On campuses across the United States, students are leading protests against the Israel-Hamas conflict, setting up tent encampments at schools like Northwestern University, the University of California, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Despite facing off against police officers in riot gear, the student demonstrators are standing firm in their commitment to keep protesting. Meanwhile, some university faculties are openly criticizing university leaders for calling in law enforcement to break up the protests.
At Columbia University, negotiations are ongoing with participants of a pro-Palestinian student encampment. The university’s senate recently passed a resolution to create a task force to assess how the administration handled the situation after police were called in last week, leading to clashes and numerous arrests.
While the university has set and revised deadlines for removing the encampment, a recent email to students showed reluctance to bring back police, fearing it would escalate tensions. Instead, the administration hopes ongoing talks will make progress.
As casualties rise in the Gaza conflict, protesters nationwide are urging universities to cut financial ties with Israel and divest from companies involved in perpetuating the conflict. However, some Jewish students have raised concerns that the protests may have turned into antisemitism, causing fear among students on campus.