May 1st, police arrested Ninety people participated in a pro-Palestinian protest in Dartmouth, joining a wave of nationwide police operations at encampments on college campuses.
Since April 17, law enforcement has arrested more than 2,400 people on 46 university campuses across the country at protests related to the Gaza conflict, according to the Associated Press. Prior to May 1, two Dartmouth students had been arrested while protesting the conflict. Roann Wade ’25 and Kevin Engel ’27 were charged with trespassing while criticizing the university’s investments.Engel said he benefited from the Gaza conflict, the newspaper reported. past reports Written by Dartmouth.
At Columbia University, protesters set up an encampment on April 17th that lasted 14 days. Police arrested more than 100 protesters after students occupied Hamilton Hall, a university building, on May 1, The New York Times reported.
On the same day, about 1,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators and 100 to 200 counter-protesters clashed at the University of California, Los Angeles, according to a report in the student-run newspaper The Daily Bruin. Police arrested more than 100 people, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Some of the Dartmouth demonstrators said nationwide protests motivated them to act on May 1st. Maya Beauvineau, 26, said protesting as part of a “broader movement” made her feel “much less alone” and “much less at risk,” while Solange Acosta Rodriguez, 24, said , added that the growing national trend made him feel the same way. “We’re on the right side of history.”
Anneliese Oreck, professor of history, said: Arrested during protests He also pointed to developments on other university campuses. Oreck explained that professors and faculty across the country were participating in the student movement and thought this was “important.”
“My colleague at Columbia University sat at the Passover seder in the middle of the encampment, and she loved it,” Oreck said. “I had colleagues all over the country who were at the camp, and I think that’s important.”
However, other students believe the campus protests have “drowned out” the voices of opposition, according to Alex Rockmore ’27. During the May 1 protest, Rockmore drove around the Green for about 15 minutes, playing Hebrew music and holding an Israeli flag.
“This is just my own genuine desire to help people like me, people who share my identity, feel included in conversations where we are often drowned out. It was a very personal decision,” Rockmore said.
Community members also compared Dartmouth’s response to those of other institutions. Anna Timchenko ’26 said the reactions of other “more relaxed” universities, including Brown University, made the Dartmouth protesters “too optimistic.” Timchenko, who was arrested during the protest, added that “no one expected” riot police to arrive at the scene because national media reports referred to Dartmouth as a “public” school. , they explained.
Dartmouth’s encampment was cleared within hours, but other universities extended negotiations to address protests on their campuses. The New York Times reports that Brown Co. officials have agreed to vote on the sale of the business in October 2023 in exchange for the encampment’s removal. On April 29, Northwestern University agreed to reestablish its Investment Responsibility Advisory Committee next fall and to provide assistance to visiting Palestinian faculty and students, according to CBS News.
Professor Rockmore said he believed the university’s response to the protests was better than other universities.
“I think Dartmouth has done a better job than other schools, definitely,” Rockmore said. “If you look at schools like UCLA, where protesters are able to get more and more agitated by the day and build stronger and stronger forts for themselves, and then outside mobs can encamp. After attacking the ground, the encampment was bulldozed by the police — this is definitely a better alternative.”
Sergey Kang, an anthropology professor, said Northwestern and Brown “compromised quite a bit” by promising to discuss divestment. Kan — the person who published letterMore than 50 faculty and staff members signed a letter supporting Mr. Beilock’s response in the Dartmouth newspaper, and he said the actions of other schools were “unacceptable.”
“as far as i know, [Beilock is] We’re doing the right thing,” Kang said. “She’s courageous and she stands her ground.” [and] She believes in freedom of speech.she [a] A progressive person, not a right-winger. But there are rules. we have to follow the rules. ”
In recent weeks, university protests have reached the highest levels of American policymaking. On May 2, President Joe Biden publicly stated that the nationwide campus protests did not cause him to reconsider his Middle East policy. Nevertheless, Beauvigneau said the protests are important because they influence public opinion on the Gaza conflict.
“if [the protests aren’t] Making changes now, especially when it comes to Biden’s policies. [they are] “The way Americans look at this issue has changed, and we can now feel the anger and opposition to the ongoing genocide,” Beauvigneau said. “If it’s important to the people of Gaza, I think it’s important.”
Acosta-Rodriguez emphasized that protests on college campuses are shaping history.
“From the Vietnam War to the end of apartheid in South Africa, the university’s actions on this very campus matter,” she said. “At Dartmouth, we have the option to make the right choice…and to use this energy, passion, and compassion that our students have to do good, not just in our community, but in communities around the world.” It can be used for
Alex Rockmore ’27 is a former news writer and current Dartmouth Podcast Team. Rockmore was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.
