Confronting a horrifying reality: Pro-Palestinian occupiers are being screened outside by US universities for Hamas atrocities

“Israel is an ally of America. How dare you live in America and support a known terrorist organization?” a pro-Israel protester standing near a screen on UCLA grounds was quoted as saying by The Wrap, whose reporter caught reactions from people from both camps.

“UCLA has put a political agenda ahead of the safety of its students. I’m worried about my safety and the safety of everyone here on campus, on both sides. We are trying to educate people about what actually happened,” he added.

Pro-Palestinian protesters did not take well to the screen showing footage of Hamas atrocities. “A bunch of Zionist counter-protesters – most of them not students – organized a big fundraiser and put up that screen. They’re basically trying to overwhelm us with noise and annoy us,” a man who identified himself as a PhD student named Kai told the site.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations on American universities are intensifying. They canceled classes in New York

America

The verbal conflict has already escalated into a physical confrontation – a video circulating on social networks shows a woman covered in a scarf who apparently attacked a pro-Israel protester with a sign with a taser on the UCLA campus.

“The police don’t do much, they just stand and let the people supporting Hamas do whatever they want. The woman used a taser and was let go. We heard a crack of electricity,” The Wrap website quoted a witness to the incident. Other videos show masked protesters blocking the path of Jewish students.

“This kind of harassment, this kind of violence is dangerous for students, but it’s nothing compared to other things… They shouted abuse at us, spat at us,” pro-Palestinian protester Kai commented on the incident. “This dehumanizing treatment is actually only a fraction of what Palestinians face every day and for the past 75 years,” he added.

Students stormed the building and began an occupation

New York’s Columbia University, whose pro-Palestinian students have inspired protests at colleges across the United States, has so far begun suspending students who do not end their demonstrations by Monday’s ultimatum. According to its announcement, the university recognizes freedom of expression, but the protests are, according to it, a “noisy disturbance” of the peace needed to prepare for the ongoing final exams.

The school has offered the chance to finish the academic year to those protesting students who sign a pledge to abide by the school’s rules until next June or until graduation, whichever comes first. Mahmoud Khalil, the main negotiator of the protesting students, called the ultimatum “further intimidation”.

Protesters at Columbia University broke windows and glass doors in Hamilton Hall hours later on Tuesday and began occupying the building, NBC News reported. She added that dozens of students occupied the building, according to the Columbia Spectator student newspaper.

A dramatic situation prevailed on Monday evening at the University of Texas at Austin. There, a group of protesters surrounded police officers and a van carrying several earlier detainees, and officers used pepper spray and stun grenades against them. In total, according to the authorities, they detained 40 people.

The demonstrations reflect the strong disapproval of many young Americans with the way Israel is conducting an offensive against the Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which it launched after the terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas and its allies on October 7 last year. 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.

The demonstrations are not accompanied by large-scale violence, although several physical confrontations have already occurred. Many school leaders often find the protests too disruptive, while some Jewish students say they are accompanied by anti-Semitism and make them feel unsafe. The protests also attract outside activists who further inflame passions.