Pro-Palestine protest movement growing despite campus crackdowns in US
6 Min Read
Following the crackdown on pro-Palestinian students by police, encouraged by elite US universities, protests intensify across campuses.
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Texas State Troopers and other law enforcement personnel monitor the scene as pro-Palestinian students protest against the Israeli genocide in Gaza on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin on April 24, 2024. (AFP)
Dozens of students, alongside faculty staff and media personnel, were arrested on Wednesday while participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations at various US college campuses.
At least 34 students, including a member of the media from a local news station, were arrested during protests at the University of Texas in Austin, and at least 50 more were detained by police at the University of Southern California (USC).
State troopers attack an anti-genocide protest at the University of Texas.
— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) April 24, 2024
This is the "land of the free." pic.twitter.com/Lmh1au7KNg
These arrests occurred amid a series of demonstrations at campuses across the US, which began last week after students at Columbia University in New York established encampments demanding the university divest from weapons manufacturers with ties to "Israel". These protests have resulted in numerous suspensions and the arrest of hundreds of students in New York and other cities.
Weaponization of anti-semitism
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at US universities faced predictable accusations of anti-Semitism amid their protests.
In this context, House speaker Mike Johnson entered the scene on Wednesday with a visit to Columbia University's campus, where he was met with jeers from pro-Palestinian protesters.
Johnson criticized the protests as "mob rule" and condemned what he referred to as a "virus of antisemitism" across colleges nationwide.
“And it’s detestable, as Columbia has allowed these lawless agitators and radicals to take over,” he said. “If this is not contained quickly and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard.”
Johnson's address was met with boos from the crowd, as he also demanded the resignation of Minouche Shafik, Columbia's president, whom he accused of neglecting to safeguard Jewish students and permitting protests that resulted in the arrest of numerous individuals there the previous week.
Pro-Palestinian rallies at elite universities
In California, protests intensified at UC Berkeley and USC. Further north at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, demonstrators barricaded themselves in a university building using furniture, tents, chains, and zip-ties, prompting a campus shutdown.
Today’s growing student movements, from #ColumbiaUniversity to #UCBerkeley to #USC, calling on their universities to divest from Israeli apartheid, echo the powerful legacy of Vietnam-era student protests, showcasing a deep-rooted tradition of activism for human rights. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/IDifpbz0qB
— CAIR-SFBA (@CAIRSFBA) April 25, 2024
At Harvard University, students erected an encampment in Harvard Yard on Wednesday morning to protest against the suspension of the university's Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and to demand divestment from "Israel" due to its brutal aggression on Gaza. Additionally, in Texas, an anti-war protest at the University of Texas in Austin led to at least 34 arrests, including that of a photojournalist, after state troopers entered the campus.
As tensions heightened, Kathy Hochul, the Democratic governor of New York, criticized Johnson's visit as "divisive", while Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounced authorities for the "reckless and dangerous act" decision to summon police to non-violent protests.
Hochul blamed Johnson for “politicizing” the issue, and “adding to the division”, according to The New York Post. “There’s a lot more responsibilities and crises to be dealt with in Washington,” she said.
Protest movement spreads
Thousands of students across the country have participated in marches or established encampments at universities from Massachusetts to California this week, urging their institutions to terminate financial ties with "Israel" and divest from companies facilitating its prolonged occupation.
At UC Berkeley, a protest camp has entered its third day. Additional rows of tents have been erected alongside the initial cluster situated on the steps of the university's Sproul Hall, which serves as the campus's focal point.
Passover seder at UC Berkeley’s Gaza solidarity encampment pic.twitter.com/S2rvuC51Uk
— Dena Takruri (@Dena) April 25, 2024
A massive student marched at UC Berkeley, chanting "Hands off Gaza!" as they unite in solidarity with Palestine. pic.twitter.com/7yfi72ssBL
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) April 23, 2024
What began with just a few tents has grown over the past three days as more students have joined the "Free Palestine Camp," a sit-in demanding the severance of financial connections with BlackRock and other asset managers they deem complicit in financing the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
UC Berkeley has a $427 million investment in a BlackRock portfolio, and university officials have stated that altering their investment strategy is not being considered. Despite the minimal police or security presence on site, students anticipate that this may change. Nevertheless, the group is resolute in their determination to remain, even in the face of potential attempts by the university to forcibly remove them.
The demonstrators are additionally advocating for an academic boycott, which would terminate collaborations with Israeli universities and establish a new Palestinian studies program.
At USC, police engaged in a tug-of-war with protesters over tents during a demonstration. As of 7 pm local time, more than a dozen people were arrested at the campus, according to a reporter from the Los Angeles Times present at the scene.
USC is locked down. Helicopters circling overhead, streets closed, it feels very oppressive. But jail support at Metro detention center love and care overflows. 70+ arrested, Mom’s, concerned family members, professors here in support. @codepink ✌️💗🍉🇵🇸 #freePalestine pic.twitter.com/mrksB7l7yq
— Jodie Evans (@MsJodieEvans) April 25, 2024
The arrests occurred after USC had been locked down with police helicopters circling overhead and streets were closed. Then, the police also attacked the students, resulting in physical altercations as depicted in video footage.
On the campus of Cal Poly Humboldt, a public university on California's northern coast, classes have been moved online for the weekend as the campus remains closed due to pro-Palestinian protesters barricading themselves inside a building for a sit-in.
Students interviewed by the Sacramento Bee expressed a sense of urgency and necessity in taking action as the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza entered its 202nd day.
“I think the solution is to get involved because at least I can feel like I’m doing my part. Even if it’s not enough, I’m doing the best I can to make something of it. I find peace in that,” one student said.
At UT Austin, numerous local and state police officers, some mounted on horseback and wielding batons, clashed with protesters, forcibly removing them from the campus lawn and causing some to fall into the street.
The Texas DPS police which failed the children of Uvalde are now brutalizing American kids at UT Austin on behalf of the genocidal child slaughtering government of apartheid Israel and its local stooges. Absolute losers. pic.twitter.com/aotlxzzZTg
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) April 24, 2024
A photographer from Fox 7 Austin covering the demonstration was arrested after becoming entangled in a confrontation between officers and students, the station confirmed. A veteran Texas journalist was knocked to the ground and was bleeding.
A photographer for FOX 7 in Austin was arrested during the protests at University of Texas Austin: pic.twitter.com/M1lU8riTc2
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 24, 2024
It is worth noting that White House and Biden campaign officials have said that Biden has no plans to visit Columbia during his visit to New York on Friday, as per CNN. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed on Wednesday that Biden emphasizes the significance of free speech, debate, and nondiscrimination on college campuses, and believes that students should feel secure in such environments.
