MIT, Emerson, other US colleges students launch pro-Palestine protests
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The institution of Harvard follows suit as well as it has limited access to Harvard Yard until Friday afternoon, according to the Harvard Crimson, in an attempt to block students from protesting.
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Demonstrators chant slogans outside the Columbia University campus, Thursday, April 18, 2024, in New York. (AP)
The pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in New York have created a domino effect. More pro-Palestinians camps have been set up at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Emerson College in the state of Massachusetts.
MIT students have been calling for the institution to want the school to cut its ties with the Israeli occupation forces while Emerson students are calling for their institution to support "Palestinian liberation."
Emerson student Owen Buxton told WBZ-TV: "We're trying to take our education into our own hands. We're sick of what our school's been doing," adding: "We're gathered here and we're not going to leave until our demands are met or we're dragged away by police."
According to Buxton, the protesters have been "in communication" with the school's administration.
Meanwhile, the institution of Harvard has limited access to Harvard Yard until Friday afternoon, according to the Harvard Crimson, in an attempt to block students from protesting.
A poster on the Yard gates said: "Structures, including tents and tables, are not permitted in the Yard without prior permission", warning that students who violate that rule are "subject to disciplinary action."
A series of crackdowns and set-ups
On Thursday, The New York Times reported that the New York Police Department tried to disperse a pro-Palestine demonstration at Columbia University, detaining dozens of activists who had set up an encampment of around 50 tents on campus.
The arrests, which brought a fresh gathering of students to support the protesters, occurred the day after university authorities promised Congress they would crack down on student rallies related to the Israeli war on Gaza.
Officers dressed in riot gear and armed with zip ties began arresting protesters shortly before 1:30 pm Over a megaphone, a man stated that since they "refused to disperse," they would now be under arrest for trespassing. "If you resist arrest, you may face additional charges."
A college student body at Columbia endorsed a boycott of companies that back the Israeli occupation's practices deemed as apartheid and genocidal last week as well. As per the statement, the consequences of the boycott equate to "$1 million in student fees."
It's worth noting that Columbia has become a focal point for anti-war demonstrations, with numerous protesters frequently gathering outside the University's main gates to protest the ongoing Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The New York Civil Liberties Union, in conjunction with a Palestinian advocacy group, initiated legal action against Columbia University for its decision to suspend two pro-Palestinian organizations advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The legal action represents the latest development in how unrest on college campuses is unfolding across the United States amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.
