Universities in the United States with Israel–Hamas war protests in April 2024. Columbia University is marked in red. Other colleges that had encampments are marked in green, and non-encampment protests are marked in blue.
As part of the wider Israel–Hamas war protests, pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses began on April 17, 2024, before spreading to other universities in the United States and other countries. They began after mass arrests at the Columbia University campus occupation, led by anti-Zionist groups, in which protesters demanded the university's disinvestment from Israel over its alleged genocide of Palestinians.[5][6] As of May 2, over 1,800 protesters have been arrested,[4] including faculty members,[1] on more than 40 U.S. campuses.[4] The different protests' varying demands include severing financial ties with Israel and its affiliated entities, transparency over financial ties,[7] and amnesty for protesters.[8] In response, universities have suspended several students, with some students also expelled.[1][9]
Many of the protests involve student demands that their schools sever financial ties to Israel and companies involved in the conflict, as well as an end to U.S. military support for Israel,[41][25] as part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.[7] Some protests have also demanded that the universities sever academic ties with Israel, support a ceasefire in Gaza, and disclose investments.[42] Student demands have varied among the different occupations, including for universities to stop accepting research money from Israel that supports the military, and an end to college endowments investing with managers who profit from Israeli entities.[7] Student protesters called on Columbia University to financially divest from any company with business ties to the Israeli government, including Microsoft, Google and Amazon.[43] NYU Alumni for Palestine called on New York University to "terminate all vendor contracts with companies playing active roles in the military occupation in Palestine and ongoing genocide in Gaza, namely Cisco, Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar and General Electric".[44] Pro-Palestinian protesters demanded that the University of Washington cut ties with Boeing.[45]
After several mass arrests, the demands have also included amnesty for students and faculty who were disciplined or fired for protesting. The protests on many campuses are created by coalitions of student groups, and are largely independent, but some have claimed that they were inspired by other campus protests. All have disavowed violence.[46][8]
Concern has been raised over the presence of outside groups at protests.[47]Far-right agitators and white nationalists have been spotted at some protests seeking to sow chaos and violence.[55] Experts have raised concerns over far-right groups attempting to infiltrate protests to cause harm, and subsequent reactions from militant far-left activists aligned with the anti-fascist movement.[56] In one particular instance, encamped pro-Palestinian protesters were attacked by pro-Israel counter-protesters,[57] while clashes between pro-Palestinian protestors and police have occured at other campuses.[58]
Analysis
The Guardian described the protests "perhaps the most significant student movement since the anti-Vietnam campus protests of the late 1960s".[59] Protests at Columbia University have been compared to the 1968 protests due to their scale and tactics,[60] and as echoing the 1968 movement.[61][62] According to The Independent, protesters studied the historical movement. A Columbia undergraduate said that student organizers learned from the experiences of older generations, calling the movement "completely built" on the legacy of the 1968 protests.[63]The New York Times stated that scholars noted the current protests are starkly different than those against the Vietnam Warorapartheid South Africa. According to Timothy Naftali, protests against Vietnam in the 1960's did not result in a constituency that felt attacked as an ethnicity, and that the "demonstrations now are creating a feeling of insecurity in a much bigger way than the antiwar demonstrations during Vietnam did."[48]
Far-right influencers and some Republicans have portrayed the protests as violent, a "Marxist takeover," and "terrorism."[56]The New York Times noted that the protests have come during a presidential election year in which Democrats have "harnessed promises of stability and normalcy to win critical recent elections," and that the protests come as a Republican messaging opportunity to divide Democrats.[64]Johns Hopkins political science professor Daniel Schlozman remarked that Republican fixation on criticizing universities as bastions of leftist ideology has resulted in them portraying the protests as examples of radicalism on race and gender issues and highlighting them as a way to divide the Democratic coalition.[65]
As of 28 April 2024[update], protests that occurred outside of the US were "sporadic and smaller, and none [started] a wider student movement." The "partisan political context" was described as a reason for the intensity of protests in the United States. The status of Columbia as an Ivy League school, its proximity to New York City and national news media, and its large population of Jewish students were described as fueling increased media attention and political scrutiny that helped spread the protests.[65]
The first encampment was dismantled when university president Minouche Shafik authorized the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to enter the campus on April 17 and conduct mass arrests.[67][68] A new encampment was built the next day. The administration then entered into negotiations with protesters, which failed on April 29 and resulted in the suspension of student protesters.[69] The next day, protesters broke into and occupied Hamilton Hall,[70] leading to a second NYPD raid, the arrest of more than 100 protesters, and the full dismantling of the camp.[71] The arrests marked the first time Columbia allowed police to suppress campus protests since the 1968 demonstrations against the Vietnam War.[72] On May 31, a third campus encampment was briefly established in response to an alumni reunion.[73]
As a result of the protests, Columbia University switched to hybrid learning (incorporating more online learning) for the rest of the semester.[74] The protests encouraged other actions at multiple universities. Several antisemitic incidents took place during the protests.[75] Organizers have said they were the work of outside agitators and non-students.[76] Pro-Palestinian Jewish protesters have said that incidents of antisemitism by protesters are not representative of the protest movement.[75] On May 6, the school administration canceled the university-wide graduation ceremony scheduled for May 15.[77]
