College Protests on the War in Gaza

Recently, several protests against the war in Gaza have become more intense on American college campuses. Specifically, New York and Chicago schools have been leading a majority of the protests. To try and contain the protests on these campuses, police enforcement and several arrests have ensued. Universities’ administrations have tried to keep these protests quiet and focus on graduation, but the wave of activism has spread and intensified, leading some schools, like Emory and Columbia, to cancel their graduation ceremonies over concern for students’ safety. One form of protest that is being used is encampments – protesters camp overnight in tents, normally in groups. This form of protest represents how the civilians in the middle of this war in Gaza are living. Police officers cleared two pro-Palestine encampments and arrested the protesters involved in New York University. The New York Police Department said the university asked them for assistance in controlling the encampment situation. To try and control the protest, 13 students from NYU were arrested and 43 from The New School.

Many students have discovered that not all of these protesters on campuses are enrolled in the school. In a TikTok video, a group of protesters stood with metal barricades wearing masks and scarves covering their faces. The group in this video is blocking off a section of the campus. A student who attends the school is trying to walk into a building because he has a class inside, but the group of protesters does not let him walk through and stays silent when he asks why. He asks them multiple times to let him into his class and even pulls out his student ID to show he goes to the university. In the video, he says, “You're telling me I cannot attend class at my school that I pay tuition for.” Then someone asks one of the protesters if they are enrolled in the school, and they respond, “No.” The protests have been upsetting to some people because it’s affecting their education, for example getting to classes.

The same kind of activism is not just happening in American schools. Pro-Palestine students at France’s Sciences Po occupied a building overnight. The group camped outside and around the building in protest. Similarly, University College London protesters set up another encampment. A group of five students set up tents next to a study center on campus in the pouring rain. Despite it being cold and rainy, other groups have done the same thing for a few nights. Also, Palestinian flags are being placed on university campuses in Australia.

Some high school graduates have even changed their plans for college because of the protest. It’s unclear what the future of the protest looks like. Most schools are trying to return to normalcy and keep the tension low.

Sophie Balmes