Across the United States protests against the Palestine-Israeli war have been being held at multiple Universities. These protests have been relatively peaceful. However, tensions between students and officials have been rising.
Anti-War Protest
College students have recently been demonstrating their right to peaceful protest across the nation. Many of them have taken to camping outside their school campuses in tents. Moreover, other protestors have been using furniture, zip ties, and chains to block entrances at their schools.
Campuses including Columbia University, Harvard University, Columbia University, and more have joined in on the Pro-Palestine movement.
The Columbia University protestors have been regularly protesting for the past week. Police officers were originally called to the scene the week prior and made over 100 arrests. Protestors have been arrested on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct. However, this did not deter more anti-war protestors from joining in on the rally, causing more to join.
The main cause of the demonstrations was students looking to have their universities remove funding from Israel and cut ties with companies that are backing the Middle Eastern country. Many people are against the funding of Israel due to the genocide and annexation of Palestinian citizens.
Multiple deadlines have been set and changed for the removal of the encampments set up by the Columbia students. The University’s President, Minouche Shafik, originally set the removal of the encampments for midnight Wednesday, yet the school’s officials have given a new update of 48 hours.
A large number of tents have been removed, around only 60 seemed to be remaining. The anti-war protestors still within the encampment also seemed to be in a less disorderly state than previously. Moreover, the University made a statement that there have been conversations with protestor representatives that only University students would be allowed to demonstrate on campus grounds.
Anti-Semitism and Anti-War
Republican House Speaker, Mike Johnson had planned to visit Columbia and speak to Jewish students who believe antisemitism has risen on the campus. Throughout the progression of the Palestine-Israel war, an influx of anti-semitism, Islamophobia, and general racism to those of Middle Eastern descent have been recorded and risen.
A study done by the University of Chicago Research Center surveyed college students and asked how safe they feel on campus because of racism and polarizing views of the war.
According to the research, 5,000 students were surveyed across the country from 600 different four-year colleges, along with 5,000 adults between December 2023 and January 2024.
The data shows that about 56% of Jewish and 52% of Muslim college students felt unsafe due to hate crimes and speech. Furthermore a fifth of the entirety of college students surveyed felt unsafe on campus due to opinion on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Students further explained some racism and prejudice were even being spewed by their close peers. Some also stated that misunderstanding each side’s views leads to feelings of lack of safety and the belief the other protestors have a more violent outlook.
Certain chants and protest styles also made students feel unsure of their campus safety.
History of Israel and Palestine
The history between Palestinians and Israelis has been tumultuous since Israel became a state in 1948 and was recognized by the then U.S. president Henry Truman. Before the creation of Israel, Palestine was the country inhabiting the land. However, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, British military power took control.
Palestine at the time was majorly Arab with a minority of Jewish people. The UK was previously tasked with creating a national home for the Jewish community in Palestine through the WWI Balfour Declaration. The League of Nations, now known as the United Nations endorsed this declaration in 1922.
From around the 1920s to 1940s more Jewish people went to Palestine for housing, especially during the persecutions faced in Europe. However, strife began to grow between the Palestinian Arabs, the new-arriving Jewish people, and the British forces.
1947 was the year the League of Nations voted for the original Palestinian land to be split into two denoted states. This meant a Jewish and Arab state, which then caused more conflict and strife between the two groups. Arab leaders rejected the idea, while Jewish leaders accepted it. The following year the State of Israel was declared.
Through the constant rise of fighting between rival Jewish and Arab militias, many Palestinian citizens were displaced from their homes. Then, when fighting simmered down, ending in an anti-war ceasefire, the following year most of the territory was under Jewish occupation. Most Palestinian descendants moved to Gaza and the West Bank, barred from returning to their homes due to Israeli occupation.
Leading to continuous on-and-off fighting, many of the victims are Palestinians. 100 days after the Hamas October 7th attack, Israel reported 1,391 dead, as well as around 200,00 displaced. Palestine had reported 23,357 dead and 1.9 million displaced.
Previous Anti-War College Protests
College youth anti-war protesting isn’t new. One of the most well-known accounts of college students anti-war protesting against war was during Vietnam.
American intervention in Vietnam from the 50s to the 70s was met with anti-war stances. Some believed America had no business involving itself with foreign civil conflicts. While some felt the war was long-winded and a waste of US funds. Furthermore, some people felt the morality of the US’s involvement was unclear and felt horror at the sheer violence of it.
The backlash to the war spawned many protests across the country. One notable protest was also held at New York’s Columbia University, including Barnard College. The students managed to take hold of five campus buildings, as well as took the school’s dean hostage.
The protest had gone on for a week before police made any arrests. 1,000 New York officers were called by the school’s president. The officers made almost 700 arrests on charges of disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing. In some instances, physical force was used by police, injuring about 148 people.
The student-led protest resulted in Columbia University cutting ties with a Pentagon Institute that was researching the Vietnam War. Moreover, they fought and won amnesty for demonstrators who took part in the anti-war protest. Finally, the President of the school, at the time, Grayson L Kirk, and the school’s administrative officer, David B. Truman both resigned.
Other anti-war protests were held at schools around the country during Vietnam. Schools like Harvard as well as Kent State. Four individuals were shot dead during the Kent protest, and nine were injured.
Protesting is how the common person can shed light on wrongdoings, and create change.
Written By AriAnna Rathers
Sources:
Aljazeera – Anti-War Protest Held on U.S Campuses, By Aljazeera Staff
BBC – Israel Gaza war: History of the conflict explained, By BBC Staff
CNN – Calls grow for Columbia University president to step down as protests spread nationwide, By Ramishah Maruf and Nicole Goodkind, Elizabeth Wolfe, Melissa Alonso and John Towfighi
The Jerusalem Post – Ten numbers that define the 100 days since October 7, By Ben Sales/JTA
Featured Image Courtesy of Ted Swedenburg’s Flickr – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Joe Catron’s Flickr – Creative Commons LIcense
