Pro-Palestinian student protest reaches boiling point in United States: hundreds of arrests

American students demonstrating for a ceasefire in Gaza. What started at the prestigious Columbia University has now expanded to campuses throughout the US. And the protests are becoming increasingly grim.

It all started at Columbia University, where students built a ‘Gaza Solidarity Camp’ on campus a few weeks ago. Although more than a hundred students have been arrested since then, the protest has not yet subsided. On the contrary, the students say they will not stop until the school cuts ties with Israeli academic institutions and agrees to a “complete divestment” of funds linked to Israel.

The pro-Palestinian protest was also followed in the rest of the United States, traditionally an ally of Israel. Meanwhile, such demonstrations calling for a ceasefire have broken out on at least 40 American campuses. Although most actions are provocative but remain peaceful, hundreds of students and other demonstrators have already been arrested and there have already been some serious confrontations with the security forces.

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Rubber bullets and tear gas

After an escalation of demonstrations on Thursday at a university in Atlanta, Georgia, police reportedly used rubber bullets and tear gas against students. “I saw one of the young people being abused by the police,” Noëlle McAfee, chair of the philosophy department, told local media. “After I demanded that they stop it, I was also arrested.”

At Ohio State University, police – equipped with shields – approached a crowd of about 250 people on Thursday evening around 10 p.m. Students who formed a protective circle around the camp were taken one by one to arrest vans. “Shame on you, university administration. You will not silence us,” Ohio House of Representatives member Munira Abdullahi wrote on Instagram.

Earlier, police had forcibly cleared a tent camp at Emerson College in Boston. 108 students were arrested and video footage showed how the officers beat the demonstrators and dragged students across the ground.