Pro-Palestine protests across US campuses are showing no sign of slowing down despite mass arrests at Columbia last week. These protests have been going on since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in Gaza on October 7, 2023. The fighting has resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, while Israeli attacks in Gaza killed over 34,000 Palestinians, including children.
US students have held hundreds of protests and counterprotests on college campuses across the country. At Tulane, a fight broke out after someone tried to burn an Israeli flag. At Columbia University, posters of kidnapped Israelis were torn down. At Harvard and Columbia, a so-called “doxxing truck” showed up on campus naming students whose organizations co-authored a statement saying Israel is committing war crimes
Officials have been struggling to manage the demonstrations against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza. On Monday night, police arrested several protesters at New York University, while dozens were arrested at Yale earlier in the day, and Columbia cancelled in-person classes due to alleged incidents of intimidating and harassing behavior.
What are the Demands of Pro-Palestine Protests?
The pro-Palestinian encampment protest at Columbia University had several demands. Firstly, reverse the suspension of Columbia/Barnard Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. Secondly, divest from companies that profit from Israeli apartheid and are complicit in genocide. Thirdly, discontinue the dual-degree partnership with Tel Aviv University and the Tel Aviv Global Center program. And lastly, protect Palestinian students and their allies from anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, and anti-Jewish harassment and hostility.
These demands were outlined in a letter signed by more than 2,000 Columbia University and Barnard College graduates, who threatened to withhold donations until their demands were met. The protest was in response to the university’s suspension of two pro-Palestinian student groups, Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine, for allegedly using “threatening rhetoric and intimidation” at an “unauthorized event”. The protesters also called for investment and policing transparency, and cutting ties between Columbia Public Safety and NYPD for protest and crowd control purposes.
Students have also staged sit-ins at universities such as Berkeley, MIT, the University of Michigan, Emerson College, and Tufts, with protesters demanding transparency and divestment from companies involved in the Israeli occupation. At New York University, protesters set up tents near the Stern School of Business, calling for the university to disclose and divest its finances from weapons manufacturers and companies with an interest in the Israeli occupation.
Why Students are Being Arrested?
Pro-Palestine protests have been marked by allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia. New York University authorities claimed that there were intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents. At Columbia, a rabbi affiliated with the university warned 300 Jewish students to avoid campus due to the protests. Even democratic representatives have urged Columbia to ensure Jewish students feel welcome and safe.
This biased behavior has eclipsed the entire purpose of the protests, which has nothing to do with Jews or the Jewish religion. Criticizing Israel in the US has historically led to significant backlash, including lawsuits and accusations of anti-Semitism. However, American professors and students are increasingly critical of Israel. Even the UN has compared the current segregation of Palestinians to the experiences of black South Africans before 1995.
There were also no reports of violence in recent protests that necessitate arrests. However, there can be several other reasons why students could have been arrested. Some arrests can happen for reasons like blocking access to buildings or violating university guidelines. However, these things have happened in previous campus protests but no arrests were made. For example, In March 2023, thousands of students across the US participated in a week-long climate strike. They walked out of classes demanding a bolder action of climate change, with no reports of arrests. Similarly, in June 2022, campus students staged walkouts and protests across the country against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which restricted discussions of LGBTQ+ topics in schools. There were no reports of arrests during those protests.
So, this why the current arrests are confusing. The only thing left is the rhetoric of the protests, which is passionate and critical of Israeli policies. To legally arrest students, they only had to frame their chants and demands as anti-Semite.
Isn’t Freedom of Speech for Everyone?
Universities pride themselves on being champions of free expression, encouraging students to speak their minds and engage in critical thinking. However, this ideal clashes with the reality of students being arrested for pro-Palestine protests. These arrests send a confusing message, potentially silencing marginalized groups and escalating tensions. Universities may point to safety concerns or legal obligations, but this doesn’t hide their hypocrisy on free speech.
Palestinian activism has been growing at US universities, with increased pro-Palestinian human rights activism on college campuses across the country. Critics argue that resolutions like California’s HR 35 wrongly equate criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish racism, aiming to scare students into thinking that criticizing Israeli policies on campus is discriminatory and should not be allowed. Within US academia, speaking critically about Israel can be met with fear of repercussions, such as not receiving tenure, fellowships, or positive course grades. However, several protesting groups are not deterred by the risk of backlash.
Despite these challenges, student activists are pushing for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, aiming to disrupt the lockdown on the Palestine issue and open up space for critical discussion. The growth of pro-Palestinian activism has led to actions such as TIAA-CREF pulling out nearly 73 million USD in investments from Caterpillar, which produces construction equipment used in demolishing Palestinian villages. Moreover, Brooklyn College refused to cancel a panel dealing with BDS against Israel in 2013.
Activists argue that universities have a moral obligation to take a stand on the issue, as their mission statements often emphasize creating a better and more ethical world. Critics of Israeli policies believe that universities should not be complicit in acts like military occupation and ethnic cleansing, or deeply invested in military industries.
