floor window accessed from a laddered truck. Handcuffed students were led out of the building and detained in police vans.
Law enforcement remains on standby at the campus grounds of Columbia University. On Thursday, police cleared out the encampments at UCLA.
University of Southern California has already canceled its main ceremony citing safety concerns on April 25.
On Wednesday, law enforcement officers dismantled a protest encampment at the University of Texas, resulting in the arrest of over a dozen individuals. Similar actions were taken at Fordham University in New York, where several people were detained, and an encampment inside a school building was cleared.
In Cambridge, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, protesters dug in, blocking an avenue near the campus center during the busy rush hour commute on Wednesday afternoon.
Brown University became the first to consider divesting from Israel, following an agreement reached on Tuesday with students protesting the conflict in Gaza. Brown University President Christina Paxson announced that students would dismantle their encampment on campus grounds by 5pm local time Tuesday.
In return, the university has pledged to review divestment from companies allegedly involved in and benefiting from the conflict in Gaza. Five students will have the opportunity to present their arguments for divestment to five members of the Brown University Corporation in May, with a decision pending for October.
President Joe Biden’s response to the student protests has been notably restrained, with the US president opting to avoid the contentious subject, likely due to concerns about complicating his reelection campaign.
Biden has publicly addressed the demonstrations only briefly. In his statement, he condemned anti-Semitic protests and affirmed his commitment to addressing them.
In contrast, Trump has been more vocal about the protests, criticizing Biden for his perceived silence on the matter. Trump characterized the protests as indicative of a larger issue within the country and chastised Biden for not addressing them more directly.
Trump’s response painted the demonstrators, particularly those at Columbia University, in a negative light, labeling them as “raging lunatics and Hamas sympathizers.”
Protests around the world
Pro-Palestinian protests are resonating across the globe, with demonstrations occurring on university campuses not only in the United States but also in countries spanning continents.
As reported by BBC, students from Australia to Canada, France to Italy, and the UK are gathering to voice their solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The escalating crisis in Gaza has sparked a wave of activism, with protesters demanding an end to the violence and calling for justice and accountability.
The widespread participation in these protests underscores the international concern and solidarity with the plight of the Palestinian people, highlighting the global impact of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
