Source: Anadolu/Getty
Student-led protests on campuses for the Israel-Hamas war inside Gauze have led to increased tensions with commanders and arrests.
Protests supporting the Palestinian people in Israel's Gaza Strip during the nation's conflict with the terrorist organization Hamas on college campuses such as Columbia University in New York have become particularly intense in recent days. The school is home to the “Gaza Solidarity Column,” erected last week by student protesters. The protests have angered pro-Palestinians and those who support Israel, leading Columbia President Dr. Minouche Shafik to start hybrid classes for the rest of the semester, which started on Monday (April 22).
“In the past few days, there have been too many examples of bullying and harassing behavior on our campus,” he wrote in a statement, calling for a “reset” due to the Passover holiday and addressing the concerns of Jewish students who said they were being bullied by pro-Palestinian protesters and beaten with anti-Semitic threats. “Anti-Semitic language, like any other language used to hurt and frighten people, is unacceptable and appropriate action will be taken,” Shafik continued. The group Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine issued its own statementsaying they “strongly reject any form of hatred or bigotry” and their criticisms are of the Israeli government.
Tensions at the camp reached a fever pitch over the weekend as the New York Police Department arrested nearly 100 protesters at the camp, with dozens of students at Columbia and Barnard suspended and barred from school housing. Isra Hirsi, daughter of MP Ilhan Omar. Barnard has since offered an olive branch to those who had been suspended, offering to hold it up for the students, acknowledging that many had “no prior involvement in misconduct.” Republican federal lawmakers and Jewish groups, however, oppose the moves and call for tougher punishment and protections for Jewish students.
The spirit of protest has spread to other colleges – New York University and Yale University also saw encampments spring up in solidarity with those at Columbia and Barnard. To date, there are camps of protesters supporting the Palestinian people on 15 campuses across the country. New York University and Yale faculty members were arrested after police said they refused requests to leave. There is also a growing shift in public opinion, with polls showing most Americans disapprove of Israel's handling of the war that began after October 7, 2023.