Other universities
Arizona
On April 25, dozens gathered to protest on the Old Main lawn at Arizona State University in Tempe. Campus police announced several people were arrested "for setting up unauthorized encampment, in violation of university policy and the ABOR Student Code of Conduct."[78] On April 27, the Arizona State University Police Department arrested 69 protesters after the unauthorised encampment was established on campus.[79][14]
On April 30, an encampment was set up at Northern Arizona UniversityinFlagstaff.[81][82] Within the same night, the university and Flagstaff Police Departments made 24 arrests and deconstructed the site.[83]
California
Encampment at UC Berkeley on April 25, 2024
The Cal Poly Humboldt campus in Northern California was shut down by officials on April 22 after students occupied a university building and barricaded its entrance.[84] On April 26, the university closed the campus for the remainder of the semester with classes conducted remotely due to the occupation.[85][19]
Student protesters put up more than a dozen tents on Sproul PlazaatUniversity of California, Berkeley, stating they would remain until the university divested from companies involved with the war. University officials pledged to remove protesters who put up tents or "disrupted academic activity" by force.[86]
The University of Southern California (USC) canceled a pro-Palestinian student's valedictorian speech citing a need to "maintain campus safety and security" after pro-Israel groups accused her of antisemitism.[87][88] Some student organizations, including the editorial team of USC's student newspaper, criticized the choice to cancel the speech.[89][90] The decision was followed by protests,[91] with students attempting to establish an encampment.[92] About 93 people were arrested during the night of April 24 including one arrest for assault with a deadly weapon, with no reports of injuries.[93][92] USC later canceled many of its speakers for commencement before canceling the commencement altogether, citing safety concerns.[94]
On April 27, three demonstrations were held at three of the Claremont CollegesinClaremont, California during alumni events at the schools. At 10:00 a.m., around 36 protesters disrupted a speech by Harvey Mudd College president Harriet Nembhard. At 3:15 p.m., around 50 protesters formed a blockade during a parade at Pomona College. About half an hour later, an encampment was set up at Pitzer College during a music and food festival.[104]
On April 30, Students for Justice in Palestine organized a walkout at San Diego State University (SDSU) to protest spending on "weapons corporations that kill Palestinians."[105][106][107] About 1,000 people rallied near Hepner Hall and marched to the Student union without incident.[108] The day after, an encampment was established at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and a walk-out was held at the University of San Diego (USD).[109]
On May 1, two protests were held at the University of California, Santa Cruz. One was in support of labor reform while the other called for the University of California to divest. The two protests merged into a singular protest, which ended with an encampment being set up near a campus bookstore.[110] Protests were also held at the Northridge and Los Angeles campuses of the California State University System, both in support of Palestine and for International Workers' Day.[111] Musician and leftist activist Tom Morello attended the protest at CSU Northridge and performed for students.[112]
In the early morning of May 1, pro-Israel counter protesters from outside the campus attacked the pro-Palestinian protesters' barricade, in an attempt to tear down the encampment.[57][119] The group included people wielding sticks, poles, and metal fencing. The group also used fireworks and pepper spray, and bear spray during the attack.[120][121] During the attack, the pro-Israel group chanted “Second Nakba,” referring to the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes by Israeli forces in 1948.[122][123] The following day, police dismantled the encampment, arresting 132 protesters.[17]
On April 12, at Yale University, ahead of the university's Bulldog Days, when admitted freshmen would be visiting, a group of graduate students conducted a hunger strike to call attention to the university's investment in weapons manufacturers profiting off of the war in Gaza.[128] Students supporting those striking grew daily until reaching critical mass[clarification needed] after the events at Columbia University. Students at Yale University set up an encampment where sixty pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on April 22 on charges of trespassing.[129][130][131] Yale administrators claimed that arrests were because students failed to leave after a warning that the protest posed "a safety violation".[132][133] A letter signed by 300 Yale faculty stated the decision to charge the students "contradicts the institution’s commitment to uphold free assembly, speech and expression".[134] On April 22, more than 1000 pro-Palestinian protesters organized a "March for a Free Palestine" around the encampment at the New Haven Green.[135]
On April 25, an encampment was launched at the University of ConnecticutinStorrs. One person was arrested.[136] Five days later, university police arrested multiple people and dismantled the encampment.[137]
On April 28, another encampment was set up at Wesleyan UniversityinMiddletown.[138] On April 29, about 100 people were at the encampment, called a "Liberation Zone." University President Michael S. Roth said that he will not call in the police as long as it remains nonviolent.[139]
On April 24, a protest organized by the "UF Divestment Coalition" took place at the Plaza of the Americas at the University of Florida in Gainesville.[141] Nine people were arrested at another protest on April 29.[142]
A planned encampment on Landis Green at Florida State University lasted only a few minutes on April 25 before being disbanded by university police and the use of sprinklers by school administration.[144] On April 30 police arrested five protesters at another encampment on the FSU campus.[145]
Three people were arrested at a protest and encampment at the University of South Florida on April 29.[146] The following day, 10 people were arrested following a physical altercation between police and protesters. Police officers used tear gas on protesters.[147]
