Student Protests Over Gaza War Spread Across Continents
Students across multiple continents have been demonstrating in support of Palestine and denouncing the war on Gaza. At the University of California, Los Angeles, pro-Palestinian students resumed their protests after their initial camp was dismantled by police following a violent clash with counter-demonstrators. The campus saw a heavy presence of security personnel, and university employees warned demonstrators to vacate the premises or face disciplinary actions. Despite this, some students persisted, relocating their protest to another building on campus.
Other universities across the United States have seen similar activities. At Drexel University in Philadelphia, protesters left their camp following the university administration's announcement involving police intervention. Protests initially began at Columbia University in New York and have since spread to include over a dozen institutions like Harvard, George Washington, New York, Yale, North Carolina, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Security forces have intervened violently, leading to the arrest of hundreds of students, with accusations of anti-Semitism following from President Joe Biden's administration.
Pro-Palestinian Protests in Europe
In Britain, 16 individuals were arrested at Oxford University after pro-Palestinian activists staged a sit-in in front of the vice-chancellor's office. The Oxford Organization for Action for Palestine reported that the university summoned police after the students began their protest, similar to events at other British and American universities. These protesters demanded that Oxford University withdraw investments from companies associated with Israel. In response, students faced various charges and accusations.
Meanwhile, University of Edinburgh students in Scotland continue their open sit-in and hunger strike demanding the withdrawal of investments from companies they consider complicit with Israel. In Germany, activists within the Berlin Student Coalition staged a sit-in at Humboldt University, even after police evacuated their occupied rooms. The protests at European universities signal a growing international support for Palestinian causes and widespread dissatisfaction with the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
- At Harvard University, hundreds of students walked out of the graduation ceremony to protest against Israel's actions in Gaza and the university's handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Some students had reached an agreement with the university to remove their protest tents, but dissatisfaction remained, culminating in the walkout during the graduation ceremony.
- Graduates from other universities, including Yale University and Duke University, have also participated in similar walkouts. Since the forced removal of a demonstration at Columbia University in New York on April 18, demonstrators have been arrested and detained at at least 67 universities nationwide. Although large-scale demonstrations have subsided, the opposition to Israel and university policies persists among American students.
