Pro-Palestinian wave sweeps campuses worldwide

On May 19, 2024, there was an escalated campaign of Israeli airstrikes and fighting in northern Gaza, an area that Israeli forces have predominantly cordoned off for several months. The United Nations humanitarian chief has warned of “apocalyptic” consequences due to aid shortages in Gaza, where Israel’s military offensive in the southern city of Rafah has “blocked desperately needed food.”

At least 35,456 Palestinians have been killed and 79,476 wounded in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since October 7, 2023. Some 1,139 Israelis were killed in the October 7 attacks and 250 people were taken hostage, with 132 still missing.

Meanwhile, an unprecedented phenomenon has appeared on the global landscape that wasn’t expected. A sudden wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and sit-ins spread at universities across the US and ten on several campuses worldwide. The credit for leading the global wave belongs to American university students who have a legacy of public protests emanating from their institutions that have been effective in the country's politics. The current protest movement is certainly a part and parcel of that proud legacy that makes the American university system the most prized in the world. It could have only happened in America. The students of the world admire this American tradition and wish to emulate it. Let us briefly trace the development of the student protest movement to comprehend the phenomenon in a better manner.

The pro-Palestine protests at US universities began after the police crackdown was seen on demonstrations at Columbia University on April 18. Columbia University is one of the most prestigious universities in the US. It has now emerged as the center for student activism since Israel’s war on Gaza began. On April 19, more than 100 protesters were arrested on the campus as police cleared an encampment set up by students.

Since then, hundreds of individuals have been detained as a result of protests that have appeared on college campuses around the country. Students at campuses across the U.S. responded immediately by setting up encampments and calling for their schools to cut ties with Israel and businesses that support it. The fresh wave of student activism against the war in Gaza was sparked by the arrests of at least 108 protesters at Columbia University on April 18, after administrators appeared before Congress and promised a crackdown. Since then, tensions between protesters, universities, and the police have risen, prompting law enforcement to act in some of America’s largest cities.

What has changed the political landscape wasn’t at all expected. In a perplexing and surprising development, protesting students began calling for their universities to divest from arms firms that supply to Israel and in some cases sever links with universities in Israel. Students’ protests were held from Columbia University in New York City to the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Large-scale protests on university grounds have spilled over to at least 50 other campuses around the world.

By April 29, at least 900 students and faculty members had been arrested as protesters continued to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from companies enabling Israel’s nearly seven-month war on Gaza. The protests have grown violent as law enforcement agencies have tried to remove students and faculty from encampments and protest sites. Several students had been suspended, put on probation, and, in rare cases, expelled from their colleges. The protesting students received threats were subjected to abuse and received no protection from their institutions.

Some universities had had to cancel graduation ceremonies while others have seen their buildings, quadrangles, and courtyards occupied by the protesters and in some cases by encampments. At least 900 students and faculty members have been arrested in the US over the past 10 days as protesters continue to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from companies enabling Israel’s nearly seven-month war on Gaza. The protests have grown violent as law enforcement agencies have tried to remove students and faculty from encampments and protest sites.

By May 1, 2024, protesters had assembled across a minimum of 30 US universities in the past month, frequently setting up tent encampments to voice their dissent against the escalating death toll resulting from Israel's conflict in the Gaza Strip.

By May 2, student protests had escalated in the US. Students rallied or set up tent encampments at dozens of schools across the US, expressing opposition to Israel's war in Gaza and demanding schools divest from companies that support Israel's government. Many of the schools had called in police to quell the protests. Among an array of demands, several protest movements have called for their schools to divest from Israel or weapons manufacturers related to the war. They have accused administrators across the country of weaponizing public safety and disingenuous claims of “antisemitism” to crack down on protests.

After hundreds of arrests across American universities, tensions had been further escalated. Students are refusing to capitulate and end the stir over Israel's military actions in Gaza, with incidents of arrests in New York and clashes in California. As pro-Palestinian protests continue to rock universities across the US, the Biden administration, whose backing of Israel has sparked ire among many demonstrators, is also wrestling with finding a delicate balance on the issue.

On May 3, 2024, Rutgers University leaders agreed to several of a 10-point list of demands from the protesters, including a commitment to explore creating an Arab cultural center, to implement support for 10 displaced Palestinian students to finish their education at Rutgers, and to follow university policy and review the student movement's main demand that universities divest from companies with business interests in Israel. As part of the agreement, Rutgers said it will "revisit and follow up on the relationship established in 2022 with Birzeit University to explore avenues of research collaboration and scholarly exchange and the feasibility of student exchange and/or study abroad through RU Global Studies." Birzeit is in the Palestinian West Bank.