On the morning of April 25, police arrested demonstrators at an encampment at Emory University.[151] Students had established the encampment that morning in solidarity with the people of Gaza as well as in protest of Cop City.[152]Georgia State Patrol, Atlanta Police and University Police began clearing the encampment within three hours of its establishment. Tasers on restrained students and tear gas were used to arrest at least 20 students.[153][154][155][156]Caroline Fohlin, the chair of Emory's philosophy department, was one of the arrested.[157] A video of police using a taser on a restrained protester at Emory went viral, but vice president of public safety Cheryl Elliott said the person did not appear to be associated with Emory. Elliot also sent an email to the Emory community saying that "chemical irritants" were necessary for crowd control due to direct assaults of officers.[30] On 27 April, faculty placed themselves between police and students, leading Representative Ruwa Romman to say, "it never should've been necessary".[158]
Hundreds of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students rallied on April 24 to demand the university divest from BlackRock.[162] On April 26, the university announced that the group had 30 minutes to remove its tents. After 45 minutes, one person who was not a student was arrested for interfering with university staff's attempt to take the tents down.[163][164]
On April 25, students at Northwestern University established an encampment on the south campus of the school's Evanston campus.[165] Several dozen students started the encampment; and the crowd grew to over 1,000 by Thursday evening.[166] In response to the protests, the university declared an interim addendum to the student code of conduct prohibiting tents from being erected on campus.[167] On April 29, Northwestern made an agreement with the protestors, in which most tents would be dismantled in exchange for the reestablishment of an Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility and increased inclusivity efforts on campus.[168]
On April 25, US Senator Todd Young was being interviewed by Purdue University president Mung Chiang on campus when the event was interrupted by demonstrators. Organizers with SJP and Young Democratic Socialists of America quickly set up an encampment. The chief of the Purdue Police claimed the students were not allowed to have tents, but later, a University spokesman claimed that students were allowed to have tents.[175]
AtIndiana University, police arrested 33 protesters after an encampment was set up on the Dunn Meadow lawn.[176] The "IU Divestment Coalition" made demands including the resignation of the President of the University, the Provost and the Vice-Provost, the end of the institution's collaboration with Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, a naval installation close to Bloomington, and the cutting of financial ties with Israel.[177] The latter would be in violation of a state law blacklisting companies that adhere to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).[178][179] On April 25 and 27, an Indiana State Police sniper was posted on the roof of the Indiana Memorial Union, overlooking the encampment on Dunn Meadow, pictures of which circulated on social media.[180] 23 further students and faculty were arrested on April 27, including one of the organizers, who was banned from campus for five years.[181][182]
Awalkout took place at Tulane and Loyola University in New Orleans on April 26. St. Charles Avenue was closed due to the march. Students demanded that both Universities divest from companies profiting from Israel's war.[187] A pro-Palestinian protest was also held outside of the Louisiana State University student union.[188] The following day, 10 people were arrested at a protest involving Loyola and Tulane University students where, according to the New Orleans Police Department, four officers were injured while clearing Jackson Square of protesters.[114]
Students rallied and marched through campus at Johns Hopkins University on April 24.[191] Over 100 demonstrators held a rally on April 29 organized by the "Hopkins Justice Collective", subsequently setting up an encampment on campus, before dispersing the following day.[192] Protesters set up an encampment on April 29. The following day, Johns Hopkins announced an agreement had been reached with the protesters and the encampment dispersed.[193]
Massachusetts
Encampment at Harvard University on May 2, 2024
On April 19, students at Boston University protested in solidarity with Columbia students.[194] Two days later a pro-Palestinian protest was held at Smith College.[195]
On April 24, 2024, students set up an encampment at Harvard University on Harvard Yard.[196]
On the evening of April 21, 2024, students at Emerson College set up an encampment in the Boylston Place alleyway in solidarity with those arrested in similar protests.[200] The students called for Emerson to divest from any associations with Zionist ties.[201] During the night of April 24, about 108 people were arrested at the protest with video showing officers forcefully moving through the crowd and throwing protestors on the ground, who had linked arms and used umbrellas to resist. Four officers were reportedly injured with non-life threatening injuries. School administrators stated that the protestors had been warned to leave beforehand as the alleyway was not solely owned by the school and that city authorities had threatened to become involved.[93] Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she ordered police to take down the Emerson encampment for public safety reasons.[202]
On April 25, students at Boston's Northeastern University circled their encampment on the school's Centennial Commons and chanted as police approached. Police left the scene shortly afterward.[203] Students from Berklee College of Music joined the Northeastern encampment.[204]
On April 27, more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested at the university. School officials alleged the student demonstration was infiltrated by outsiders who yelled antisemitic slurs such as "Kill the Jews."[205][206] A video circulating on social media later showed a counter-protestor holding an Israeli flag had attempted to provoke a response by yelling "kill the Jews."[206]
A protest was held at Boston College on April 26. During the protest, an organizer read a letter written by a BC student who had been arrested at Emerson and banned from the BC campus.[207]
Demonstrators at the University of Massachusetts Amherst protested the inauguration of UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes, calling on him to cut ties with military groups and drop charges against people who had been charged during previous protests at UMass Amherst.[208] Three days later, an encampment was built on campus.[209] The encampment was dismantled the following day.[210]
On April 25, students at Michigan State UniversityinEast Lansing set up a solidarity encampment in the same "People's Park" area that hosted an anti-Vietnam War encampment in 1970.[212]
On April 26, a group of protesters interrupted a meeting of the Board of Governors at Wayne State University. One person was arrested.[213]
