Across various American universities, students have taken to their campuses to protest against the Israeli military action in Gaza. These demonstrations have been met with efforts by officials to contain the growing momentum of the protests.
According to a report by the BBC, the protests against the Gaza conflict have extended beyond Columbia and Yale Universities to other institutions across the United States. Law enforcement authorities have initiated arrests of participating students.
In recent developments, police intervened to disperse a protest at New York University on Monday night, resulting in multiple arrests. Earlier the same day, dozens of students were apprehended at Yale, prompting Columbia University to cancel in-person classes.
Similar demonstrations, often referred to as “encampments,” have emerged at Berkeley, MIT, and several other prominent colleges nationwide.
The ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, sparked by a Hamas attack on Israel in early October, has ignited impassioned debates on campuses regarding free speech and the rights of Palestinians.
The campus protest movement garnered significant attention last week when over 100 demonstrators were arrested by the New York City police at Columbia University.
In a statement released on Monday, Columbia announced the transition to virtual classes, citing instances of “intimidating and harassing behavior” on campus. Columbia President Baroness Shafik attributed the tensions to external individuals with personal agendas exploiting and exacerbating the situation.
Meanwhile, at New York University, protesters established tents near the Stern School of Business, advocating for the disclosure and divestment of the institution’s finances from companies associated with the Israeli occupation.
Reports of “intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents” prompted police action at New York University, mirroring concerns expressed at other campuses.
At Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, nearly 50 protesters were arrested earlier on Monday after hundreds had gathered, with many refusing to disperse.
Similar protest encampments have sprung up at the University of California at Berkeley, MIT, the University of Michigan, Emerson College, and Tufts University.
While some videos circulating online suggested support for the Hamas attack on Israel among certain protesters near Columbia, members of protest groups have adamantly denied accusations of antisemitism. They argue that their criticism is directed solely at the Israeli state and its policies.
In a statement issued by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine on Sunday, they condemned any form of hate or bigotry and distanced themselves from individuals espousing inflammatory rhetoric.
