Protest over the gaza war more than 2 thousand people were arrested from US colleges
Tension is increasing in the prestigious American universities known as the Ivy League while widespread student sit-ins against Israel’s war on Gaza continue. While some Jewish students say that the protests are taking an anti-Jewish turn, the Republican Party is increasing pressure on university presidents to resign under the pretext of failure to address alleged anti-Semitism.
The most famous American universities are witnessing escalating tensions due to the continuation of sit-ins and protests against the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip. Columbia University in New York canceled face-to-face teaching on campus, dozens of demonstrators were arrested at New York and Yale universities, and the gates to Harvard University Square were closed on Monday.
At Columbia, the prestigious university in New York City, more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters who had camped out on the university’s “Green Square” last week were arrested, and similar encampments have sprung up on campuses across the country as universities struggle to define the line between allowing freedom… Expression while maintaining a safe and inclusive campus.
A student encampment swelled to hundreds of protesters at New York University on Monday. The university warned the crowd to leave and then called the police after the scene became chaotic. The university said it was aware of reports of “intimidating chants and several anti-Semitic incidents.” Shortly after 8:30 p.m., officers began making arrests.
It is truly a disgraceful crackdown by the university that allowed police to arrest students on our campus,” said Byul Yoon, a law student at New York University. He added: “Antisemitism is never acceptable. We do not support it at all, and that is why there are so many Jewish colleagues who are with us here today.
The protests pitted students against each other, with pro-Palestinian students calling on their universities to condemn Israel’s war on Gaza and demanding that they divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel.
Meanwhile, some Jewish students say much of the criticism of Israel has turned anti-Semitic and made them feel unsafe, and point out that Hamas is still holding Israeli hostages.
The atmosphere remained tense Monday at Columbia University, where the campus gates were closed to anyone without a university ID card, and protests broke out on and off campus.
Columbia University announced Monday that classes at its Morningside Heights campus will offer virtual options for students when possible, noting that safety is the top priority.
From inside the campus gates, a woman led about two dozen demonstrators in the street outside in a chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” while a small group of pro-Israel supporters demonstrated nearby.