Nine University of Minnesota students were arrested on April 23 while attempting to set up an encampment on the Minneapolis campus.[217] US Representative Ilhan Omar joined protestors.[218] Protests resumed the following day.[219]
On April 26, a group of student protesters at Hamline University held a sit-in protest at the university president's office building. After 29 hours the protesters moved to an encampment on the lawn in front of the building.[220]
About 50 protesters from the university and the community gathered at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. An alumnus of the school who is a current student at Columbia University spoke at the event. Police from Richmond Heights, St. Louis County, St. Louis Metro, and Washington University were called to disburse the small crowd.[222][223] On April 27, more than 80 protesters were arrested,[79] including Green Party U.S. presidential candidate Jill Stein and her campaign managers, according to the campaign's communications director.[224] During the arrests, police broke the ribs of history professor Steve Tamari.[225]
Around 200 people demonstrated at Dartmouth College's campus on April 25.[228] Another protest was held at the University of New Hampshire on the same day, where demonstrators called for UNH to divest from companies based in Israel.[229] Additional protests were held at both universities on May 1, with police arresting protesters at both locations as they attempted to set up encampments.[230][231] Police in riot gear arrested 90 people at Dartmouth.[232][233] Among the arrested included history professor Annelise Orleck, who described the police actions as "brutal" and "punitive", after she was tackled and knelt on by police.[234]
On April 22, faculty and staff at Princeton issued a pledge to withhold labor from Columbia University until it meets their demands to reinstate students who were wrongly suspended for protesting, remove the NYPD from Columbia campus and reverse the suspension of two pro-Palestinian student groups.[236] On April 24, plans for a "Princeton Gaza Solidarity Encampment" were intercepted by the conservative leaning National Review.[237] On April 15, about 100 students started an encampment in McCosh Courtyard, declaring "We're gonna be here until the University divests." Two people were arrested before 10 am.[238]
On April 24, a solidarity encampment set up near the duck pond at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Protesters demanded that the university divest from Israel and arms manufacturers that are known to use research from UNM faculty and students.[242][243] Police detained 16 people at the student union on the night of April 29.[244]
People's University for Palestine at Cornell University
From top clockwise: A mural in solidarity with Gaza. The encampment on April 25, 2024. Group of Students performing Palestinian music. Diagram displaying the "People's University for Palestine" encampment as of 29, 2024. Example of reading material handed out during "Teach-In" sessions.
Students at Barnard College joined the encampment at Columbia University. 53 students were arrested and suspended, but the college reversed "nearly all" the suspensions.[246]
Authorities at NYU have alleged that some participants in the protests had no link to the university, and Columbia's president alleged that people not affiliated with the university had joined the protests, exploiting and increasing tensions on campus.[250]
On April 22, 2024, Cornell University undergraduates supported, by a 2–1 margin, a referendum calling for a permanent ceasefire and divestment from weapons manufacturers supporting Israel.[251] On April 25, 2024, Cornell students erected an encampment, calling on the university to divest from companies involved with the "ongoing genocide" in Gaza.[252] Cornell University suspended four student protesters on April 27, 2024.[253] Three days later, Cornell administrators threatened students with a second wave of suspensions.[254]
A group called "The New School's Students for Justice in Palestine" established a solidarity encampment inside the University Center building on April 21.[255] On April 25, a student-built encampment was established at the West Harlem campus of the City College of New York (CCNY). The encampment was joined by a number of Hasidic Jews.[256] The same day, students at the Fashion Institute of Technology occupied the school's Shirley Goodman Resource Center building.[257]
More than a dozen tents were spotted at a solidarity encampment at University of Rochester's River Campus on April 23.[258] On April 24, the university's faculty senate stated its intention to investigate its ties to Israel.[259] An encampment was set up at Syracuse University on April 29.[260]
A protest was held at Fordham University on April 25.[267] Five days later on May 1 an encampment was set up, which was cleared by the NYPD later in the day.[268]
On April 30, nearly 300 students were arrested at Columbia and CCNY.[269] One day prior, members of the Professional Staff Congress voted to strike on May Day in support of the CUNY students' demands, an action considered significant due to the prohibition of strikes by public sector workers under the Taylor Law.[270]
An encampment was set up at Binghamton University on May 1.[271] The same day, an encampment was set up at SUNY New Paltz.[272] Police at the University at Buffalo arrested several people as they tried to set up an encampment. Earlier in the day a peaceful protest was held at nearby Buffalo State University.[273]
North Carolina
A solidarity encampment zone at University of North Carolina at Charlotte was set up on April 22. They were told by security to disembark but they decided to remain until at least April 25 when the Board of Trustees meets again.[274]
On April 19, SJP organizers at Miami University staged a walkout with about 15 students in support of protestors that had been arrested at Columbia. The University of Cincinnati SJP chapter promoted the Ohio State University encampments.[41] The same day, students at Case Western Reserve University held a die-in during Admitted Students Day.[278] Police detained at least twenty people at an encampment at Case Western on April 29.[279]
After a gathering at a campus amphitheater and a protest outside of a board meeting, two students at Ohio State University (OSU) were arrested for criminal trespass on April 23.[46] Two days later, a third student was arrested outside of the Ohio Union during a Gaza encampment around 10 am, with campus police demanding that the protestors vacate the space since they had not reserved it.[280]
