A wave of pro-Palestinian protests over civilians killed in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war grew to more U.S. universities on Wednesday. when college students across the country marched, camped and, in some cases, were taken into police custody.
At the University of Texas at Austin, Dozens of local and state police formed a line to stop students from marching on campus, and finally they clashed with the protesters and detained several people.
And at the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles police removed several tents and then engaged in a tug-of-war with protesters over the tents, before backing down.
Universities are trying everything they can, from negotiations to mass arrests, to confront the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have arisen on their lands.
Elite schools, starting with Columbia University, have fallen into chaos as opponents of Israel’s handling of its war against Hamas and its treatment of the Palestinian people in general set up camps on campuses across the country over the past week.
Student protests over Israel’s war against Hamas have emerged on more university campuses after the arrest last week of more than 100 protesters at Columbia University.
What students ask for
The students are calling on universities to separate themselves from any companies that are fueling Israel’s military efforts in Gaza and, in some cases, to disassociate themselves from Israel.
The protests on many campuses have been orchestrated by coalitions of student groups, often including local chapters of organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
They are coming together as umbrella groups, such as MIT’s Anti-Apartheid Coalition and the University of Michigan’s Tahrir Coalition.
The groups largely act independently, although students say they draw inspiration from their peers at other universities.
Many Jewish students have expressed fear following accusations of anti-Semitism at these protests.
What happens in universities
At the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles police arrested about 50 people after warning protesters to disperse. The university said protests there led to vandalism and clashes.
University officials today warned Princeton students that will be arrested and banned from New Jersey campus if they participate in camping or engage in other “illegal disruptive conduct.”
Columbia University said this morning that student protesters had agreed to tear down “a significant number of tents”but the protests will continue.
The university said protesters had agreed to ensure that anyone not enrolled at Columbia left campus, that the camp would follow fire safety regulations and that discriminatory or harassing language would be prohibited.
The Columbia University Board of Trustees today publicly endorsed President Minouche Shafik after House Speaker Mike Johnson asked him to resign if he could not quell the anti-Gaza war protests on campus.
Protests are spreading on campuses across the United Statesand camps have now been established at Harvard University, Brown University, the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt.
As of April 23, 2024, more than 34,000 people have been reported killed in the war between Israel and Hamas, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health, cited by CNN, which has not been able to confirm the data, including 95 journalists (90 Palestinians, 2 Israelis and 3 Lebanese) and more than 224 humanitarian aid workers.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights yesterday cited Gaza authorities as saying that 14,685 of those killed were children.
Keep reading:
– US university students intensify protests against the war in the Gaza Strip
– Biden supports freedom of expression in protests against the war in Gaza, but calls against violence
– Amid clashes with police, Texas governor says pro-Palestinian students should go to jail