2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
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Pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses escalated in April 2024, spreading in the United States and in other countries, as a part of wider Israel–Hamas war protests. The escalation began after mass arrests at the Columbia University campus occupation, led by anti-Zionist groups, in which protesters demanded the university's disinvestment from Israel over its alleged genocide of Palestinians.[15] In the United States over 2,950 protesters have been arrested,[14] including faculty members and professors,[1][16] on over 60 campuses.[14] On May 7, protests spread across Europe with mass arrests in the Netherlands.[17][18] As of May 12, twenty encampment have been established in the United Kingdom, and across universities in Australia and Canada.[19][20] Some protesters have called the movement a "student intifada".[lower-alpha 1][24]
2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses | |
---|---|
Part of the Israel–Hamas war protests | |
Date | April 17, 2024 – present (1 month and 1 day) |
Location | |
Caused by | Opposition to |
Goals | Universities divesting from Israel |
Methods | |
Casualties | |
Injuries | 15-25+ protesters hospitalized[13] |
Arrested | 2,900+ protesters[14] |
The different protests' varying demands include severing financial ties with Israel and its affiliated entities, transparency over financial ties,[25] and amnesty for protesters.[26] The occupations have resulted in the closure of Columbia University and Cal Poly Humboldt;[27][28] Portland State University pausing financial ties with Boeing over its ties to Israel;[29] and Trinity College Dublin agreeing to end certain investments in Israeli companies.[30] Several other universities made agreements with protesters in order for encampments to be dismantled,[31] some universities' graduation ceremonies were canceled,[32][33] and protests occurred at various graduation ceremonies in May 2024.[34][35] Universities have suspended students, with some also expelled.[1][36] The protests have been compared to the 1960s anti-Vietnam protests,[37] the 1968 protests,[38] and protests against apartheid in the 1980s.[39]
Over 200 groups have expressed support for the protests,[40] as well as Jewish U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and multiple progressive members of Congress.[41] Some prominent pro-Israel figures have described the protests as antisemitic,[42] including President Joe Biden,[26] former president Donald Trump,[43] U.S. governors,[44][45][46] and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[47] Pro-Palestinian and Jewish student protesters at Columbia have insisted the protests are not antisemitic.[48][49] The police response to the protests has also been criticized by various Democrats[50][51][52] and human rights organizations.[53][54]