On April 25, the OSU student newspaper The Lantern initially reported that there were state troopers on the roof of the Ohio Union, saying that they were unarmed and citing Ben Johnson, a university spokesperson, who had said that they had only been using surveillance scopes. The Lantern later deleted the article and published a new version as Johnson later said that the troopers used long-range firearms, starting at around 10 pm.[281][282]
On April 29, students at Oberlin College held a rally and established an encampment.[283][284] The month before, student representatives of Students for a Free Palestine and Jews for a Free Palestine met with administrators to discuss a formal divestment from Israeli companies.[279]
Following protests at Portland State University, university president Ann Cudd announced on April 26 that the school would pause all ties to Boeing. While the university does not currently invest in the company, it had previously accepted philanthropic gifts from Boeing.[289] Protesters also set up an encampment at the Portland State University library.[288]
Students at Swarthmore College built a solidarity encampment on campus. At University of Pennsylvania, college leaders announced they would be holding a "listening session" but students expressed disinterest.[291] UPenn students created their own encampment on April 25, with several dozen faculty members also present. A small counter protest was held near the encampment, with one student claiming the encampment was "disgraceful" leading him to want to show support for Israel and Jewish people.[292][293] On April 25, students at Haverford College set up an encampment, and two days later students at nearby Bryn Mawr College did the same.[294][295]
Students at University of Pittsburgh declared a "Liberation Zone" on the lawn outside the Cathedral of Learning and made demands that the University declare and divest from investing in Israel.[296][297] City police and campus police asked the group to move off-campus to nearby Schenley Plaza and the group agreed.[298]
On April 24, hundreds of demonstrators marched through Philadelphia, stopping at Drexel University, Temple University, City Hall and finally setting up a solidarity encampment at University of Pennsylvania.[299][300] On May 1, the seventh day of the encampment at the University of Pennsylvania, a man was arrested after spraying the encampment with an unknown chemical substance.[301]
At 6 am on April 24, about 80 students set up tents on the Main Green at Brown UniversityinProvidence, Rhode Island. Their demands were to drop charges against 41 students who took part in a sit-in last December and that the University divest from "companies enabling and profiting from Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territory."[308] On April 30, encampment organizers came to an agreement with Brown's governing body to clear the Main Green encampment in exchange for the body to vote on divestment from companies affiliated with Israel in October 2024.[309]
On May 1, both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel peaceful protest groups arrived at the University of Tennessee campus.[317]
Texas
Around 100 University of Texas at Dallas students participated in an April 23 occupation of a campus building, holding a sit-in in a hallway near the university president's office.[318][319] UT Dallas students established an encampment on May 1, which was removed by the end of the day.[320]
On April 24, the Palestinian Solidarity Committee student group at the University of Texas at Austin initiated a walkout and sit-in on the South Mall of the campus.[328][329] According to The Dallas Morning News, students were arrested when Texas state troopers were deployed to disperse protesters.[330] At least 50 troops in riot gear descended upon the encampment.[331] The scene was later described by AP News as hundreds of local and state police, including some on horse back and holding batons, aggressively bulldozing into the protestors and arresting 57. One student called the protest peaceful, until the police presence and called the police and their action an "overreaction."[93] In a tweet, Texas governor Greg Abbott stated the UT Austin protesters "belong in jail",[332] leading the Council on American-Islamic Relations to state, "The First Amendment applies to the State of Texas, whether Greg Abbott likes it or not".[333]
A photographer with local television station Fox 7 Austin was arrested after reportedly being caught in a scuffle between law enforcement and students on April 24, with the station reposting the viral footage to Twitter, stating their employee was pushed by an officer into another before being thrown to the ground and arrested.[334][25] Another Texas journalist was knocked down and seen bleeding before being handed off to emergency medical staff by police. The officers ended up leaving after a few hours and about 300 demonstrators moved back to sit and chant near the clock tower.[93]
On April 25, charges were dismissed against 46 of those arrested at the UT Austin protest.[335] A university statement said that almost half of the people who were arrested during the protest were not students or staff affiliated with the university and were part of "outside groups”[336][337] US Representative Greg Casar joined protestors on April 25.[218][338] That day, a previously planned demonstration by a local Texas State Employees Union chapter, initially intended to protest the anti-DEI legislation SB 17, incorporated additional pro-Palestine protest activity.[339]
Over 90 people were arrested at UT Austin on April 29 at an encampment established that day.[340] In a statement, the university claimed that protest organizers had issued threats to the school ahead of the demonstration.[341] Protesters gathered outside the Travis County Jail that evening to protest the arrests.[340]
On May 1, students at six universities in the San Antonio area delivered letters to their respective college presidents, with demonstrations being held at UT San Antonio, Texas A&M University–San Antonio, and San Antonio College.[344]
On April 26, students at the University of Mary Washington set up an encampment on the Jefferson Square lawn.[350] On April 27, police arrested and charged 12 protestors with trespassing while clearing the encampment.[351][352]
On April 26, students at Virginia Tech set up an encampment outside the Graduate Life Center.[353][354] Protestors called on the Virginia Tech Foundation to disclose its investments and to divest from Israeli companies, and denounced an antisemitic harassment campaign led by Hokies for Israel and Hillel at Virginia Tech.[355][356] On April 28, police cleared the encampment, arresting 82 people.[357][358] The arrested included 53 students and several faculty members, including poliitical science professor Bikrum Gill.[359]
On April 29, students set up an encampment outside of the library at Virginia Commonwealth University.[360] That same evening, police in riot gear surrounded the encampment and shot tear gas at the peaceful protestors to clear the area.[361] 13 people were arrested and charged with trespassing.[362]
