As the Israel-Hamas war surpassed the six-month mark with Israel incessantly bombing the Gaza Strip causing casualties by the thousands, massive protests have erupted at universities in the United States. Students across the US are demanding their colleges to stop doing business with Israel and weapons manufacturers supplying arms to Israel. They also want their colleges to stop accepting research money from Israel. They are demanding an end to what they are calling a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Students of Columbia University stood at the forefront of this campaign as they set up an encampment on the campus. They were met with stiff police action and more than 100 protesters were arrested.
The police action only backfired as the agitation spread like a wildfire engulfing the country with students of many universities gathering by the hundreds on campuses, setting up camps. The protests have been orchestrated by various students groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
The University of Southern California cancelled its graduation ceremony after its campus was roiled by protests. More than 90 people were arrested.
At Ohio State University, police clashed with protesters at Ohio State University in Columbus. More than 30 people were arrested.
At New York University, students set up an encampment. Over 130 protesters were taken into custody.
At University of Texas in Austin, police on horseback and holding batons bulldozed into protesters. Over 30 arrests were made.
At Emory University in Georgia, police are said to have used rubber bullets and teargas against the protesting students who had set up multiple tents on the campus’s lawns.
The pro-Palestinian protests have erupted in many other institutions, including George Washington University
California State Polytechnic University, Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Florida, Arizona State University and others.
The protests across colleges hold high stakes given the presidential elections set to take place this year. The Biden administration has on some occasions supported the Palestinian cause and even worked towards offering aid to Gazans. But at the same time, Biden just signed a whopping $26 billion package for Israel.
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