College protests regarding Israel and Palestine

[Jalapeñomel]

amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/22/columbia-university-protests-shutdown

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/student-protests-columbia-gaza-war-live-update-rcna148871


Rising tensions on campuses

Police officers arrested protesters who had set up an encampment on Yale University’s campus in support of the Palestinian cause. In total, 47 students were issued summonses, the university said.
In New York City, classes at Columbia University were held virtually today amid reports of antisemitic and offensive statements and actions on and near its campus.
Last week more than 100 Columbia students were arrested after administration called police to report the students as a danger to campus. NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told the student newspaper that there were no reports of violence or injury, and that the students were "peaceful, offered no resistance whatsoever."
Pro-Palestinian encampments have also been established at the University of Michigan, New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The escalated tension comes ahead of this evening's start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

(I didn’t see another post on this, but if this should be moved, let me know, happy to oblige.)

[mrsslocombe]

The Columbia president really fucked up, calling in the NYPD. I don't think this would have blown up as much if she hadn't.

It's very...interesting...seeing how people outside NYC are characterizing the Columbia protests. I had a friend in FL post on Instagram about the "Violent, Pro-Hamas riot at Columbia." I was like LOL what. H is an alum and we know quite a few people that work at Columbia and live in the area. A RIOT! Give me a fucking break.

[pixy0stix]

Re: Columbia - I've read several articles now that point out that there is not an insignificant portion of Jewish students who are joining the protest. The Guardian article posted here, and then this Hill article also say that - thehill.com/homenews/education/4611661-columbia-student-protests-israel-gaza-war-hamas/

That being said, I also don't doubt that there is antisemitism happening on campus.

[Jalapeñomel]

Apr 22, 2024 17:59:04 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Re: Columbia - I've read several articles now that point out that there is not an insignificant portion of Jewish students who are joining the protest. The Guardian article posted here, and then this Hill article also say that - thehill.com/homenews/education/4611661-columbia-student-protests-israel-gaza-war-hamas/

That being said, I also don't doubt that there is antisemitism happening on campus.

This article states, “Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) added that Shafik should “do your job or resign,” comparing the protests to the violent white supremacist demonstrations in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017”

This seems crazy to me.

Admittedly, I’m not incredibly knowledgeable of the relations save for what I’ve read on here and what’s been on the news lately, so I could be missing something, but it seems the students want to stop the killing of the people of Gaza—that doesn’t seem like a horrible ask.

However, I can recognize that anti-Semites have used these protests to fuel their fire.

(Edited for more clarity)

[erbear]

I believe students have the right to protest. I believe Jewish students feel unsafe on Yale’s campus (and Columbia, which I admittedly know less about). I think most of the students are trying get Yale to divest in Israel, which is a larger ask than can be done in a couple of days / weeks.

I rarely think calling in the cops on college kids is the right play.

[jlt19]

I swear there was a nearly identical post like this when the invasion began. I imagine the responses in here (and maybe nationally) will be different.

[pixy0stix]

www.reuters.com/world/us/pro-palestinian-seders-planned-new-york-other-cities-college-campuses-simmer-2024-04-23/

Protests are spreading. The article goes into who/where.

[Jalapeñomel]

Apr 23, 2024 21:20:32 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

www.reuters.com/world/us/pro-palestinian-seders-planned-new-york-other-cities-college-campuses-simmer-2024-04-23/

Protests are spreading. The article goes into who/where.

Two other major protest events in California and Texas:

www.cbsnews.com/amp/sanfrancisco/news/uc-berkeley-sproul-plaza-pro-palestinian-protests-gaza-israel/

abcnews.go.com/amp/US/live-updates/college-protests-palestinian-israel-gaza/?id=109588144

[emilyj]

There is a protest currently going on at Indiana University, where I used to work. My former colleagues have been keeping me updated.

The police came in in full riot gear, and sent a sniper up to the roof of the student union. My first thought was “Kent State” when I saw it.

My colleagues all said the biggest disturbers were the police. There were some words and gestures between the protestors and the Jewish student group at their house across the street, but they all said they didn’t see anything that was overly concerning between the two groups (and they all said they may have missed something, and were very careful to point that out.)

34 people were arrested including one professor.

[fluffycookie]

107 arrested last night in Boston at Emerson in Boston. So far no arrest at Harvard, BU or Northeastern.

[cap]

A protest started at Michigan State yesterday. Students petitioned the Board of Trustees to allow them to continue the protest, including camping in a campus park, through the weekend.

[sproctopus]

I am so proud of these students and the faculty protecting them. 🇵🇸

I also can't get enough of the "Bonk the police" merchandise.

[emilyj]

USC cancels main graduation over security concerns:

www.cbsnews.com/amp/losangeles/news/usc-cancels-2024-commencement-ceremony/

[Jalapeñomel]

Apr 26, 2024 8:19:25 GMT -5 emilyj said:

USC cancels main graduation over security concerns:

www.cbsnews.com/amp/losangeles/news/usc-cancels-2024-commencement-ceremony/

NPR said this morning that Columbia's encampment is where they hold the graduation, and if they don't disperse, they'll physically remove them.  Nothing could go wrong there. 

