Empathy in Action: The Movement Against the Gaza War Spreads to American Universities
Protests against the ongoing war in Gaza are intensifying in leading American universities while efforts are being made by the authorities to disperse the protesters. On Monday night, the police took action against protesting students who pitched tents at New York University (NYU) and detained several people.
Dozens of students were previously arrested at Yale, while classes at Columbia University had to be canceled due to protests. The White House has condemned the trend of alleged ‘anti-Semitic’ incidents.
The White House pointed to demonstrations on university campuses against the Gaza war. On October 7, Hamas attacked Israel, in response to which Israel’s air and ground war continues in Gaza. Since then, there have been intense debates and protests on American campuses over the Gaza war and freedom of expression.
Students in America say that anti-Semitic and anti-Islam incidents have increased in universities. When President Joe Biden was asked about the student rallies and protests on Monday, he condemned the “anti-Semitic demonstrations.” He also condemned those “who are unable to understand what is happening to the Palestinians.
Last week, New York City police arrested more than 100 protesters at Columbia University. Since then, the protest movement has become the center of attention, and the number of rallies has increased. In addition to New York University and Yale, the University of California at Berkeley, MIT, University of Michigan, Emerson College, and Tufts have also been set up by protesters.
Like the rest of the protesters, the New York University students demanded to be told about the arms manufacturers and ‘supporting Israeli occupation companies that finance and fund their institution.’A student named Alejandro Tinone said that America is going through a ‘critical juncture.’ He linked these protests historically to the Vietnam War and anti-apartheid demonstrations in South Africa.
It should be remembered that movements were launched by students in America on these incidents as well.”We stand with Palestine, and we want freedom for these people,” a student who participated in the protest. Meanwhile, waving an Israeli flag on the roadside, a man said, ‘One side of history is here, and the other is there.
The right side is here.’New York University has said that 50 people were involved in setting up protest tents outside its business school. They said these protests were not allowed as they disrupted the educational process and classes. The police started arresting these students on Monday night, but it is not yet known how many students have been arrested.
A few hours later, around 50 protesters were detained at Yale University. Authorities say hundreds of people had gathered and refused to retreat and disperse. The university has criticized its security staff for failing to deal with the protests.
On Monday evening, Columbia’s Knight First Amendment Institute called for “better policies to deal with protests.” It said help from outside authorities should only be sought when people or property are threatened. Israel responded by launching its worst-ever war in Gaza.
Its purpose was to destroy Hamas and free the hostages. More than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly children, and women, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-ruled territory.
