By Sydney Dalske
Protests at college campuses over the offense from Israel in Gaza have continued to escalate in both the US and Europe in the past few weeks. There have been multiple clashes with the police at these protests, doing things such as clearing encampments, arresting people participating in the protests, and have been facing heavy criticism for it.
Encampments dismantled by the police:
At the University of Chicago, an encampment on the main quad was raided by police wearing riot gear after the president of the university said the encampment could not stay up due to safety concerns. Posters were torn down, and tents were dismantled while protestors were cleared away peacefully without having any arrests.
European universities have also been experiencing similar incidents. 100 protesters at the Free University in Berlin were arrested due to an encampment. Also in Amsterdam, another 125 students protesting were also arrested.
Building Occupations:
Some of the protestors have escalated their encampments by moving to occupying campus buildings. At the Rhode Island school of Design, there was a barricade around the main admin building protecting the protestors inside. Also on the UCLA campus, protestors attempted a sit-in after the airstrike and invasion of Rafah.
At the University of Columbia, police raided an occupation inside a building per the administration’s request. This university has also now canceled its commencement ceremony due to supposed safety concerns.
Protests Clashes:
Protestors have begun to demand their universities divest from companies that are funding the Israeli offensive. They also want them to condemn Israel’s actions and cut ties with student groups that support Israel such as Hillel.
These protests and groups have occasionally clashed with each other. Recently, at UCLA counter protesters violently tried to take down encampments which led to many arrests.
Police Under Scrutiny:
The responses to these protests that the police have made have been under a lot of heavy criticism. Some say they use excessive force, but sometimes that force has been requested by the school administration such as in the incident at UCLA. There is a balance of free speech and safety of campuses that has been debated upon.
These campus tensions don’t show any sign of lessening as the Israeli offensive continues. Even protest organizers are now calling for an escalation of nationwide demonstrations last Tuesday, May 7. Universities continue to struggle with these issues surrounding free speech, safety, and whether or not to take a stance.
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