[cap]

Apr 26, 2024 6:17:08 GMT -5 cap said:

A protest started at Michigan State yesterday. Students petitioned the Board of Trustees to allow them to continue the protest, including camping in a campus park, through the weekend.

ETA that the BoT OK'ed it and that everything has remained completely peaceful so far. When the police showed up yesterday morning, they informed the students of the no camping policy, but also told them about the option of petitioning the BoT. Our new president also showed up and had a discussion with the protest leaders. 

[katfco]

Police arrested 3 dozen protestors at Ohio State this week.
www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/ohio-state-university/about-three-dozen-pro-palestine-protesters-arrested-at-ohio-state/

[laladypoet]

Apr 26, 2024 8:19:25 GMT -5 emilyj said:

USC cancels main graduation over security concerns:

www.cbsnews.com/amp/losangeles/news/usc-cancels-2024-commencement-ceremony/

this really sucks because these kids didn't have a high school graduation either due to COVID.

[YeahSure]

San Francisco State joined today. Kind of surprised it wasn't sooner.

[shauni27]

NYPD arrests students and clear encampments:
www.npr.org/2024/05/01/1248401802/columbia-university-protests-new-york

This just seems like such a fucking terrible idea. There is nothing unruly about these protest that I am seeing??

[jeaniebueller]

May 1, 2024 7:39:55 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

NYPD arrests students and clear encampments:
www.npr.org/2024/05/01/1248401802/columbia-university-protests-new-york

This just seems like such a fucking terrible idea. There is nothing unruly about these protest that I am seeing??

Didn't they literally break into a building, 'occupy' it and threaten at least one worker in that building? I'm sure i'm in the minority here, but at some point, the school can't just let the protestors take over a building indefinitely and I think they were given numerous chances to leave. 

[orval]

May 1, 2024 7:39:55 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

NYPD arrests students and clear encampments:
www.npr.org/2024/05/01/1248401802/columbia-university-protests-new-york

This just seems like such a fucking terrible idea. There is nothing unruly about these protest that I am seeing??

Did you read the article you posted??  Students and outsiders occupied a building on campus.  Broke windows/doors. Made a human chain that would not allow anyone in the building.  Barricaded doors with furniture.  Not exactly a peaceful protest.

I heard an interview with one of the occupiers and they wanted "humanitarian aid" for those occupying the building to get food and water provided by  the university.  Pretty laughable.

[icedcoffee]

Yeah--This is all super complicated, but the University can't just sit back and let them occupy their buildings. It's private property.

[4speedy]

May 1, 2024 7:39:55 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

NYPD arrests students and clear encampments:
www.npr.org/2024/05/01/1248401802/columbia-university-protests-new-york

This just seems like such a fucking terrible idea. There is nothing unruly about these protest that I am seeing??

I heard Eric Adams interviewed this morning about why he decided it was time to send in NYPD.  He said they used photos to determine that there were several people inside with the students who were known hired protesters.  3 were on the no-fly list and 1 had a conviction for hate acts/Terri’s activity.  He said he was afraid that with emotions becoming heightened, the “kids” would be influenced to escalate. He said there was a definite change in their negotiations where the student protesters were shifting the focus away from the Palestinians and more toward themselves, as though they had a romanticized view of being outlaw protesters.  These are not his words, it’s my paraphrasing of what he said.  The thing that popped into my head as he was speaking is that it was turning into a Lord of the Flies situation inside the building.  As it was, it seems like a considerable amount of damage was done.  I think it was the right choice to get the kids out.  Now I’d like to see how they handle the arrests, legalities.  I don’t think the majority of these kids should have their futures ruined over this.

I also think it is very important to keep in mind that the protests are absolutely not the same at all schools.  Some of them are resulting in anti-semitism and violence.  Some are not.  I am very leery of people who make blanket statements (not you, just in general) on either side.  Anyone who says all protesters have been radicalized by liberal left wing universities have no credibility with me but likewise anyone who does not understand that there is nuance involved in the protests does not have credibility with me, either.

[ESF]

First, I will say that from what I can tell, the overwhelming majority of protesters are peaceful. I don't support overly reactive police responses.

That said, Jewish students are reporting on some campuses that there is an element of antisemeticism running through some of the protests that is getting violent and threatening. The fact that in some instances Jewish students are among the protesters does not mean that there are also not antisemites participating too.

I am not trying to say everyone engaged in every protest on every campus is antisemetic. But it's equally absurd to deny the existence of any antisemetic undercurrent occuring anywhere.

While there are always extremists in any peaceful protest, the fact that this is a college campus makes this much more complicated than a protest in a public park or commercial establishments.

Non-protesting students, including Jewish students, have paid tens of thousands of dollars in tuition, in some cases in the forms of loans, and have a right to receive education in a safe and non-discriminatory environment. Many have paid for on-campus housing for the semester. In some instances, they are reporting they are feeling unsafe.

If Jewish students (or any student for that matter) feel unsafe and are making credible complaints about violent threats and harassment that is interfering with their right to safe housing and and an education, what exactly do you propose the school do in that instance?