President Biden said in a brief statement on May 3. “We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent,” said Joe Biden. “But” he continued, “order must prevail.” Violent protest is not protected – peaceful protest is,” he said. Biden criticized what he called “violent” protests. “Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations – none of this is a peaceful protest.” “There’s the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos,” the US president said. In response to a reporter’s question, he said he did not think it was the right time to call the National Guard.

Brown University in Rhode Island was the first US college to agree to a divestment vote in October. It was a rare example of authorities de-escalating protests. Demonstrators agreed to dismantle their encampment at Brown, which had been removed by April 30, and university leaders said they would discuss, and later vote on, divesting funds from companies connected to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

The agreement came even as scenes of chaos continued to overtake U.S. universities, with protesters at Columbia in New York and Portland State in Oregon occupying buildings, and demonstrators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill replacing an American flag at the center of campus with a Palestinian one. More than a thousand people have been arrested over the past two weeks after a crackdown on a pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia in New York resulted in a cascade of student activism across the country.

The message from the students in encampments has been simple: they want their universities to stop doing business with Israel - or any companies that support its ongoing war in Gaza. The demand has its roots in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, a decades-old campaign against Israel's policies toward the Palestinians.

At DePaul University in Chicago, graduation is more than a month away. But as the academic year closes, school leaders said on May 13, that they had reached an “impasse” with the school's pro-Palestinian protesters, leaving the future of their encampment on the Chicago campus unclear. The student-led DePaul Divestment Coalition, which is calling on the university to divest from economic interests tied to Israel, set up the encampment nearly two weeks ago. The group alleged university officials walked away from talks and tried to force students into signing an agreement, according to a student statement.

After weeks of intense protests, the demonstrations have become less intense. American universities have now gone on a summer break of several months’ duration. However, students remain determined to continue the protests till there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Earlier, the students had built encampments and were demanding that their institutions snap ties with Israeli companies that are funding them. Campus protests had led to the arrest of 2,900 to 3,000 protestors.

By May 18, 2024, universities across the United States have adopted several tactics in recent weeks to prevent disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters at graduation ceremonies. Some universities have reached agreements with on-campus demonstrators, while others have cited safety concerns and canceled, postponed, or relocated their schoolwide ceremonies. Several schools continue to grapple with pro-Palestinian protesters ahead of their spring commencement, subjecting themselves to internal scrutiny and public criticism.

Experts on protest movements are saying it is difficult to maintain the intensity of the demonstrations after the students are gone from the campus. They are also saying this might lead to a protest on the streets, but the on-campus protests might get a break. Michael Heaney, a researcher on the US protests and demonstrations, said there are more ways to protest and not just on campus. The movement has gone into deep pockets of the country and can take to other public spaces. ."

In May, Intelligent.com surveyed 763 current full-time U.S. college students to understand how they feel about the pro-Palestinian protests happening on college campuses. The survey disclosed that: - 55% of college students say there are pro-Palestinian protests on their campus. - 65% of students are very supportive (36%) or somewhat supportive (29%) of the protests happening on college campuses. - More than one-third of protest supporters are in favor of the use of violence and hate speech. - More than half of protest supporters say they sympathize with Hamas. - 1 in 10 protestors admit to having an unfavorable opinion of Jewish people. - 9% of college students don’t believe Israel has the right to exist; 19% are unsure, and 71% say it does.

They also demand their schools divest from companies that support Israel’s government, such as the arms suppliers. More than 2,000 people have been arrested nationwide as students continue protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Campus protests have emerged as a new political flashpoint during a hotly contested and deeply divisive US election year.

Meanwhile, in response to ongoing student-led protests, police departments across North America conducted violent, and, in many cases, tear gas-filled raids of anti-genocide encampments. In addition to the arrest, many students are facing suspension from their universities for participating in demonstrations. Since the initial arrest of 108 students in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University on April 18, police in the US have arrested over 2,800 people.

However, the mass arrests and attacks on students have not stopped anti-genocide encampments and anti-war protests from forming. An analysis by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) found that pro-Palestine demonstrations involving American students had nearly tripled in April compared to March. Student protests since October have remained peaceful 99 percent of the time, with the only notable exception being the UCLA encampment from April 30 to May 1. Of the over 700 student-led protests tracked by ACLED, “over 90% have shown support for Palestine.” Police officers and university administrators have clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters on dozens of college campuses in recent weeks, arresting students, removing encampments, and threatening academic consequences. More than 2,900 people have been arrested or detained on campuses across the country.