On May 1, police in riot gear cleared the encampment at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, arresting 34 people.[375] Two professors, Sami Schalk and Samer Alatout, were among the arrested; Alatout was bloodied by police.[375] Three members of the police were injured.[376]
A protest was held outside the University Center at the University of Montana on April 28. Protesters demonstrated outside a fundraiser where Donald Trump Jr. and other Republicans were meeting.[380]
On April 25, around 20 students held a sit-in in the lobby of NYU Buenos Aires, aiming to show solidarity with NYU protesters in Manhattan and calling on the institution to cut ties with Israel.[389][249]
Australia
On April 23, an encampment was set up at the University of Sydney, in the main Quadrangle, underneath the historic clock tower. Students have been supporting the camp by donating food, materials and supplies.[390] Chief executive of the university, Vice ChancellorMark Scott is allowing the protests to continue, despite incidents such as graffiti that are being investigated, because protest and free speech are "part of who we are", noting other protests related to issues such as the World War I conscription debate and the Vietnam War anti-war movement.[391]
On April 25, University of Melbourne students began an encampment on the South Lawn of the main campus in Parkville. Protestors and counter-protestors have been regularly interacting, including a standoff where both groups stood on either side of a moat, but there has been no violence reported thus far.[392][393]
An encampment was started at Monash University on 1 May. The next day, the camp was attacked by counter-protesters draped in the Australian and Israeli flags, who destroyed the camp kitchen and shook a protesters tent whilst she slept. Police attended, but no arrests were made, with 10 people being given a move-on direction. A GoFundMe was started to fund the repair of the damage caused.[394] Following this incident, the Victorian Greens issued a statement calling for better protection of protesters from universities and the police.[395]
Students at the University of Queensland held a rally and set up an encampment on April 29, with a rival pro-Israel camp also set up.[396][397]
On April 27, an encampment of around 20 tents was set up on the grounds of McGill UniversityinMontreal, calling on the institution to cut financial ties with Israel.[402][403] Students of nearby Concordia University and Université du Québec à Montréal also participated.[404][405] Police officers of the SPVM monitored the protest. In a statement, McGill said encampments were not permitted on campus but did not say whether they would be forcibly removed.[403] On April 29, the encampment had grown to more than 80 tents.[406] After dialogue with student representatives failed, the university requested police assistance on April 30.[407]
On April 29, an encampment of about 30 tents was set up on the Point Grey campus of the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver.[408] About 100 protesters were present on its first day, calling on the institution to divest from Israel.[409][408]
On April 25, students at Sorbonne UniversityinParis set up an encampment in support of Palestine in the university's main courtyard.[413] Four days later, police removed dozens of students from the courtyard.[414]
AtSciences Po, in Paris, an encampment of about 60 students was broken up by the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité on April 24.[415] A group of students decided to stay before the police withdrew.[416][417] On April 26, protesters then occupied a campus building and barricaded themselves inside the university.[418][419]
On April 30, students at Jawaharlal Nehru University protested against a planned visit to the campus by US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and in solidarity with protestors in the United States. Garcetti's visit was postponed due to the protests.[420][421]
On April 29, a sit-in was held at the College of Science of Kuwait University, in Kuwait City. The protest involved faculty and students.[424]
Lebanon
On April 30, over 200 people gathered in a campus square at the American University of Beirut, with permission from the administration to protest for two hours. Demonstrations were also held at the Lebanese American University and other universities.[425]
Spain
On April 29, more than 60 students and faculty members of the University of Valencia set up an encampment inside a faculty building. This was done with the knowledge of the faculty's dean, although she denies giving consent. Protesters called on their institution to cut ties with Israeli universities, and stated their intention to eventually move the encampment outside.[426]
In England, students from the University of Warwick occupied the campus piazza on the evening of April 19.[428] On April 22, students from the University of Leicester Palestine Society held a protest.[392] On April 26, a rally was held by students of University College London (UCL) on campus,[428] though they had been campaigning for months. UCL Action for Palestine won a meeting with senior members of university's management, also on 26 April, to discuss divestment and propose aiding Palestinian students whose universities had been destroyed.[429]
In the city of Dhamar, students and faculty members of the Thamar University organized a protest in solidarity with their European and American counterparts while also showing their opposition to Israel.[440]
Responses
Domestic
Faculty and staff
Rebecca Karl, a professor at NYU, stated that historically, "there have been a number of confrontations that have been dealt with by universities in ways that stress that we are not a violent institution... I'm personally very concerned".[441] Wadie Said, a professor at the University of Colorado, stated, "The First Amendment is the hallmark of freedom.. You see that being curtailed based on viewpoint discrimination, which is something not supposed to be allowed under the First Amendment".[442]Jeremi Suri, a UT Austin professor, stated, "I witnessed the police – the state police, the campus police, the city police – an army of police... stormed into the student crowd and started arresting students".[443]
Jody Armour, a professor at USC, stated, "We need to stop allowing people to weaponise anti-Semitism against real, valid protests."[444] In reference to protesters, John McWhorter, a Columbia professor, said, "I find it very hard to imagine that they are antisemitic", adding that there is "a fine line between questioning Israel's right to exist and questioning Jewish people's right to exist" and that "some of the rhetoric amid the protests crosses it."[445]
Law enforcement
