Students gather for a rally in support of a protest camp on campus in support of the Palestinians, despite a 2pm deadline by university officials to disband or suspend amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in New York City. , US, April 29, 2024. | Photo credit: REUTERS
Colleges around the US urged pro-Palestinian student protesters to vacate tent camps with a heightened sense of urgency on April 29 as police arrested more protesters at the University of Texas and Columbia University. Camped there.
Protesters returning to the University of Texas at Austin on April 29 were confronted by dozens of law enforcement officers, in riot gear. They quickly arrested six protesters and took the others into custody one by one. Officers used pepper spray after a group of protesters blocked the path of a police van carrying the arrested protesters. The crowd retreated but continued to prevent them from exiting the campus. Officers then used two flash-bang explosives to clear the way and the van was able to leave.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott reposted a video on social media of soldiers arriving on the 50,000-student campus. “No camping is allowed,” Mr Abbott said. Just last week, hundreds of police pushed back protesters at the university, arresting 34 people.
At Columbia, student activists defied a 2 a.m. deadline to leave an encampment of about 120 tents on the school’s Manhattan campus. Instead, hundreds of protesters marched around the quad, clapping, chanting and huddling around piles of makeshift flooring and green carpets intended for graduation ceremonies that begin next week.
A handful of counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags and one shouted, “Where are the anti-Hamas slogans?” He was holding a sign.
The university did not call the police to chase away the protesters. But three hours after the deadline, Columbia began suspending students, school spokesman Ben Chang said. He did not specify how many students were involved. He did not say how suspensions would be carried out or whether suspended students would be kicked off campus.
Mr. Chang said that while the university respected students’ free speech rights, the camp was a “noisy distraction” that was interfering with teaching and preparation for final exams. The protests made some Jewish students deeply uncomfortable, he said.
Protest organizers said they were not aware of any suspension as of Monday evening.
A notice sent to the protesters earlier on April 29 said that if they leave by the deadline and sign a form committing to abide by university policies by June 2025, they can finish the semester in good standing. Otherwise, he will be suspended pending further investigation, the letter said.
The initial protests in Colombia sparked pro-Palestinian protest camps in schools across the US and others raging over the Israel-Hamas war and its mounting death toll. Many students are demanding that their universities cut financial ties with Israel. The number of arrests on campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000. Protests spread to Europe, with French police removing dozens of students from Sorbonne University after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the main courtyard.
College classes are wrapping up for the semester, and campuses are preparing for graduation ceremonies, giving schools an added incentive to clear campuses. The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony.
But students dug in their heels at some top universities, with standoffs continuing at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale and others.
Protesters at Yale set up a new camp with dozens of tents on April 28, nearly a week after police arrested about 50 people and cleared a similar one nearby. A Yale official advised him that he could face discipline, including suspension, and possible arrest if he continued.
Yale said in a statement on April 29 that while it supports peaceful protests and free speech, it does not tolerate policy violations such as the encampment. School officials said they would protest near residential colleges, where many students are studying for final exams, to allow groups to hold events and put up structures on campus.
In a rare case, Northwestern University said it had reached an agreement with students and faculty representing most of the protesters at its campus near Chicago. It allows peaceful demonstrations through the end of spring classes on June 1, requires the removal of all tents except one for relief, and restricts the demonstration area to allow only students, faculty and staff unless approved by the university.
At Brown University in Rhode Island, school president Christina H. Paxton offered protest leaders an opportunity to meet with officials to discuss their arguments for divesting from Israel-related companies in exchange for ending the camp.
In a letter to student protesters in Columbia, school officials said exams are starting and graduation is coming.
“We urge you to remove the camp so that we do not deprive your fellow students, their families and friends of this important occasion,” the letter said.
The demonstrations led Columbia to hold remote classes. The school told students in an email that bringing back police “at this time” would be counterproductive. The university said it would provide an alternative venue for the protest after the exams and graduation.
Colombia’s handling of the protests has prompted federal complaints.
A class-action lawsuit on behalf of Jewish students alleges breach of contract by Columbia, saying the university failed to maintain a safe learning environment despite policies and promises. It challenges the move away from in-person classrooms and wants swift court action requiring Columbia to provide security to students.
Meanwhile, a legal group representing pro-Palestinian students is urging the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to investigate Columbia’s compliance with the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
A university spokesperson declined to comment on the complaints.
The plight of detained students has been a central part of the protests, with students and a large number of faculty members demanding amnesty for the protesters. The issue is whether suspensions and legal records follow students into their adult lives.
Meanwhile, protestors in other campuses said they would stand firm. Sophomore Jacob Ginn, a North Carolina sociology graduate student, said he has been protesting at the camp for four days, including talks with administrators.
“We are ready for anything and we will remain here until the university meets our demands and we will remain firm and strong in the face of any brutality and repression they try to attack us,” said Mr. Ginn said of the potential police sweep. of the camp.