NEW YORK – Protests resumed near New York University on Tuesday as universities across the country braced for more unrest after days of demonstrations, campus closures and arrests over U.S. support for Israel in its war against Hamas. Ta.
The protests have sparked a national debate over free speech and student demonstrations, amid growing anxiety over the fate of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and concerns about the safety of Jewish students at home. On Monday, dozens of protesters were arrested at pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Yale University in Connecticut and New York University in Manhattan.
Hundreds of students went on strike at Stanford University in Northern California. At the University of California, Berkeley, students built a Free Palestinian encampment. Columbia University in New York, the epicenter of the protests, announced it would offer virtual learning options for classes, technology permitting, through the end of the spring semester on May 10.
“Safety is our top priority as we strive to support our students’ learning and academic needs,” the university said in a statement.
The protests stem from clashes between Hamas and Israel, which began after the militant group attacked an Israeli community on October 7, killing about 1,200 people. The ensuing Israeli shelling and invasion of Gaza killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, including militants and civilians. It has cost men, women and children and created a dire humanitarian crisis.
Columbia cancels in-person classes.Protesters arrested at Yale University and New York University
Developmental status:
∎ On Tuesday, a student protest took place inside the Columbia encampment, and media access was prohibited. University administrators told USA TODAY it was up to students to decide whether to allow reporters.
■ Hours after dozens of protesters were arrested at Yale University on Monday, Jews supporting the ceasefire held a “street rally.” The Seder is the ceremonial dinner that marks the beginning of Passover. Hundreds of people gathered at a camp set up at Yale University last week to demand that the university stop investing in military weapons manufacturers.
∎ At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, approximately 25 tents housed students demanding that the university divest from Israeli investments. Palestinian flags flew in the square, and banners and signs with messages of support for the Palestinian people were hung. Two large banners read: “Encampment in Gaza! Leave now!” And “Long live the intifada (uprising).”
Labor unions join protests at New York University
The NYU protests began mid-afternoon in Washington Square Park in lower Manhattan, a quasi-center of university life. Next to the park’s famous fountain, a group of speakers led a medium-sized crowd in chants such as “Linda Mills, you’re a liar,” in reference to the school’s president.
Speakers instructed attendees not to talk to unvetted reporters. Many in the crowd wore masks and offered them to other demonstrators to cover their faces. Participants were not exclusively young people, some were school staff and others brought their children.
A large sign with the words “UAW calling for a permanent ceasefire” was displayed against a background of the Palestinian flag. Academics Come Together-United Auto Workers Local 7902 represents more than 4,000 adjunct professors, educators and health care workers at New York University and the New School, according to its website.
Charles Gelman, 36, a part-time faculty member at New York University, is a member of the union.
“For one thing, we are trying to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian trade unions, but they are asking for support from their union allies internationally, especially in stopping the flow of arms from the United States to Israel that destroys homes and families. “We are calling on all those living in Gaza and the West Bank to do everything possible,” he said.
Police helicopters are part of everyday life in Colombia
Columbia University graduate student Leila Saliba said pro-Palestinian student groups set up tents on campus because they felt their protests and strikes were being ignored by the administration. Saliba, a member of the Columbia University Apartheid Divestment Group, said several student groups, including many Jewish students, are calling for Columbia to divest from companies profiting from the Gaza war. said.
Students are also calling for the suspensions of some who were suspended after campus protests in recent months to be revoked.
Saliba, 24, said several police helicopters and drones fly over the encampment every day. “I don’t like it. It makes me feel like a zoo animal, especially since we haven’t done anything wrong,” she said.
This week, some of Saliba’s friends were arrested for holding signs on campus, she said. Saliba said she had never heard of pro-Palestinian students targeting Jewish students, and that many students from various religious backgrounds were frightened by the heavy police presence. she said.
“Having an armored vehicle would make anyone nervous,” she says.
− clare thornton
New York University experiences temporary quiet after Monday’s protests
New York University’s Manhattan campus was quiet on Tuesday, following pro-Palestinian demonstrations the previous day that resulted in numerous arrests. Outside the Stern Business School, cameras were trained on a series of barricades while a man held up a sign that read “Israel killed 1,400 children.”
Nearby, Nikhil Chirumamila, a fourth-year student studying playwriting, was watching. He witnessed Monday’s protests, but he chose not to get involved as he spotted police in riot gear. He cited a subsequent email from New York University President Linda Mills and said the basis for her response appeared “flimsy.”
