Student protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza gained nationwide momentum, after the arrest of nearly 550 demonstrators at major US universities, including, Yale, NYU, and Columbia University.
Tensions escalated after more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were briefly detained by police at Columbia University’s upper Manhattan campus, last week.
The pro-Palestinian protestors are calling for universities to sever ties with companies supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza and, in some instances, with Israel itself.
Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests have become a prominent feature on college campuses since October 2023. The protests reached a fever pitch in December when the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania gave controversial testimony before Congress about campus antisemitism, both real and hypothetical.
Pro-Palestinian protests
At Columbia, Yale, the University of Texas-Austin, Emerson College, the University of Southern California, and New York University, students have faced mass arrests as administrators seek to quell the unrest
While some universities resorted to calling in police to disperse the protests, leading to clashes and arrests, others observed as the academic semester drew to a close.
The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony scheduled for May 10 following the arrest of 93 individuals at its Los Angeles campus.
At Emerson College in Boston, 108 people were arrested overnight, with videos showing students linking arms to resist officers.
“There were just more cops on all sides,” Student protester Ocean Muir said: “It felt like we were being slowly pushed in and crushed.”
At Emory University in Atlanta, 28 people were detained, and reports from the local branch of activist group Jewish Voice For Peace allege the use of tear gas and tasers by police.
While Emory’s vice president for public safety defended the clearance of the area from the “disruptive encampment while holding individuals accountable to the law” but human rights groups questioned the “apparent use of excessive force” against free speech.
Meanwhile, charges were dropped against 46 of the 60 people detained by police at the University of Texas.
Defiance began at Columbia
It all started at Columbia, where students pitched more than 50 tents on the lawn in what they called a “Liberated Zone” on April 17. But the tents stayed there only about a day and a half before the Columbia president Nemat Shafik intervened. “The current encampment violates all of the new policies, severely disrupts campus life, and creates a harassing and intimidating environment for many of our students,” Shafik wrote in an April 18 letter to the Columbia community.
Pro-Palestinian student groups at Columbia University have demanded the school to withdraw investment funds from what they describe as companies profiting from Israel’s war in Gaza.
The coalition of student groups behind the movement requested from divesting endowment funds from several weapons manufacturers and tech companies that do business with Israel’s government. The group has described those companies as profiting “from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and military occupation of Palestine.” Israel denies accusations of genocide.
The protest by Columbia University students against Israel’s offensive in Gaza has now evolved into a nationwide movement. Students across the country are occupying buildings and setting up encampments, defying calls to disperse.
Tensions escalated further after over 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators camping on Columbia’s campus were arrested on April 19. Similar arrests have occurred at other campuses, with many protesters now facing charges of trespassing or disorderly conduct.
In response to the ongoing unrest, Columbia University has announced a shift to hybrid learning for the remainder of the semester due to safety concerns.
Meanwhile, at New York University, 133 protesters were arrested on Monday, released with summonses for disorderly conduct charges. Mayor Eric Adams stated that police officers were targeted with projectiles during this week’s demonstrations.
Protests at Columbia, NYU and Yale
Various student groups are leading protests at Columbia, New York University (NYU), and Yale.
In Columbia, the ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment,’ organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), Students for Justice in Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace, demanded divestment from corporations profiting from Israel’s Gaza conflict. CUAD also sought financial transparency and an end to academic ties with Israeli institutions.
NYU’s encampment, spearheaded by the NYU Palestine Solidarity Coalition, comprised students and faculty from diverse groups like the Faculty for Justice in Palestine and Jews Against Zionism. Alumni advocated for condemning civilian casualties, protecting pro-Palestinian voices, and divesting from companies involved in the Israeli occupation. They also urged NYU to address discrimination at its Tel Aviv campus and reconsider involvement in arms research.
Protesters at Yale maintained their encampment since April 19, pressing for Yale to divest from military weapons manufacturers.
In Connecticut, police arrested 48 protesters at Yale University, after they refused to leave an encampment on a plaza at the center of campus.
Northwestern University students set up pro-Palestine tent on campus
Northwestern University students set up a pro-Palestine tent on campus, taking their stand in Deering Meadow on April 25. Known for informal gatherings and rallies, Deering Meadow became the site for their demonstration.
Accompanied by a sign proclaiming “Free Gaza Liberated Zone,” echoing similar actions on campuses nationwide, students expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Clad in traditional Keffiyehs and brandishing Palestinian flags, demonstrators emphasized their commitment to staying until the university divests from Israeli-supporting companies and protects their right to free expression.
Their demands extended to severing ties with Israel, including partnerships like the Israel Innovation Project and academic exchanges, citing the need to prioritize lives affected by the conflict’s devastation.
Representatives from Northwestern’s Educators for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Student Liberation Union criticized the university for allegedly stifling pro-Palestinian discourse.
In a joint statement, they condemned the ongoing atrocities in Gaza and accused the administration of limiting free speech.
The surge in campus unrest and an increase in antisemitic incidents have prompted several congressional hearings. This turmoil has also contributed to the resignations of two Ivy League presidents: Claudine Gay from Harvard University and Liz Magill from the University of Pennsylvania.
List of US Universities taking part in protest
- Columbia University
- Yale University
- New York University (NYU)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Miami University in Ohio
- Temple University in Philadelphia
- University of Texas-Austin
- Emerson College
- Cornell University
- University of Southern California
- Harvard University
- University of Michigan
- University of Pennsylvania
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
- University of Minnesota
French students join protest against Israel’s war on Gaza
Students blocked access to Paris’s prestigious Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) university over Israel’s war on Gaza, demanding the institution condemn Israel’s actions. Sciences Po counts President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal among its many famous alumni.
“When we see what is happening in the United States, and now in Australia, we’re really hoping it will catch on here in France, the academic world has a role to play,” said 22-year-old Hicham, a master’s student in human rights and humanitarian studies at Sciences Po.