Why Are Pro-Palestine Students Protesting In The US?
Student protests have erupted around the US over the ongoing war in Gaza as demonstrators call for their universities to cut ties with Israel.
More than a thousands demonstrators have now been arrested over the encampments taking place all over the country.
As tensions continue to rise and universities struggle to cope, here’s what you need to know.
What has happened at US universities?
Pro-Palestine protesters have been staging rallies, sit-ins, hunger strikes and encampments to pressure their own institutions into action.
More than a thousand protesters have subsequently been arrested in the US, while some have clashed with the police – sparking concerns about freedom of expression.
The chaos has even sparked a reaction from the UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, who said on Tuesday: “I am concerned that some of law enforcement actions ac ross a series of universities appear disproportionate in their impacts.”
He added: “It must be clear that legitimate exercises of the freedom of expression cannot be conflated with incitement to violence and hatred.”
With graduation ceremonies scheduled to soon take place across the country, universities are struggling to dilute the situation.
Why are people protesting?
It all stems from the war which has been raging in Gaza since October.
When Palestinian militants Hamas killed 1,200 people on Israeli soil and took a further 240 people hostage, Israel declared war.
Its subsequent ground offensive and bombardment has killed 35,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health officials, who also say the majority have been women and children.
Millions have also been displaced in the Palestinian region and a humanitarian crisis, prompted by a lack of fundamental resources like food, water and shelter, has caused international outrage.
What do the protesters want?
Students want their universities to financially divest from Israel, so they no longer have any stock in Israeli firms or any financial ties which fund the educational facilities.
The groups are suggesting any organisations with links to Israel, Israeli companies or Israeli universities are subsequently complicit in its war in Gaza.
Cutting ties would not have a direct impact the war, but demonstrators believe it would send a wider message against Israel’s attack Gaza.
How has it escalated?
Pro-Palestinian campus groups have made this request for years, calling for institutions to support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Protests have also been occurring around the world since the October 7 attacks from Hamas. Some demonstrations have also caused concerns about rising antisemitism.
Then, in April, the president of the Columbia University in New York City testified before Congress about combating antisemitism at the university.
Students set up camp on the campus in protest against her speech, sparking a police intervention to disband the demonstrations.
The university later called police again, due to vandalism and public safety risks – and leading to more than 100 arrests.
Outrage over the police response meant protests started to move into universities across the country.
In the last few days, hundreds of police officers have been dispatched to curb protests at UCLA (the University of California in Los Angeles) in the US.
Officers have tried to get the protesters to disperse or face arrest, even surrounding the campus and trying to take down students’ barricades.
But protesters responded by putting on makeshift riot gear and hard hats to hit back.
Some universities are negotiating with the protesters, such as promising to vote on divesting in Israel in exchange for dispersing the encampments.
However, the police response has been widely criticised for taking it too far in its plan to boost student safety.
"Its hard to overstate the degree of outrage & betrayal on behalf of the faculty.. the irony that in the name of student safety the encampment will be facing a militarised police invasion.. its hard to say fully many of the faculty are finding this"
UCLA professor Danielle Carr pic.twitter.com/h6fNPXq4Iy— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) May 2, 2024
Will students in Europe be following suit?
Pro-Palestine protesters have planned demonstrations in the UK, Australia, Canada, France and Italy.
Vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia, David Maguire, said protests in the UK have been generally peaceful, but warned that events like in the US “could happen here”.
However, he told BBC Radio 4: “This is a price that we pay for academic freedom and freedom of speech.
“Students have the opportunity, if they so wish, to protest about any issue.
“And I think we’ve got to remember that for a lot of students, these events have been completely cataclysmic.
“Any response from authorities must be commensurate and allowances need to be made.”
A spokesperson for Universities UK (which represents 142 institutions) said the situation in the US is being monitored.
