Pro-Palestinian encampment at New York University and Harvard University: More protests than arrests in Los Angeles, Portland, and Washington
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators continue to turn out at schools across the country despite the risk of detention and suspension, with nearly 300 more protesters were arrested over the weekend.
The University of California, Los Angeles was the scene of a physical altercation on Sunday when pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters clashed. Campus police eventually separated the two groups.
The demonstrators had been at the California State Polytechnic University for more than a week when they were taken into custody. And at Portland State University in Oregon, students had taken over a library.
The university warned of a police activity around the Graduate Life Center in posts on X from 10 pm until 3 a.m. Social media footage shows protesters chanting at police as they lead people into multiple white vans.
After a tense weekend, the last day of class at George Washington University in D.C. is Monday, and there are protests going on, including a clash with police.
Students first set up an encampment on University Yard on Thursday and later launched a second one on nearby H Street after the school put up barricades to restrict access.
Shortly before midnight on Sunday, protesters knocked down the barricades — piling them in a stack in the middle of the lawn — and flooded the lawn, with people remaining there overnight in some 85 tents, the GW Hatchet reports.
“This is an egregious violation of community trust and goes far beyond the boundaries of free expression and the right to protest,” they added. “The university will use every avenue available to ensure those involved are held accountable for their actions.”
At New York University, administrators facing a renewed pro-Palestinian encampment there took a similar step to Columbia on Monday. The university did not call in the police to clear the camp because it said that it was moving forward withDisciplinary processes against those who did not follow the instructions of the police.
Columbia seemed to be trying to get the nearly two week old protest to go away slowly so as not to endanger the future of the university and cause more protest. The university was able to identify some of the students, but not all. They will most likely be notified of their suspensions via email.
The president of a Boston college that was home to more than 100 protesters arrested at an illegal campsite will not bring charges against them, and will encourage the district attorney not to pursue charges.
He said it is also taking steps to support students who were arrested, including posting bail for them and providing housing support to those who are required to stay local for court appearances after the closing of their dorms.
“The College has done its best to keep all community members safe every day during these challenging times, but we recognize that we must do more,” he added.
Student protests against detention in UT-Austin hadron colliders prompted by the student protest at the Cal Poly campus
After a judge found there wasn’t enough proof to proceed, the district attorney in Texas decided not to prosecute all of the people who were arrested during the UT-Austin protest.
He said schools may face pressure from politicians and donors. At Columbia, hundreds of alumni signed a statement this week demanding the school strongly discipline students who engage in threats and hate speech and remove all illegal encampments.
Alex Morey, the director of campus rights advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, says responses vary in part because individual colleges decide how to regulate speech on campus. They outline where students can post flyers, or what time of day protests need to end. Those rules are allowed, as long as they apply to any student group, regardless of the cause, Morey says.
The public was not allowed to visit the Cal Poly campus on Saturday after student protesters occupied two academic and administrative buildings. They had previously given protesters until 5 p.m. on Friday to leave with a guarantee of no immediate arrest — but said they would still face consequences.
“This does not, however, eliminate University conduct-related sanctions or legal implications,” officials said in a release. Voluntary departure in this way will be considered as a factor in University conduct processes and may reduce the severity of sanctions imposed.
The campus will remain closed until May 10, with work and classes remote through the end of the semester. Officials say they are planning for “various scenarios” for commencement.
University Protests in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Gaza: University Students’ Rights to Protest Against Antisemitic Graffiti
She said rules have been broken, and those who break them — “including rules around the time, place and manner of protest” — will face disciplinary action.
The University of Pennsylvania’s statue has been vandalized and they want the demonstrators to stop because of antisemitic graffiti.
A group of Penn faculty and Philadelphia-area elected officials signed a letter last week urging university leaders to respect students’ rights to engage in protests and not to call in law enforcement to arrest peaceful protesters.
“Threatening students with sanctions of this nature is unacceptable and should not be the means by which Yale responds to peaceful protest,” they said.
In a further sign of discontent, faculty members at universities in California, Georgia and Texas have either initiated or passed largely symbolic votes of no confidence in their leadership, according to the Associated Press.
Protesters began occupying buildings at Columbia University early Tuesday morning, after the school asked them the day before to voluntarily disperse from an encampment set up in support of Palestinians.
Protesters began climbing into open windows at John Jay Hall, a dormitory, and students entered Hamilton Hall, an academic building and began moving furniture to a balcony, reported WKCR, the university radio station.
University officials were not immediately available for comment. Its public safety department was responding to calls. If people could they should not go to the campus on Tuesday.
At Columbia, administrators distributed a notice on Monday morning to the encampment stating that negotiations with student protest leaders were at an impasse. The students were told to clear out so the school can prepare the lawn for graduation ceremonies.
Columbia President Minouche Shafik said academic leaders and student organizers worked in good faith to reach common ground in the discussions. “We thank them all for their diligent work, long hours, and careful effort and wish they had reached a different outcome.”
There are demonstrators in support of Palestinians who are calling on Columbia to end business dealings with Israeli companies.
Columbia said Monday it would not do that, but it did say the school’s Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing will start reviewing new proposals from students. It pledges to make a list of investments available to students, as well as give more money to health and education in Gaza.
The parties agreed that the protests will be halted until after reading day, exams and graduation in order to allow the Columbia community to remember that the class of 2023 did not get to attend their high school graduation in person due to the coronaviruses epidemic.
Students will need to submit an application at least two days prior to the protest, which will be held in designated areas.
