By James Fitzgerald and Bernd Debusmann Jr. BBC News April 22, 2024
Updated 1 hour ago
Video caption, watch: Arrests and anger over pro-Palestinian demonstrations at US universities
Protests against the war in Gaza have taken hold at some elite US universities as authorities scramble to quell the demonstrations.
Police moved to destroy the New York University (NYU) camp on Monday night, making numerous arrests.
Dozens of students were arrested at Yale University earlier in the day, and Columbia University canceled in-person classes.
The wave of demonstrations has been marred by alleged anti-Semitic incidents, which the White House has condemned.
Demonstrations and heated debates about the Israel-Gaza war and free speech have rocked American campuses since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered Israel’s Gaza operation.
Both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents have increased in the United States since then, both students said.
Asked about Monday’s rally, President Joe Biden said he condemned both the “anti-Semitic protests” and “people who don’t understand what’s happening to the Palestinians.”
The protests were thrust back into the spotlight last week after New York City police responded to Columbia University’s campus and arrested more than 100 demonstrators.
Since then, the gathering has expanded. In addition to New York University and Yale University, camps have also been set up at the University of California, Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Michigan, Emerson College, and Tufts University.
Protesters at New York University, like their peers, are calling on the university to disclose and divest “funds and donations from weapons manufacturers and companies with a stake in the Israeli occupation.” .
One of the students, Alejandro Tanon, told AFP news agency that the United States was at a “critical moment”, comparing the protests to historic demonstrations over the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa.
“We support Palestine and we support the liberation of all people,” one protester told the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
Meanwhile, another man standing across the street holding an Israeli flag said, “There’s one side of history here, and there’s another side of history. This is the right side here.”
New York University said 50 people were involved in the main encampment outside the business school. The protest was said to be unauthorized and disrupted classes.
Police began arresting them on Monday night. They haven’t provided a number.
Hours earlier, nearly 50 protesters were arrested at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Authorities said hundreds of people had gathered. Many of them have refused requests to leave.
On Monday, Columbia University President Dr. Minoush Shafik asked students to stay off campus, citing “coercive and harassing behavior.” Instead, classes were held virtually.
Dr. Shafiq said tensions on campus were “exploited and amplified by people who are not affiliated with Columbia and came to campus to pursue their own agendas.”
New York University officials also indicated that protesters not affiliated with the university participated.
It was just the latest institution to report anti-Semitic incidents on Monday, the first day of the Jewish holiday Passover.
Recent videos posted online appear to show some demonstrators near Colombia expressing support for the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel.
Democratic Rep. Cathy Manning, who toured Colombia on Monday, said she saw protesters there calling for the destruction of Israel.
Chabad, a Hasidic organization at Columbia University, said Jewish students were being yelled at and subjected to harmful rhetoric. Meanwhile, the university’s rabbi has reportedly warned Jewish students to avoid the campus until the situation improves.
Members of the protest group who issued public statements denied anti-Semitism and claimed that their criticism was for the benefit of the State of Israel and its supporters.
Colombian Students for Justice in Palestine “categorically rejects hatred and bigotry in any form” and criticized “incendiary individuals who do not represent us.”
Image source, Getty Images
Dr. Shafiq said in a statement that a working group was established at Columbia University “to resolve this crisis.”
Dr. Shafiq testified before a Congressional committee last week about Columbia’s efforts to address anti-Semitism.
She faces pressure from a variety of sources, including a possible censure resolution from the University Senate for mass arrests on campus the day after her testimony.
A group of members of Congress, led by New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, also signed a letter calling for his resignation, citing his “inability to quell an insurrection by students and agitators seeking acts of terrorism against Jewish students.” . Democrats are also calling on Columbia University to make sure Jewish students feel safe and welcome.
The university’s own officials have criticized its handling of the protests. In a statement sent to the BBC on Monday night, Columbia’s Knight First Amendment Institute called for an “urgent course correction” and said outside authorities there was a “clear and present danger” to people and property. He said they should only get involved if the situation arises.
The October 7 attack on southern Israel killed about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, and took 253 others back to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
In response, Israel launched its most violent war in history in Gaza, aiming to destroy Hamas and free the hostages. More than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have died in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip’s health ministry.
A recent Gallup poll suggests that opinions have changed since the outbreak of the current conflict and that a majority of Americans now disapprove of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
image captionProtesters near the Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticutimage captionStudents listen to speakers at a protest at Emerson Collegeimage captionPart of an encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologyimage caption, Massachusetts Some of the technology at the University of Technology encampment
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