Dozens more people have been arrested over the past day for taking part in university protests against Israel’s Gaza offensive that have rocked campuses across the United States. The police intervened against them in Boston, Atlanta and Los Angeles. The University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles announced today that it is canceling its main graduation ceremony due to security measures.
American universities have been the scene of protests since the start of the war in Gaza more than six months ago. But in recent days, tensions have escalated after the administration of Columbia University in New York called the police on its students who were camping in the middle of the Manhattan campus. Similar protest camps have sprung up across the country, and media reports say the events are attracting activists from outside, who continue to stoke passions.
Something like that happened today on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, the school said. According to her statement, dozens of people who are not members of the academic community but “activists who are trying to disrupt the university” have set up tents on the campus.
According to local https://twitter.com/ATLNewsFirst/status/1783523694997823745 a clash with the police followed, arresting more than a dozen people, including students. “I started to run, and when I turned around, I saw that they got my friend… It makes me sad, not just for Emory University, but for the state of America. What the hell is that supposed to mean?” one student said of the intervention. She also appeared https://twitter.com/PatrickQuinnTV/status/1783532600637681964that one teacher also ended up in custody.
The campus demonstrations reflect strong disapproval among young Americans of the way Israel is waging war in Gaza against the terrorist Hamas movement. The protesting students are demanding that the schools cut off business ties and investments that are in any way connected to Israel, and are calling for an end to the killing of Palestinian civilians. According to critics, the protests are accompanied by manifestations of anti-Semitism and intimidation of Jewish students.
In some places, the protests disrupted classes and other activities at schools. Columbia University introduced distance learning and California’s USC canceled the traditional ceremony held at the end of the academic year, where tens of thousands of graduates and their loved ones gather. She said she was unable to host it due to new security measures.
A few days ago, a school in Los Angeles drew criticism from defenders of freedom of speech and a leading Muslim organization when it announced that the best female student of the graduating class would not perform at the ceremony, the AP agency wrote. Asna Tabassum has publicly expressed support for the Palestinians, and university officials say her speech would pose “significant” risks.
Police arrested 93 people during a protest on the USC campus overnight, AP reports. Another 108 people ended up in custody during the overnight demonstration on the grounds of Emerson College in Boston. Student Ocean Muir testified that the protesters were surrounded by police who took them away and charged them with trespassing.
As for Columbia University, last week’s police crackdown didn’t quell the protests there, quite the opposite. A new tent city soon grew up on the campus, and the school management is now negotiating with the students.
Tags: Arrests proPalestinian protesters universities continue