“I feel like the university’s reaction was a little dramatic. I think it was a peaceful protest,” Chirumamila said, adding that the university’s “position on this issue is clear.” They are not as open to pro-Palestinian voices on campus. ”
New York University criticized for calling police
Mills said she sent police to NYU after protesters breached barriers in “disorderly, disruptive and hostile behavior that interferes with the safety and security of our community.” She said many people refused to leave.
The New York University Professors Association issued a statement Tuesday calling many of the accounts false and condemning the administration for calling in the police. The statement said that while the protests were large, there were no threats “other than by the NYPD,” who were “arrested in a particularly violent manner” and pepper sprayed on students who were taking photos. The NYPD did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Spencer Mulvaney, 20, a second-year film major at New York University, said he found the administration’s actions “upsetting.”
“The protests that occurred were non-violent and contained,” she said. “Despite this, the police incited fear and used violence…someone yelled, ‘These are children!'”
Columbia sociology professors push back against university authorities over student suspension
Members of Columbia University’s sociology department have been alarmed by the university’s actions in recent days, including calling police on students who were peacefully demonstrating on campus last week. More than 100 people are arrested. Police said there was no credible threat to safety from the campus protests.
professors of sociology, statement Education officials on Tuesday called the suspensions of arrested students “irregular, unnecessary, and on shaky legal basis,” and urged schools to reverse the suspensions and ensure that students return to campus. He asked to be allowed to return to class.
“As faculty in the Department of Sociology, we will continue to offer courses to these students, grade their exams and papers, and award them final grades for the course. Please take credit for it,” the statement said. .
Education Secretary Cardona supports free speech, but “doesn’t tolerate harassment”
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona called for calm. in a social media post On Tuesday, he said the university is “at its best when it fosters a respectful exchange of diverse views and constructive debate.” He said the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights interprets the laws it enforces in a manner consistent with free speech and other First Amendment rights.
“But we will not tolerate hate and harassment that targets students because of who they are or how they are perceived,” Cardona said.
Columbia Jewish student group cites ‘climate of oppression’
The Columbia chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace said the university had created a “climate of repression and harm against students peacefully protesting demanding an end to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.” I accused him of being there. The group stated: Monday’s statement said students have faced physical attacks and hate speech from faculty and staff. The university actively creates a “hostile environment” for Palestinian students and their supporters, while making the campus “much less safe” for Jewish students.
“The government not only harassed Jewish students and failed to ensure their safety and well-being, but also disrupted their religious ceremonies,” the statement said.
How Colombia became the epicenter of protests
Last week, Columbia University President Minoush Shafiq said: He traveled to Washington for a Congressional hearing on anti-Semitism on Columbia University’s campus. She faced a barrage of tough questions from lawmakers who expressed her regret over reports that Jewish students felt unsafe since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Similar hearings for the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania in December resulted in a controversial confrontation that ultimately cost both presidents their jobs.
While Mr. Shafik was in Washington, students set up camp on the campus’ center lawn and demanded that the university sever ties with Israel. The next morning, Shafiq called on the New York City Police Department to remove the protesters. Police arrested more than 100 people. The rallies continued, and Shafiq effectively shut down the campus on Monday and ordered classes to be conducted remotely.
− Zachary Charmelet
Colombia and protests:School becomes center of disagreement over Israel-Hamas war
Hundreds participate in Stanford walkout
Students at Stanford University in California held a “solidarity walkout” on Monday that drew about 300 Palestinian supporters. Demonstrators demanding that Stanford divest from companies involved in the war held posters that read “Not in our name” and “Revolution now” and “From Stanford to Gaza, the intifada They chanted phrases such as “Let’s globalize the world.” The Stanford Daily newspaper reported.
The strike was organized by the Stanford Movement Against Apartheid Palestine (SAAP). The group previously staged a four-month sit-in demanding that universities divest from and boycott companies that are “complicit in Israeli war crimes, apartheid, and genocide.” University administrators removed the physical structure in February.
Tents set up at the University of California, Berkeley
More than 200 UC Berkeley students have established a Free Palestine encampment in Sproul Plaza, a hub of student activity, in support of a rally organized by the student-run Divestment Coalition. Malak Afaneh, co-director of Law Students for Justice in Palestine, said organizers have set up about a dozen tents and have plans for more. Daily Californian. Afaneh said the students will remain until the school withdraws from defense contractors profiting from the war in Gaza, including BlackRock, Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
Contributors: Niraj Warikoo and Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press.Reuters
