Students from several other US universities are holding rallies
Pro-Palestinian camps at Columbia University in the US remain strong, despite 108 students being arrested and three suspended last week. Contrary to what the police sweep of the camps hoped to achieve, the crackdown simply fueled the fire of dissent.
Students at several other universities in the US followed suit, setting up their own camps, occupying buildings and holding rallies.
Amid growing demands for divestment in Israel and a ceasefire in Gaza, prestigious schools such as Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and New York University (NYU) have attempted to suppress these protests but have failed.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have also taken place at universities such as UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan.
Tensions at Columbia University remain high as students refuse to comply with demands to vacate their camps. Negotiations to reach an agreement between the administration and the protesters were unsuccessful.
As a result, officials announced that classes will be moved to a hybrid learning mode for the remainder of the spring semester, which ends next week.
These protests catalyzed the eruption of student-led pro-Palestinian movements across the country.
At New York University, 133 protesters were arrested after allegedly throwing bottles at police, who were tasked with clearing the camps. They have since been released with a summons to appear in court on charges of disorderly conduct.
Calling the arrests “outrageous,” Byul Yoon, an NYU law student, asks exasperatedly, “Why aren’t we allowed to be here? Why aren’t we allowed to express ourselves?”
Reiterating the protesters’ demands, she said: “We are here to maintain a presence and demand that the university divest from arms corporations and the Israeli occupation.”
MIT student Quinn Perian investigated the school’s involvement in the violence unfolding in Gaza, explaining: “They [MIT] has had more than US$11 million allocated in investments for projects directly related to the Israeli Ministry of Defense in the last decade. MIT is building the weapons that Israel and the Israeli military are using to terrorize and bomb Palestinians in Gaza.”
UC Berkeley student and protest organizer Malak Afaneh echoed the protesters’ resolve, claiming, “Frankly, we’re going to stay here until we get divestment. We’re willing to risk suspension. We’re willing to risk expulsion. We’re willing to risk arrest.”
At Yale University, protesters refused negotiations with the administration, which asked them to end demonstrations, abandon camps, and meet with school administrators. After defying several warnings, the administration authorized the police to evacuate the camps. Around 60 protesters, of which 47 were students, were arrested.
Harvard University also took preventive measures, locking most of the gates to its famous Harvard Yard and limiting access to those with school identification. Signs were also posted warning against setting up tents or tables without authorization. Despite this, camps have been set up and protests continue.
Following this, the student group ‘Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee’ was suspended for violating university policies.
The protests are unlikely to be dismissed anytime soon. Resistance continues to grow as every attempt to suppress protesters leads to more disillusioned individuals joining the pro-Palestinian cause.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
