Colleges across the nation were bracing for more demonstrations Tuesday after days of protests, campus closures and arrests swirling around U.S. support for Israel in its war on Hamas.
The protests fueled a national debate over free speech and student demonstrations amid growing unrest over the fate of Palestinians in Gaza and concerns for the safety of Jewish students at home. Dozens of protesters were arrested Monday at pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Yale University in Connecticut and New York University in Manhattan.
Hundreds of students at Stanford University held a walkout. At the University of California, Berkeley, students erected a Free Palestine Encampment. New York's Columbia University, the epicenter of the demonstrations, announced that classes will provide a virtual learning option − where classroom technology permits - until spring semester ends May 10.
"Safety is our highest priority as we strive to support our students’ learning and all the required academic operations," the university said in a statement.
The protests stem from the clash between Hamas and Israel, ignited by the militant group's assault on Israeli communities Oct. 7 that killed almost 1,200 people. Israel's subsequent bombardment and invasion of Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians − militants and civilians; men, women and children − and fueled a dire humanitarian crisis.
Columbia cancels in-person classes:Protesters arrested at Yale and NYU
Developments:
∎ Columbia students organized Muslim and Jewish prayers at the encampment. Some gave speeches condemning Israel and Zionism and praising Palestinian armed resistance.
∎ Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, issued a statement saying he was unsatisfied withColumbia's efforts to protect Jewish students. Kraft, who is Jewish, has donated millions of dollars toColumbiaand threatened to cut off further funding: "I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken."
Columbia Jewish student group cites 'climate of repression'
The Columbia chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace accused the university of creating "a climate of repression and harm for students peacefully protesting for an end of the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza." The group said in a statement Monday that students have faced physical attacks and hate speech by faculty and staff. The university has actively created a "hostile environment" for Palestinian students and their supporters while making the campus "much less safe" for Jewish students.
"The administration has not only harassed Jewish students and failed to ensure their safety and well-being, it has also obstructed their religious observances," the statement said.
How Columbia became the center of the protests
Last week, Columbia Univesity President Minouche Shafik trekked to Washington to address Republicans who had called her to a hearing about antisemitism on Columbia’s campus.She faced a salvo of tough questions from lawmakers expressing dismay about reports that Jewish students have felt unsafe since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. A similar hearing in December featuring the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania resulted in controversial clashes that ultimately cost them their jobs.
While Shafik was in Washington, students set up camps on lawns at the center of campus, demanding the university sever all its ties to Israel. The following morning, Shafik called in the New York City Police Department to clear out the demonstrators. Officers arrested more than 100 people.The rallies continued and Shafik essentially closed the campus Monday, ordering classes to be held remotely.
− Zachary Schermele
Columbia and protests:School became epicenter of disagreement over Israel-Hamas war
Stanford walkout draws hundreds
Students at California's Stanford University staged a “Solidarity Walkout” Monday that drew about 300 Palestinian supporters. Protesters, demanding Stanford divest from companies connected to the war, held posters reading, “Not in our name” and “Revolution Now,” while chanting phrases like “From Stanford to Gaza, globalize the Intifada," the Stanford Daily reported.
The walkout was organized by Stanford Against Apartheid in Palestine (SAAP). The group previously conducted a four-month sit-in that demanded the university divest from and boycott companies “complicit in Israeli war crimes, apartheid and genocide." University administration removed the physical structures in February.
Tents erected at UC Berkeley
More than 200 students at the University of California, Berkeley, established a Free Palestine Encampment at Sproul Plaza, a center for student activity, to support a rally organized by student-run Divestment Coalition. Organizers pitched about 12 tents with plans for more, Malak Afaneh, the co-president of Law Students for Justice in Palestine, told The Daily Californian. The students plan to remain until the school divests from defense contractors profiting from the war in Gaza such as BlackRock, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, Afaneh said.
Contributing: Reuters