Police departments have employed a range of tactics against protesters including dispersing crowds using horses and police in riot gear, deploying pepper balls,[9] the use of tasers,[79] mass arrests, [446] and the clearing of unauthorized encampments.[79] According to The Lantern, roof top snipers were deployed at Ohio State University.[447][281] According to CNN, journalists covering the protests in some cases have been "assaulted, arrested and barred access" by police. [448]
On April 22, President Joe Biden criticized and condemned the protests calling them antisemitic and "those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians."[8] Former President Donald Trump, stated that the 2017 white supremacist rallyinCharlottesville, Virginia was "peanuts" comparative to the ongoing protests.[456] House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke at Columbia on April 24 stating that he was committed "that Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes hiding in fear."[26] Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the "lawlessness" during the protests at Columbia University, saying it is "unacceptable when Jewish students are targeted for being Jewish, when protests exhibit verbal abuse, systematic intimidation or glorification of the murderous and hateful Hamas or the violence of Oct. 7."[457]
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the situation at Columbia and other campuses as "inmates run[ning] the asylum."[24] Texas Governor Greg Abbott, stated that the protesters "belonged in jail" and continued claiming that the protests were "hate-filled, antisemitic protests" and anyone engaging in them should be expelled.[25] Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro raised criticism to the colleges and universities that did not do enough to protect its students, which could lead to antisemitic incidents.[26] Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell described the protests as "a dangerous situation" and stated "there's also antisemitism, which is completely unacceptable".[13] McConnell accused the "student radicals" of supporting Hamas.[457]
After the mass arrests seen at UT on April 24, many voiced their disapproval over Abbott's handling of the decision and the police tactics. Texas state Democrats claimed that Abbotts Department of Public Safety had "more courage to arrest peaceful student protesters than when an active shooter entered an elementary school in Uvalde."[30] U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also criticised the deployment of police against the Columbia University protest, describing the decision as "escalatory, reckless, and dangerous act".[29]Farrah Khan, the mayor Irvine, California, said: “I am asking our law enforcement to stand down. I will not tolerate any violations to our students' rights to peacefully assemble and protest."[458]
Addressing students at the City University of New York on April 26, imprisoned Black political activist Mumia Abu-Jamal praised the protests stating "It is a wonderful thing that you have decided not to be silent and decided to speak out against the repression that you see with your own eyes", declaring protesters to be "on the right side of history".[462]College Democrats of America, the student wing of the Democratic Party, endorsed the protests and criticized President Biden's response to the protests.[463][459]
After visiting the encampment at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia District AttorneyLarry Krasner said “The First Amendment comes from here, this is Philadelphia, we don’t have to do stupid like they did at Columbia.”[464]
On April 23, the California State Senate Judiciary Committee passed 2024 SB-1287 (Glazer) on a 10-0 vote, advancing it to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill would require the California State University system and California Community Colleges system to enact policies which would prohibit violence, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination if they are "intended to and reasonably understood by the victims or hearers" to either "interfere with the free exercise of rights under the First Amendment or Section 2 of Article I of the California Constitution" or to "call for or support genocide. The bill would also restrict the right to assemble on campuses with "reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions, including advance authorization provisions, for public protests and demonstrations at institutions." The bill has received support exclusively from Jewish and Zionist organizations while being opposed by the ACLU and the University of California, Davis School of Law, stating that the bill is unconstitutional.[467] The author, Senator Steve Glazer, has made it clear that the bill is directly related to the protests by stating:
SB 1287 is about making sure that California universities are places where everyone can share their thoughts and ideas freely. We want to protect free speech and academic freedom while also preventing any form of harassment or discrimination. The need has been highlighted by incidents of antisemitism that have resulted from the October 7th terrorist attack in Israel. By having the [institutions of higher education] set clear rules and reporting systems, we're making sure that universities can maintain an environment where everyone feels respected and can learn without fear of intimidation, harassment, or violence.
As stated by the ACLU:
This SB 1287 goes beyond such protections in ways that would likely lead colleges and universities to silence a range of protected speech based on viewpoint alone. It provides no clear standards for identifying forms of conduct or speech that will be “reasonably understood by the victims or hearers” to “call for or support genocide.” It is also overly broad and will likely sweep in a wide range of protected speech and expression. The lack of clear standards also means that the bill provides inadequate notice of the types of speech and expressive conduct that it prohibits. It is therefore unconstitutionally vague in addition to being overbroad.
The analysis of the bill by the Judiciary Committee notes the following:
As currently in print, the bill has several provisions that are likely to be vulnerable to a First Amendment challenge. For example, the bill requires the CSUs and CCCs to impose time, place, and manner restrictions “for public protests and demonstrations” at institutions; this would create a content-based rule that seems unlikely to survive strict scrutiny. Likewise, the bill currently requires students and potential students to agree to comply with the bill’s provisions as a condition of continued admission or admission; but given that some of the bill’s provisions are vague, threatening expulsion or denial of admission for lack of compliance is likely to
chill legitimate student speech.
