Students worldwide are protesting against Israel’s continued violence against Gaza, which has already claimed more than 34,600 lives. Students in our country are also threatening protests. An overview of some pro-Palestinian campus protests around the world.
The protest at Columbia University in New York was the starting signal for the pro-Palestinian student protests in the US. Students have protested at approximately forty American universities in recent weeks in solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli siege in Gaza. More than 2,000 people have already been arrested.
The protesters are calling for the divestment of universities from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian protest camps have appeared at at least seven Australian universities in the past week. At the University of Sydney there are about 50 tents where up to 100 protesters sleep at night. The demonstrators want the university to cut ties with arms companies and other companies with a link to Israel.
Pro-Palestinian protests erupted at Sciences Po and Sorbonne universities in Paris, with French police removing demonstrators from campus. Videos showed officers pulling protesters out of tents and dragging them across the ground. At Sciences Po, a student sit-in began, resulting in the closure of the campus, while one student began a hunger strike in protest.
The protests, in which students called for an end to the “genocide” in Gaza and the boycott of Israeli universities, have prompted action from the Ile-de-France region. They have cut off funding to the university until “serenity and security are restored.” Meanwhile, both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups are calling for more dialogue to bridge the ideological divide, with some emphasizing that police intervention is not the solution.
On Tuesday, hundreds of students gathered on university campuses in Lebanon to protest against Israel. The participants said they were inspired by sit-ins in the United States. Students, alumni and other Lebanese gathered on campuses in the capital Beirut and elsewhere on Tuesday, waving Palestinian flags and posters demanding that their universities boycott companies that do business with Israel.
The ongoing conflict between the Israeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has claimed more than 300 lives since October.
Protests have been held at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi against an expected visit to the campus by the US ambassador. The visit has been postponed due to the protests. The students accuse the US of “complicity in the genocide in Palestine and demand an end to financial ties with Israel.”
Despite India’s historic support for Palestine, the government has remained largely silent on Israel’s deadly siege of Gaza, leading to frustration among students.
On Wednesday, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip organized a rally to show their appreciation to American students for their support of pro-Palestinian protest.
American student protest escalates, just like during the Vietnam War. What do they want? And why are the police taking so hard action? (+)
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Tags: France proPalestinian student protests spread worldwide