To understand the protest phenomenon, one must try to know the context of these student demonstrations, which is only possible by carefully listening to the arguments available from the participants themselves. After all, something very significant had galvanized them into the serious action they have taken to be effective, as they see it. Perceptions matter in politics as they shape the reality of participants in complex ways. Somehow, the repressive response from American campus representatives sparked a movement in Europe, and elsewhere.

Students at various European universities, inspired by ongoing demonstrations at US campuses, have been occupying halls and facilities, demanding an end to partnerships with Israeli institutions because Israel assaulted Gaza. Although demands among protesters vary at each university, the majority of demonstrations have called for colleges to divest from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza.

Over the past few weeks, pro-Palestinian protest camps have appeared in at least seven universities across Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. In Paris, pro-Palestinian protests erupted at the Sciences Po University and the Sorbonne University in late April.

Protests happened in India also. Demonstrations had been held at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, India, in solidarity with students protesting at Columbia. Two student political parties at Jamia Milia Islamia University in New Delhi also expressed solidarity with Palestine.

Indonesia has also seen numerous large-scale pro-Palestine rallies since the war began on October 7. The campus demonstrations were the most widespread, coordinated protests the country has seen in recent months. The rallies took place at 172 higher education institutes affiliated with Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization, and were carried out by both students and school officials.

Apart from the protests, boycotts of goods and services by companies deemed affiliated with or supportive of Israel have been taken up by large numbers of Indonesians. They have targeted international F&B brands including McDonald's, KFC, and Starbucks, as well as multinational conglomerates such as Unilever and Danone.

Meanwhile, the boycott of Israeli-affiliated products remains strongly supported by Indonesians, which has reportedly taken a significant economic toll on the targeted businesses, the parent company of the brands Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC, reported in early May a global drop in sales ranging from two to seven percent. Pizza Hut Indonesia also claimed a loss in sales due to the boycott in December but did not specify how much. Unilever, a producer of consumer goods and beauty products, announced in February their sale in Indonesia had fallen by 17 percent due to the boycott." Protestors felt thoroughly vindicated that their efforts contributed to this result.

Protests also took place in Holland. Dutch police said 169 people had been arrested when they broke up an encampment at the University of Amsterdam. In Germany, protests happened on the university campuses in Leipzig, and Berlin.

The French protests, much smaller in scale than those seen in the US, began at elite political science faculties, but have spread to other universities in recent days. Police had intervened several times at Sciences Po, where protesters were demanding the university reveal its partnerships with Israeli institutions.

In Switzerland, protests on May 7, 2024, spread to three universities in Lausanne Geneva, and Zurich. In Austria, dozens of protesters have been camped on the campus of Vienna University, putting up tents and stringing up banners. More than 100 students were also occupying Ghent University, in Belgium, in both a climate and a Gaza protest.

Encampments have also been set up and protests have taken place at universities in other European countries over the past weeks including Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Italy, and Spain. Clashes also broke out between police and protesters during a pro-Palestinian rally in central Athens. More than 300 people carrying Palestinian flags and banners reading “Hands off Rafah!” rallied outside the parliament building in the Greek capital.

Meanwhile, Western public opinion has shifted, which is now becoming "more inclined to support the Palestinians and lift the injustice inflicted on them". In a changed tone Biden told a graduation ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, that he would listen to "non-violent" protests after demonstrations over Israel's war in Gaza roiled US campuses in recent weeks. “I support the peaceful non-violent protest. Your voices should be heard, and I promise you I hear them."

Biden has maintained longstanding U.S. arms support for Israel despite the increasing death toll of its Gaza war campaign. However, he has also threatened to cut off aid if Israel pursues its offensive in Rafah, where many civilians are taking refuge. He has also reiterated support for a two-state solution and backed humanitarian relief for Gaza.

Given the strong sway of public opinion in support of Palestine in the world, the global leadership is expected to act. However, it remains to be seen whether the world’s leadership can meet these extraordinary challenges, and the world is watching how the leaders act to meet them, or otherwise.

Given the large scale of the student protest phenomenon, it can have influence now as it is becoming increasingly popular with the people. It will be more effective in the West, as the policymakers succumb to sheer political pressure from within. Also, the leadership of the Arab and Muslim world is apt to listen increasingly to their people who are making a strong statement in favor of Palestinian independence. Some recent developments lead to hope that a tipping point of sorts has indeed been reached on the Palestinian issue.