Although the Senate's own staff remark that the bill in its current form is probably unconstitutional in its targeting against the freedom of speech, the bill is currently pending before the Senate Appropriations Committee. It should also be noted that the bill contains a severability clause, which is often inserted when a legislature thinks that a bill or a portion thereof may be unconstitutional.[467]
Public and students
In response to allegation of antisemitism at Columbia University, Jewish student protesters have refuted the claims, with one of the students describing the discourse as "bad faith".[468]
Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian activist, stated, "These young people are reaffirming and demonstrating that the tide is shifting on Palestine, that the Palestinian people have solidarity not just across the United States of America, but across the world".[469]
International
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the protests were "horrific," anti-Semitic and must be quelled.[27] Jewish U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders responded vehemently to the PM's claim that universities were experiencing antisemitism, accusing Netanyahu of distracting the American people from the Israel–Hamas war,[11] as well as expressing support for the pro-Palestinian protests.[22]
Photojournalist Motaz Azaiza spoke about the protests after being invited to visit the Columbia protest, saying his experience was great and he appreciated students wanting to know more and educate themselves, and that it was an honor to raise awareness about the Gaza Strip.[50]Bisan Owda stated the protests made the Gazan populace feel "heard."[470][471]
In response to the protests at Columbia, the spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs stated, "In every democracy, there has to be the right balance between freedom of expression, sense of responsibility and public safety and order... After all, we are all judged by what we do at home and not what we say abroad."[472]
Chinese state media expressed support for the protests: the People's Daily wrote that American students are protesting because they "can no longer stand the double standards of the United States", while former editor-in-chief of the Global TimesHu Xijin stated that the protests show that "Jewish political and business alliance's control over American public opinion has declined."[473]
InTunisia, the General Union of Students released a statement expressing "gratitude and admiration for the student movements at American universities, drawing inspiration from their remarkable history of war rejection, as witnessed during the Vietnam War".[474]
After the three-days of occupation at Sciences Po in Paris, Prime Minister of France, Gabriel Attal, stated he would "not tolerate the actions of a dangerously acting minority", describing protests as "an ideology coming from North America".[475]
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa criticised the protestors' actions, stating that "universities are places where cultural engagement, even heated, even harsh, must be open 360 degrees, where engagement with strong ideas that are completely different, must be expressed not with violence, not with boycotts, but knowing how to engage”.[476]
^ abc"US college protests: Who are the student groups and others involved". Reuters. April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024. Among the lead student groups in the coalition are the Columbia chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine. The two decades-old anti-Zionism advocacy groups that protest Israel's military occupation have chapters across the country that have been key to protests on other campuses.
Multiple sources: Ferré-Sadurní, Luis; Edmonds, Colbi; Cruz, Liset (April 21, 2024). "Some Jewish Students Are Targeted as Protests Continue at Columbia". The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024. Those demonstrations took a dark turn on Saturday evening, as protesters targeted some Jewish students with antisemitic vitriol that was captured in video and pictures, both inside and outside the campus.
Perry, Nick; Collins, Dave; Price, Michelle L. (April 23, 2024). "Pro-Palestinian protests sweep US college campuses following mass arrests at Columbia". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024. Some Jewish students, meanwhile, say much of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe, and they point out that Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the group's Oct. 7 invasion ... He said some of the protesters shouting antisemitic slurs were not students.
"Efforts to tackle student protests in America have backfired badly". The Economist. April 23, 2024. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024. He kept being told: "You're interpreting it wrong", but this week there was no misinterpreting, he says, the undercurrent of antisemitism on campus. "We're coming for you," other Jewish students say they were told: "Get off our campus."
Rosman, Katherine (April 26, 2024). "Columbia Bars Student Protester Who Said 'Zionists Don't Deserve to Live'". The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024. Video of the incendiary comments resurfaced online Thursday evening, forcing the school to again confront an issue at the core of the conflict rippling across campuses nationwide: the tension between pro-Palestinian activism and antisemitism.Diver, Tony (April 27, 2024). "Dispatch: Jewish students confront extreme anti-Semitism at Columbia protest camp". The Telegraph. ISSN0307-1235. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024. At Boston's Northeastern University, Police in riot gear cleared an encampment after crowds were heard chanting antisemitic slurs including "kill the Jews".
^Perry, Nick; Collins, Dave; Price, Michelle L. (April 23, 2024). "Pro-Palestinian protests sweep US college campuses following mass arrests at Columbia". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024. "We saw signs indicating that Israel should be destroyed," she said after leaving the Morningside Heights campus ... Nicholas Baum, a 19-year-old Jewish freshman who lives in a Jewish theological seminary building two blocks from Columbia's campus, said protesters over the weekend were "calling for Hamas to blow away Tel Aviv and Israel." He said some of the protesters shouting antisemitic slurs were not students.
^Bikowski, Brooke (April 29, 2024). "Protests, Counterprotests Over Israel's Actions in Gaza Roil Los Angeles Universities". Times of San Diego. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024. It was unclear whether all of the participants were UCLA students, although known members of far right and white nationalist groups have been appearing at various campuses nationally in order to sow chaos and violence.
^ abCarless, Will (April 26, 2024). "Far-right influencers claim student protests are violent. Experts have different worries". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024. Those counter-protesters might, in turn, be met with violence from militant far-left activists aligned with the anti-fascist movement, said Colin P. Clarke, director of research at the Soufan Group, a global intelligence and security consultancy. The far-left has become increasingly organized over the last few years, in response to growing violence from the far-right, Clarke said, and he's worried about possible violence that could spill out from the protests.
^Spiegel, Anna; Dil, Cuneyt; Montgomery, Mimi (April 26, 2024). "Gaza protests on campus". Axios. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.