Students set up tents during a protest in support of Palestinians at Columbia University campus in New York City (USA) on April 26 – Photo: Reuters
As of April 27 (Vietnam time), students have set up protest tents on the campuses of at least 50 universities and colleges in the US, from famous Ivy League schools to public schools. create. Many students said they will not stop protesting until their demands are met.
Students from 50 schools participated
Students at Columbia University were the first to speak out against Israel’s war in Gaza. Since mid-April, they have pitched tents, called for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and demanded that their university divest from Israeli and American arms manufacturers.
While Columbia University remained the epicenter of the student anti-war movement, attention also spread to other university campuses, from the University of Southern California in California to Emory University in Georgia and Emerson College in Massachusetts. On April 26, about 200 protesters gathered at George Washington University, a few blocks from the White House, carrying posters “Free Palestine”.
According to CNN, the specific demands of the protesters vary from school to school, but their main demand is for universities to divest from companies linked to Israel or businesses that are profiting. from the conflict in Gaza. Universities largely refuse to comply with this requirement.
In addition, students also demand that their schools be transparent about investments, cut off academic ties with Israeli universities, and support a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip… According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the six-month conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Student protests have sparked heated debate across the United States about how universities should allow free speech while keeping students safe and maintaining order.
Some schools have chosen to cooperate with police to prevent protests, leading to clashes and arrests. Hundreds of people were arrested for refusing to remove tents and violating school rules. According to Bloomberg News, as of 5:00 p.m. on April 26 (eastern time in the US), nearly 600 protesters were arrested on university campuses. Scenes of students and professors being arrested by police caused outrage.
Meanwhile, leaders of some universities have also faced many criticisms. Ms. Nemat Minouche Shafik – president of Columbia University – is being fiercely opposed by many students, lecturers and outside observers for allowing New York police onto the campus on April 18 to remove the tents.
That same day, police arrested more than 100 people and removed tents from the main lawn on the campus in Manhattan. However, protesters quickly returned and set up tents again. After failing to end the protests two weeks ago, Columbia University leadership turned to negotiations with students but has so far been unsuccessful.
In Texas, Mr. Jay Hartzell – president of the University of Texas at Austin – faced a similar backlash from lecturers on April 26, two days after he and Governor Greg Abbott called on the police. disperse a demonstration in support of the Palestinians.
Fear of violence
Most student protests across the United States have been peaceful, but some elements of the protests have been labeled “anti-Semitic” and concerns have been expressed about threats. threatening Jewish students. In some demonstrations anti-Semitic slogans and posters appeared.
Most protest organizers across the United States emphasized not using violence. However, safety concerns have increased at educational institutions, leading many to hold online classes and cancel graduation ceremonies. This week, the University of Southern California announced the cancellation of the graduation ceremony scheduled for May 10.
American sociologist Joan Donovan (Boston University) noted that the protest movement needs to be extremely wary of far-right agitators trying to infiltrate the movement with the goal of sabotaging the original message.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden supports freedom of speech but he condemned “anti-Semitic protests” and emphasized the need for American university campuses to be safe . Some Jewish students say the protests have turned to anti-Semitism and that is why they are afraid to go to school now.
Up to now, it is not certain when the above protests will end. On April 26, Columbia University students – who inspired the protest movement against the war in Gaza across the United States – said they were in a deadlock with school leaders and intended to continue. set up protest tents until demands are met.
Spread to other countries
Protests in support of Palestine and against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip have also spread to universities outside the United States, from France to Australia. In France, on April 26, students at the Paris Institute of Political Studies occupied a central building on the campus, shouting slogans in support of Palestine. In Australia, students set up a tent at Sydney University demanding that the school cut ties with Israeli universities and weapons manufacturers.
Tags: Antiwar protests spread universities
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