• Students across 80 American campuses defiantly rallied and set up encampments in solidarity Palestinians.
• Certain encampments have effectively persuaded universities to sever their ties with Israel, thereby ceasing their support for the ongoing genocide.
A multitude of pro-Palestine encampments have sprung up at universities across the UK, echoing the defiant solidarity seen on American campuses in support of Palestine.
However, at this particular juncture, it’s important to examine whether the endeavours of the American students have yielded any discernible achievements thus far.
Protesters established camps on over 80 campuses throughout the United States, urging academic institutions to cut financial connections with Israel or its military affiliates involved in the Gaza genocide. Though the precise number of arrests is uncertain, it’s estimated to have surpassed 1,300 since the recent wave of protests began two weeks ago, with additional students detained on Wednesday night.
Brown University
Brown University has reached an accord with students demonstrating asking for a ceasefire in Gaza, stipulating the dismantling of their encampment from campus premises in exchange for the Ivy League institution considering a vote to sever financial connections with Israel. This development marks a significant concession from a prestigious American university amidst persistent pro-Palestine student demonstrations that have gripped campuses nationwide and beyond, resulting in numerous arrests.
In an official statement, Brown President Christina Paxson disclosed that students had agreed to cease their protests and disband their camp by 5:00 pm local time on Tuesday, pledging to abstain from further actions contravening Brown’s conduct code for the remainder of the academic year. Conversely, the university has committed to inviting five students to engage in dialogue with five members of the Corporation of Brown University in May, affording them the opportunity to advocate for the divestment of Brown’s endowment from “companies enabling and profiting from the genocide in Gaza.”
Upon receiving news of the agreement, student protesters erupted in jubilation and rallied with chants of “with love not fear, divestment is getting near,” marking the commencement of their encampment’s dismantlement.
University of Minisota
The University of Minnesota administration has consented to collaborate with students to address their requests, encompassing complete transparency regarding investments in Israel and a vote on divestment. The encampment will endure another night!
UCLA
Law enforcement dismantled the student encampment at UCLA in a nocturnal operation, apprehending a minimum of 132 pro-Palestine protesters in the early hours of Thursday morning. According to the university’s student newspaper, “hundreds” were detained, including both students and faculty members.
Scores of Zionist students attacked pro-Palestinian students:
Classes at UCLA have been cancelled for now.
Columbia University
The protest movement ignited at Columbia University in New York when students erected tents in the campus centre and commenced rallying in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza on April 17th.
Tuesday night saw the entrance of hundreds of police officers onto Columbia’s campus, following the request of the university president. Protesters gained access to an academic building and were subsequently escorted out by law enforcement.
Emory University
Law enforcement resorted to tear gas and baton strikes to compel students to scatter, resulting in the arrest of at least 28 individuals on April 26th, with 20 of them identified as members of the Emory University community.
In a video widely circulated, Noëlle McAfee, the chair of the philosophy department, was observed being handcuffed by police. She requested the person filming to notify her colleagues of her arrest.
George Washington University
The encampment here is yet to be dismantlled.
North Western University
University of Arizona
Police fired “non-lethal” chemical weapons at protesters and arrested four people in the early hours of Wednesday. One protestor reports being hit by a rubber bullet.
Dartmouth University
Islamophobic Treatment of Muslim Students by Zionists and the Police
UCLA protests