I don't really have the answer here. I honestly don't. These massive police armies that are now being called in are not going to help the situation. On the other hand, Columbia's solution of telling Jewish students who are tired of having their existence threatened that they can just go into hiding and participate in classes via Zoom school while everyone else gets to go to class is pretty fucking gross.

[erbear]

May 1, 2024 8:12:55 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Yeah--This is all super complicated, but the University can't just sit back and let them occupy their buildings. It's private property.

And the other students have a right to go to class without being harassed. I'm struggling with the privilege inherent in some of these protests. "I don't care if I get arrested" is a privilege many college students just don't have...they cannot afford to get kicked out of their universities and they have the right to finish their degrees. Some of the protests have turned blatantly anti-Semitic (not all), and that cannot be allowed.

And I think the inherent messages of the protests are important. 

[shauni27]

thanks, all, I appreciate your responses--I only heard part of the story on NPR this morning and then found the link to share, not reading it first. I wholly accept the call out that I did not read the article and should have done so before posting.

I also admit to making a blanket statement and as a Jewish person, still am very pro Palestine and was blindly supporting the protests without thinking of the nuances involved.

Your call outs are appropriate and heard.

Embarrassed, party of 1.

[VillainV]

Things escalated considerably at my university yesterday. One of the biggest factors is that a large number of the protesters are not university students or faculty. In fact, the majority of those who were arrested (as many as 2/3 depending on which report you read) were non-students/faculty who may not have had any affiliation with the university. Our student group has conducted several protests since Oct 7th, and all have been peaceful and law-abiding. When people who aren’t affiliated with the university make up a large number of the participants, they don’t have a vested interest in being respectful to the university community, they don’t have finals to worry about, or grades, or expulsion. It’s a completely different dynamic than the protests that were just students.

[mrsslocombe]

CUNY was also raided by the NYPD last night-students were not occupying any buildings there, and they have not had the same allegations as Columbia. The raid there has not been getting as much coverage. Hellgate has a write up about it: hellgatenyc.com/nypd-storms-city-college

Eric Adams has made a lot of claims in the past week and has not provided any evidence of it, so take any statements he makes with a HEAVY grain of salt. He has smeared other protest movements for years, making false claims.

The occupation of Hamilton Hall was a reference to the 1968 Vietnam War protest, also occurring on 4/30. www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/nyregion/hamilton-hall-columbia-student-protests.html

Columbia should expel and remove anyone making threats or making Anti-semetic comments. People should also realize that hundreds of riot cops marching down the street with armored vehicles repurposed from the US Military also invokes terror in other students, especially students of color. They do not feel safe now on campus, which will be occupied by the NYPD for at least two weeks. What about their feelings of safety?

BTW a human chain is a form of peaceful protest. As are sit-ins. Protests are meant to be disruptive.

[jeaniebueller]

May 1, 2024 9:02:55 GMT -5 erbear said:

May 1, 2024 8:12:55 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Yeah--This is all super complicated, but the University can't just sit back and let them occupy their buildings. It's private property.

And the other students have a right to go to class without being harassed. I'm struggling with the privilege inherent in some of these protests. "I don't care if I get arrested" is a privilege many college students just don't have...they cannot afford to get kicked out of their universities and they have the right to finish their degrees. Some of the protests have turned blatantly anti-Semitic (not all), and that cannot be allowed.

And I think the inherent messages of the protests are important. 

Also...isn't part of protests like these being arrested? Like sometimes the goal is to be arrested in the name of supporting your goal and to bring attention to it? So some of the students that have been interviewed on NPR who were just shocked and aghast that the NYPD was coming in, like do they even understand the nature of protest? I just really struggle with having solidarity with wealthy, elite college students who are going on TV begging the campus to let them come and go to get 'humanitarian aid' to bring back the building that they are occupying (i just watched a clip on twitter of where the spokesperson was being interviewed by the media yesterday and was framing it in this manner). 

[Jalapeñomel]

May 1, 2024 10:22:49 GMT -5 mrsslocombe said:

CUNY was also raided by the NYPD last night-students were not occupying any buildings there, and they have not had the same allegations as Columbia. The raid there has not been getting as much coverage. Hellgate has a write up about it: hellgatenyc.com/nypd-storms-city-college

Eric Adams has made a lot of claims in the past week and has not provided any evidence of it, so take any statements he makes with a HEAVY grain of salt. He has smeared other protest movements for years, making false claims.

The occupation of Hamilton Hall was a reference to the 1968 Vietnam War protest, also occurring on 4/30. www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/nyregion/hamilton-hall-columbia-student-protests.html

Columbia should expel and remove anyone making threats or making Anti-semetic comments. People should also realize that hundreds of riot cops marching down the street with armored vehicles repurposed from the US Military also invokes terror in other students, especially students of color. They do not feel safe now on campus, which will be occupied by the NYPD for at least two weeks. What about their feelings of safety?

BTW a human chain is a form of peaceful protest. As are sit-ins. Protests are meant to be disruptive.

CUNY was on spring break yesterday, so it could be that they haven't gotten as much coverage, because they weren't stopping classes from happening.