At numerous universities throughout the United States, students persist in protesting the conflict in Gaza. With graduation ceremonies looming, campuses are contending with the demonstrations, leading to reports of hundreds of student arrests. What are the students demanding, and how are the universities responding?
At numerous universities across the United States, students persist in protesting the ongoing conflict in Gaza. With graduation ceremonies looming, campuses are grappling with demonstrations, resulting in the reported detention of hundreds of students.
This week in Los Angeles, California, police dispersed a Palestinian-supporters’ camp at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The intervention came on the heels of a significant altercation between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups just 24 hours prior. Police dismantled barricades made of plywood, pallets, metal fences, and trash containers, creating pathways toward the protesters’ tents.
Simultaneously, at Columbia University in New York, police intervened as pro-Palestinian activists occupied the administration building. Dozens were evicted, and approximately 300 protesters were detained during the week at Columbia University.
Why are students protesting the Gaza conflict?
Since October 7th, students have been organizing protests, sit-ins, and hunger strikes against the conflict. More recently, they’ve established camps on university campuses.
These students demand that universities sever financial ties with companies associated with Israel. They argue that companies engaging in business with Israel or Israeli entities are complicit in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Consequently, universities investing in these companies are also implicated in the wrongdoing.
University donations contribute to various aspects, from research laboratories to scholarship funds. However, the bulk of these donations typically stem from returns on investments worth millions and billions of dollars.
What did the universities do about this?
Some negotiated with the students, while others called the police and issued various ultimatums to the students.
An agreement was reached between the Northwestern University in Boston and the protesters to limit the size of the camp set up.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik announced earlier this week that they would not give up funding from Israel. Instead, Shafik promised to invest in health and education in Gaza and to make Columbia’s direct investments more transparent.
In a statement released by the university on Tuesday, it was stated, “The issues on campus have created a threatening environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty, and the noise is disrupting their processes of studying, learning, and preparing for exams.”
Meanwhile, politicians in the US have called on universities to do more, pointing out allegations of antisemitism in some of the protests.
Jewish students speaking to the BBC on various campuses said they were disturbed and frightened by some of the incidents they witnessed or experienced.
These students noted that supportive slogans for Hamas were shouted, physical fights occurred, and threatening behavior was experienced.
The US House of Representatives approved a bill to create a broader definition of antisemitism to enforce anti-discrimination laws by the Department of Education. The bill will go to the Senate first, and if approved there, it will then await President Biden’s signature to become law.
Source: BBC, DW, VOA