US Campuses: Do for Palestine What you Did for South Africa

Confronting the usual lame accusations of antisemitism, US students across the country have initiated a BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement to bring a definitive end to the international collusion with Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestine, just like they did in the mid-1990s with Apartheid South Africa and contibuted to the liberation of Nelson Mandela and the end of the segregation regime there. 

The protesters include large numbers of Jewish students. So all the flithy accusations of antisemitism, leveled by the White House and other poodles of the Zionist lobby, are no more than a dog whistle to terrorize people into silence and sumbission to the Big Zionist Brother.

Despite more arrests Monday night at NYU, other leading US university campuses like Columbia, MIT, Yale and others are determined to break the omerta over Israel's genocide in Palestine.

April 23, 2024

New York, US - April 22: Police intervene and protests at New York University (NYU) who continue their demonstration on campus in solidarity with the students at Columbia University and to oppose Israel's attacks on Gaza. Pro-Palestinian protesters have launched a wave of protests on campsuy condemning Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has displaced over 765% of the coastal enclave's estimated 2.3 million people, and resulted in over 34,000 deaths, 75% of whom are women and children.

Campus tensions over the Israel-Hamas war continued to escalate Monday night. A number of pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested outside a New York University building, and Columbia University moved its main campus to a hybrid schedule for the rest of the semester in response to turmoil that has led to more than 100 arrests.

The tumult followed dozens of arrests at Yale University earlier Monday, while protest encampments sprung up at a number of other universities. Here’s a closer look at what's happening, and why:

Columbia University

Things hit a boiling point at Columbia last Thursday, when over 100 people, including the daughter of US Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, were arrested at a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. Columbia President Minouche Shafik had asked the NYPD to help clear the crowd, which had begun amassing the day prior.

Arrests continued over the weekend, prompting Shafik to move to virtual classes Monday over heightened safety concerns. Shafik said in a statement the decision to hold classes virtually was made to “deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.”

The university took things a step further Monday night, announcing a hybrid schedule for the remainder of the school semester at its Morningside main campus in Manhattan.

"Safety is our highest priority as we strive to support our students’ learning and all the required academic operations," the statement from Provost Angela V. Olinto and Chief Operating Officer Cas Holloway said. The protesters haven’t been deterred, however, as Monday marked the sixth day of demonstrations.

What’s the reaction been?

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the White House have all expressed concern for the safety of students and spoken out against all forms of racism. The hypocrite dog-on-a-Zionist-leash US President Biden, however, was "magnanimous" enough to tell reporters Monday, "I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians", as he sent 26 billion dollars to Israel to keep bombing, raping, displacing and killing Palestinian civvilians.

New England Patriots owner and Columbia graduate, the Orthodox Jew Robert Kraft said in a statement Monday he was "not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken". On the other hand, he was comfortable enough a few years ago to commit adultery by getting a hand job at an Asian massage parlor in Florida [Read all about it in: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/10/the-disturbing-saga-of-robert-kraft] 

How did it get here

Protests at many universities and colleges across the U.S. have remained a flashpoint since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel and killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped roughly 250 hostages. Israel subsequently launched a war against Hamas in Gaza that has killed more than 34,000 Palestinian civilians — about two-thirds of them women and children — according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

The pro-Palestinian demonstration encampments on Columbia’s main quad started last Wednesday just before Shafik testified before a congressional committee investigating antisemitism on campus. The same panel last year grilled two of Shafik’s counterparts at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, who resigned amid backlash for their responses.

The “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” was set up by a coalition of student organizations that have criticized Columbia’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. They have demanded that the school divest “all economic and academic stakes in Israel,” according to the group’s website.

What’s happening at other universities

As pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia entered their sixth day Monday, a wave of solidarity protests at other colleges and universities have sparked up across the country:

Yale University, New Haven, Conn.: Dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators staging an encampment on campus since Friday night were arrested Monday morning on trespassing charges. Yale Police Chief Anthony Campbell said they were warned Sunday night and again early Monday before the arrests took place. The protesters are demanding that the university “divest from military weapons manufacturers,” according to the Yale Daily News.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.: Pro-Palestinian student demonstrators set up the “Scientists Against Genocide Encampment” on MIT’s Kresge Lawn on Sunday night. They want the school to cut its research ties with the Israeli military.

Emerson College, Boston: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators from a nonaffiliated student organization want the college to support “Palestinian liberation” and have set up tents in an alley off Boylston Street. Emerson College president Jay Bernhardt said the area is “not solely owned” by the college and is under Boston Police jurisdiction.

Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.: The school has restricted access to Harvard Yard until Friday afternoon, hoping to avoid any pro-Palestinian demonstrators or camps. An email sent to students and faculty who work in the Yard explained that the closures are “out of an abundance of caution and with the safety of our community as a priority,” according to the Harvard Crimson.

University of Southern California, Los Angeles: Hundreds of protesters gathered on campus Sunday in support of the school’s Class of 2024 valedictorian, Asna Tabassum. Officials had told Tabassum earlier this month that she was barred from speaking at this year’s graduation ceremony, citing safety concerns due to her pro-Palestinian social media posts.