Pro-Palestinian protests have erupted on college campuses across the US, and school administrators are trying – and largely failing – to calm the situation.
Tensions on American college campuses have risen since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. Israel's retaliatory attack on Gaza killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Ministry of Health controlled by the radical Islamic group.
Since October 7, reports of anti-Semitic acts have multiplied in the US and, in particular, on university campuses. Islamophobia has also proliferated. The recent surge in protests has exacerbated these tensions, forcing leaders to decide when free speech on campus crosses the line and becomes a threat.
Several universities called the police to deal with protesters, which led to the arrests of hundreds of people on several campuses.
When did the current conflict begin?
The situation escalated last week at Columbia University when the institution's president, Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, testified before a House committee about the university's response to allegations of anti-Semitism on campus. At the same time, a pro-Palestine protest began on campus.
Following his testimony, Shafik requested in a letter released by the university that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) remove people who were camping on the campus' South Lawn and who were “violating university rules and policies and trespassing on the campus.” campus.”
More than 100 people were arrested, according to security forces.
The camps were organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a student coalition of more than 100 organizations, including Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, to protest what they describe as the university's “continued financial investment in companies that benefit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and the military occupation of Palestine”, they stated in a press release.
Where else is this happening?
Since last Thursday, other college campuses have faced similar protests and encampments, as well as arrests.
Pro-Palestinian camps were set up at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Emerson College, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Michigan and the University of California at Berkeley.
On Wednesday, police detained nearly 100 protesters at the University of Southern California following a dispersal order.
Yale University Police detained at least 45 protesters on Monday and charged them with trespassing after they refused to leave, although dozens of protesters remained there into Tuesday morning.
Harvard University closed Harvard Yard and school officials suspended a pro-Palestinian student organization for allegedly violating school policies.
Meanwhile, nine people were arrested Tuesday at the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus after forming a camp opposing downtown policy.
Students, faculty and staff at the University of New Mexico peacefully protested Monday in support of Gaza, the university said in a statement Tuesday.
More than 100 people were arrested Wednesday at Emerson College in Boston during a pro-Palestine protest, according to the Boston Police Department.
What do they ask for?
Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia said they will not disperse until the university agrees to cut ties with Israeli academic institutions and commits to a “full divestment” of its funds from Israel-related entities, among other demands.
Protesters on other campuses are making similar demands, calling on campuses to divest from companies that sell weapons, construction equipment, technological services and other items to Israel.
Columbia officials warned earlier this week that the camp violates school rules but did not provide specific disciplinary consequences. Authorities also rejected protesters' claims that the school was threatening to bring in the National Guard to help deal with the pro-Palestinian protest camp.
Jewish reaction
Passover, an important Jewish holiday, began this week, raising fears among some Jewish students who have heard anti-Semitic comments at some of the protests.
The atmosphere was so charged that Columbia officials announced that students would be able to attend classes and even take exams virtually starting Monday.
Highlighting concerns about student safety, Rabbi Elie Buechler, an associate with the Orthodox Union's Jewish Learning Initiative on the Columbia University Campus, sent a WhatsApp message to a group of about 300 students, mostly Orthodox Jews, “strongly” recommending that they return home and stay there.
Buechler wrote that recent events at the university “have made it clear that Columbia University Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee the safety of Jewish students.”
During Passover, there will be a police presence at the Kraft Center, a Jewish cultural center shared by Columbia and Barnard, and campus public safety will provide walking escorts to and from the building starting Monday, according to an email by Brian Cohen, executive director of the center.
Chabad, a Jewish organization at the University, said on Facebook that it has hired additional security to protect students during Passover. They said they were “horrified by what we witnessed last night on and near the Columbia campus,” but still planned to hold Easter celebrations on campus.
A group of Jewish and non-Jewish students gathered at the camp to celebrate the Passover Seder on Monday night.
Cameron Jones, a Columbia student, told CNN : “I am Jewish and, for me, Easter symbolizes perseverance and resilience. I think this camp represents both of those ideals because we’ve seen the university take countless measures to try to stifle our student activism, and here we are persevering despite it.”
What do political leaders say?
On Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson called for the Columbia University president's resignation during a tense news conference in which the crowd repeatedly interrupted the speaker and at times booed him and other lawmakers. Republicans who were with him with microphones on the Columbia campus.
“We cannot allow this type of hatred and anti-Semitism to flourish on our campuses, and it must be stopped. Those who perpetrate this violence must be stopped. I stand here today, joining my colleagues and calling on President Shafik to resign if she cannot bring this chaos to an immediate end,” Johnson said.
He was joined by New York Representatives Mike Lawler, Nicole Malliotakis and other members of the New York Republican Party delegation.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, condemned the way administrators like Shafik handled the matter on behalf of student protesters.
His comment came a day after a fellow New York Democrat, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, accused Colombia of bowing to “pressure from the right.”
Earlier this week, a spokesperson for President Joe Biden said he was “of course aware” of the pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked college campuses across the country.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Tuesday he is “deeply concerned” about incidents of anti-Semitism at Columbia University and highlighted a previously opened civil rights investigation at the university for harassment-related violations.
What will happen to Shafik?
National political leaders, including President Johnson, increased pressure on Shafik to resign.
Shafik is an Egyptian-born academic and economic policy expert who has been president of the Ivy League university since July 2023.
Shafik's family fled Egypt in the 1960s when the country was in the midst of political and economic turmoil, according to Columbia, and formerly president of the London School of Economics and Political Science. She grew up in the southern United States.
The Columbia University Board of Trustees issued a statement Wednesday expressing its strong support for President Shafik. The board said it is “working urgently” with her to resolve the unrest on campus and “rebuild the bonds of our community.”
Growing unrest on college campuses, along with a rise in anti-Semitism, led to numerous congressional hearings and, at least in part, the resignation of two Ivy League presidents: Claudine Gay of Harvard University and Liz Magill of Harvard University. of Pennsylvania.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
