Pro-Palestinian protests spark at colleges around the world

WThe calls to “disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest” are resonating around the world as student-led protests in support of Palestine have emerged outside the US and in countries such as Australia, Mexico and the UK like the The Israel-Hamas war enters its seventh month.

More than 2,000 people who participated in more than 100 demonstrations have been arrested over the past few weeks. Videos and images of police clearing camps at the University of California, Los Angeles and Columbia University have undoubtedly emboldened young people in other nations, sparking global unrest on college campuses around the world. “Columbia first, USYD [University of Sydney] then all universities must divest,” read a post from the Students for Palestine – Sydney Uni Facebook page.

Student demands vary, but many are making similar calls for their institutions to disclose their investment portfolio and divest funds from companies that have business ties to Israel. Some organizers are even calling on their colleges to sever all ties with Israeli academic institutions.

These are some of the countries where students have also organized their own protests:

Australia

Hundreds of people gathered at at least six Australian universities, including the University of Melbourne and Curtin University. At the University of Sydney, police watched protesters from the school’s entrance as pro-Palestinian protesters were met by counter-protesters in support of Israel. Some academics expressed their discomfort with the cries of “Intifada” and “from the river to the sea”, according to Reuters.

University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott allowed the protests to continue because there was no violence like that seen in the US, he told local media on Thursday.

Other protesters, such as those from the University of Queensland, have been camped out since April 29. school will close the Boeing Research and Technology Australia Center and stop working with the American aerospace company Northrop Grumman – which designs and develops some military aircraft – among other companies.

Canada

At McGill University in Quebec, pro-Palestine protesters received a temporary victory after a judge decided against a request for an injunction that would have forced protesters to leave the site on Wednesday. The following day, pro-Palestine protesters met with pro-Israel protesters, although police considered the protests peaceful. Having first set up their camp on April 27, pro-Palestinian supporters have occupied an area of ​​around 4,000 square meters so far, according to the CBC.

Reports indicate that the protests are not limited to McGill students, with alumni and students from Concordia University and University of Montreal having also come to participate.

Pro-Palestinian protesters too set up camps at the University of Toronto, rename King’s College Circle as the Popular Circle of Palestine. In addition to divestment, students are asking their school to cut ties with any Israeli academic institutions that “operate in occupied Palestinian territories, or support the policies of apartheid, occupation and illegal colonization of these territories”.

See more information: ‘Why are police wearing riot gear?’: Inside Columbia and City College’s darkest night

School officials warned protesters to leave campus by 10 p.m. Thursday, but later announced they would not remove anyone from campus as long as the protest remained peaceful. according to the CBC. Still, administrators warned there would be an increased police presence in the area.

“We are aware that the Toronto Police Service is monitoring the protest. Please encourage others to remain peaceful… Hate speech, threats and other discriminatory language or behavior do not constitute peaceful protest,” said the vice-chancellor of University of Toronto, Sandy Welsh. in a statement from the university, students remain adamant that they will not leave until their demands are met. University of Toronto President Meric S. Gertler told members of the school’s Occupy for Palestine group that the university would do so. do not join to your requests.

France

An ongoing standoff between students, police and university administrators has sparked tension in Paris at the renowned Sciences Po. On April 24, the university’s provisional administrator called on the police to remove around 60 students who were participating in a demonstration according to the world. It was the first time that the university sent the police to suppress a protest, per The nation.

Palestinian student organizers remained persistent – ​​asking their school to examine its ties to Israeli universities, better protest Palestinian students, and send a statement to condemn the actions of the Israeli military. Dozens of students chose to reoccupy school buildings on Thursday, prompting Sciences Po to close on friday. At least six students were also participating in a hunger strike. (Sciences Po offers a dual degree program with Columbia University, which recently called on police to remove student occupants and limited press access to the protest.)

Syndicat Alternative Paris 1, the student union at Sorbonne University, is doing similarrequests. The protesters were also cleared by the police on April 29 Reuters reports.

Lebanon

Around 200 people gathered at the American University of Beirut to protest in support of Palestine. Protesters were given permission to do so for two hours on campus.

“Looking at the Palestinians in Gaza and the students in Gaza who lost their universities, their lives and their families, a degree would not matter to us as much as a liberated Palestine from the river to the sea”, Rayyan Kilani counted Reuters. “Of course we were inspired by the protests in the US and at Columbia University.”

Other demonstrations also took place at the Lebanese American University, which operates in Beirut and Byblos. At least one student said he was not inspired by US students and that it was the opposite. “American students were inspired by us,” said Batoul the Washington Publish. Cries of “death to America” were also heard briefly at the rally.

Mexico

At the National Autonomous University of Mexicothe largest university in Mexico, organizers set up camps to ask “[un] high imperialist genocide in Gaza,” or the end of the “imperialist genocide in Gaza”, El País reports.

The students are calling on both their university and Mexico to end all diplomatic relations with Israel. Other Latin American countries, including, more recently, Colombiahave already ended relations with the Middle Eastern country.

At least 40 tents have been set up since Thursday, according to El Paíswhere Jewish and Arab students participate in the camp.

UK

Student-led demonstrations also took place in Manchester, Newcastle and across the UK. reports that although the number of protesters is smaller than that observed in the USA, student activism is growing. A spokesman for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC that police would have Sunak’s “full support” in taking down camps if protests became similar to what happened in the US.
Goldsmiths, University of London, reached an agreement with organizers after students occupied the school’s library on Wednesday. University officials agreed to allow students to “present evidence of Goldsmiths’ complicity with Israel to the university finance committee,” create scholarships for Palestinians, write a statement to the UK government calling for a ceasefire, and much more. more. The group of students organizing for Palestine announced his win on Friday via X.