Tension at US universities after arrests of students protesting the war in Gaza | World

Harvard, Yale and Columbia: pro-Palestinian demonstrations take over universities in the USA

The demonstrations have spread from Columbia University, where a protest camp was dismantled and more than 100 people were detained, to Yale and other higher institutions across the country, as authorities look for ways to control them.

On Monday night (22), police acted to disperse a protest at New York University (NYU) and made several arrests.

On the same day, dozens of students were detained at Yale, while Columbia canceled in-person classes.

There are protest camps at the University of California at Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other major universities across the country.

Demonstrations and heated debates about Israel’s offensive in Gaza and freedom of expression shook the campuses of the US since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which began the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

When asked about the university protests on Monday, US President Joe Biden said he condemned both “the anti-Semitic protests” and “those who don’t understand what is happening to the Palestinians.”

Authorities at these prestigious universities are finding it difficult to calm tempers at their campuses and, in most cases, they failed in this attempt.

There is concern about the upcoming graduation ceremonies.

The University of Southern California (USC) drew criticism and protests last week when it canceled the traditional commencement speech by its valedictorian, a Muslim who has defended Palestinians.

A day later, USC announced that it would also not have the usual speakers or honorees at the ceremony that usually brings together 65,000 people on campus.

The University of Michigan announced on its website that it will designate a special zone for activists to stay — outside of the places where graduation ceremonies will be held.

The university added that it would not prevent peaceful protests, but assured that it would take initiatives if the demonstrations led to any illegal conduct.

The protests in campuses have been in the spotlight since last week after New York City police were sent to the campus from Columbia University, where he arrested more than 100 protesters.

In a statement released on Monday (22), Columbia announced that all classes would be held virtually.

The institution’s president, Minouche Shafik, cited incidents of “intimidating behavior and harassment”.

Shakif stated that the tensions were “exploited and amplified by individuals unaffiliated with Columbia who came to the campus to promote their own agendas.”

At New York University (NYU), activists set up tents in front of the Stern School of Business Administration.

As happened at other universities, protesters at NYU demand that the institution’s managers disclose and withdraw “funding and donations received from weapons producers and companies with interests in the Israeli occupation.”

As night fell on Monday, police began arresting protesters there.

Hours earlier, nearly 50 activists were arrested at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where authorities said hundreds of people had gathered.

New York University says it has received reports of “intimidating chants and several anti-Semitic incidents.”

Recently released videos appear to show some protesters near Columbia expressing support for Hamas’ attack on Israel.

Democratic congresswoman Kathy Manning, who visited Columbia on Monday, said she saw protesters calling for the destruction of Israel.

The Hasidic group Chabad at Columbia University said Jewish students were subjected to shouting and offensive rhetoric.

It was also reported that a rabbi affiliated with the university sent a message to 300 Jewish students at Columbia, advising them to avoid the campus until the situation “improved dramatically.”

Members of protest groups that have issued public statements deny anti-Semitism, arguing that their criticism is directed at the State of Israel and its defenders.

In a statement last Sunday (21), the group “Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine” said it “firmly rejects any form of hatred or discrimination” and criticized “exalted people who do not represent us”.

In his statement, Shafik said a working group would be created at Columbia to “reach a resolution to this crisis.”

The university and Shafik, who last week traveled to the Capitol in Washington to testify before a congressional committee about the university’s efforts to confront anti-Semitism, are being called in to resolve the situation.

A group of lawmakers, led by New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, signed a letter on Monday calling for Shafik’s resignation over what Stefanik described as “the failure to put an end to the horde of students and agitators who incite acts of terrorism against Jewish students.”

In a letter published online, North Carolina Republican Virginia Foxx, who chairs the House Education Committee, wrote that “Columbia’s continued failure to restore order and safety” constitutes a violation of obligations conditional on receipt of federal funding and support.

Protests in New York also involved Democratic Representatives Kathy Manning, Jarred Moskowitz, Josh Gottheimer and Dan Goldman.

Gottheimer said Columbia would “pay the price” if it failed to ensure that Jewish students felt welcome and safe at the university.

The protests also prompted Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots football team and a Columbia alumnus, to warn that he would stop supporting the university until it took “corrective action.”

Some university professors blamed Columbia for the university’s handling of the protests and for calling for police intervention.

A group of teachers declared themselves “surprised by [Shafik] not having defended freedom of thought, which is fundamental to the educational mission of a university in a democratic society”.

They also criticized Shafik’s willingness to appease parliamentarians who sought to interfere in university affairs.

In a statement sent to the BBC on Monday night, the university’s own Knight Institute for the First Amendment called for an “urgent correction of conduct”.

And it cited university rules to state that outside authorities could only be involved when there was a “clear and present danger to persons, property or the operation of any division of the university.”

“It is not obvious to us how an encampment and protests would pose such a danger, even if they were not authorized,” the statement said.

Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and the kidnapping of 253 hostages taken to Gaza.

Meanwhile, more than 34,000 people died in Gaza, most of them children and women, due to the Israeli offensive on Palestinian territory.

*With reporting by James FitzGerald and Bernd Debusmann Jr, BBC News