The 1968-69 Students’ Encampment in Columbia, Texas: Police, Student Organizers, and the College-Government Correspondence
She stated that the situation has caused an “unwelcoming environment” for Jewish students, and violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination at schools that receive federal funding.
“Antisemitic language and actions are unacceptable and calls for violence are simply abhorrent,” she said. The atmosphere in recent weeks has become intolerable for many of our Jewish students as well. It is a tragedy that many have left campus. I want to say to the students, their families, and the Columbia community that you are valued members of the community. This is also your campus.
Shafik said she is committed to shielding community members from discrimination and harassment and allowing them to speak, while respecting the right to do so as well.
On Monday, protesters did not agree to completely deconstruct the encampment, while the school did not agree to stop doing business with Israeli companies, one of student activists’ demands. Students were suspended at the school.
Some people left the encampment around 1 a.m. Tuesday and moved into Hamilton Hall, an academic building, began moving furniture around and refused to leave until Columbia agreed to divest from Israel.
Hamilton Hall was occupied by students in 1968 to protest racism. More than 700 people were arrested and almost 150 people were injured.
Police arrested dozens of demonstrators at the University of Texas at Austin for the second time in a week protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza. Protesters chanted for the police to leave, repeating: “We are being peaceful, you are being violent.”
UT-Austin isn’t the only school where clashes with law enforcement have escalated. Police in Atlanta used pepper balls and tasers to control protesters who were throwing bottles. Nationwide, there have been hundreds of arrests, including at Columbia University, the University of Southern California and at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Yet other universities have taken a more hands off approach. MIT’s president is urging an end to the demonstration and police are watching the area, though the demonstrations have been peaceful, a MIT spokesman told NPR.
David Cole, the national legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union said that colleges have to intervene if there is violence or targeted threats of violence, but that it is an exercise in discretion.
If I were a college administrator and there was an outdoor gathering on my campus, it was not causing any trouble, you could let it lie and get rid of it. But they do have the right to remove it if they choose to do so,” she says.
At the University of California, Berkeley, for instance, Assistant Vice Chancellor Dan Mogulof says their policy is to avoid police involvement unless it’s absolutely necessary.
“Every action has a reaction, and sometimes the reaction is antithetical to what your goals are. Law enforcement is an important resource, but it can also have unintended consequences,” he says.
Why universities shouldn’t enforce free speech: A challenge facing Berkeley, Columbia, the University, and other universities, as seen by Berkeley protests
Mogulof says Berkeley’s protests have been peaceful so far. He says the school is committed to both free speech and to keeping the university safe and functioning.
He says that there can be tension between objectives. The right to express your perspective and also to pursue your academic interests is a trick that needs to be managed.
The officials of the university made a plan for students to continue their protest while not violating the school’s rules.
At Northeastern University, campus police arrested around 100 people on Saturday because of an illegal gathering that included antisemitic slurs and professional organizers who were not affiliated with the school.
The chancellor and the provost wrote that the factors left them with no choice but to act. “Over the weekend, like many colleges and universities nationwide, Northeastern faced an untenable dilemma.”
Protesters at other universities have expressed their safety concerns, saying they’ve been harassed. They think universities are censoring free speech.
Toward the end of its semester, Columbia University switched to hybrid classes. The University of Michigan is enlisting volunteers to be part of “protest and disruptions response” teams to work during May commencement ceremonies, and the University of Southern California recently announced it is canceling its main commencement ceremony altogether.
According to the university, only the students who remained in the encampment after its deadline of 2 p.m. Monday would face immediate suspension, not the hundreds of others who came during the afternoon to encircle the camp to protect it and show their support.
“We called on N.Y.P.D. to clear an encampment once,” Nemat Shafik, Columbia’s president, wrote in a statement to the community last Friday co-signed by the co-chairs of Columbia’s board of trustees. “But we all share the view, based on discussions within our community and with outside experts, that to bring back the N.Y.P.D. at this time would be counterproductive, further inflaming what is happening on campus.”
Palestine will live forever. “Go away, yo.” “Free, free Palestine.” Palestine is free, free, free. It should be shut down. Palestine will be free. “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.”
Protests against Israel’s nuclear ties to Israel: Students at Columbia University, the campus of a Gazan pro-Palestinian protest
Protesters, many wearing helmets, safety glasses, gloves and masks, blockaded the entrance to the building. Those inside stacked chairs and tables at the entrance. A protester took a hammer to smash the glass part of a door. The protesters appeared to have free rein of the building.
Students at Columbia University are bracing for a tense day, with administrators waiting to see if the suspension of demonstrators who remained on the campus would hurt the pro-Palestinian protest.
Some demonstrators at Portland State University used spray-painted words such as “Free Gaza” and “Glory to Our Martyrs” to protest the university’s ties with Boeing, which has supplied weaponry to Israel.
Bob Day, the chief of the Portland Police Bureau, estimated on Monday night that perhaps 50 to 75 protesters were inside the building. Officials urged protesters to leave the area and warned that those involved could face criminal charges.
Just outside, about a dozen faculty in yellow and orange safety vests also stayed behind, with several saying that they planned to remain overnight to make sure their students’ right to protest was respected.
“We have begun suspending students as part of the next phase of our efforts to ensure the safety of our campus,” Ben Chang, a spokesman for the university, said.
“We’ve been asked to disperse, but it is against the will of the students to disperse,” she said. We don’t follow the university pressures. We act based on the will of the students.”
Elga Castro, 47, an adjunct professor in the Spanish department at Barnard College, Columbia’s sister school, was among the faculty and staff members guarding access to the tents. “I have my opinions on Gaza and Palestine, but I am mainly here to protect my students,” she said.