Students across universities in the United States persisted in their demonstrations against the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict on Saturday, with some encountering clashes with police in riot gear.
Several university faculties disapproved of university presidents who resorted to calling law enforcement to disperse protesters.
At Columbia University, negotiations with participants of a pro-Palestinian student encampment remained ongoing.
The university’s senate passed a resolution on Friday, establishing a task force to scrutinise the administration’s actions. Last week, the university sought police intervention to dismantle the protest, resulting in altercations and over 100 arrests.
Despite the university’s repeated deadlines for the encampment’s removal, an e-mail sent to students on Friday evening emphasized that deploying police again “at this time” would be counterproductive. The university expressed hope for tangible progress in the negotiations.
As casualties rise in the Gaza conflict, protesters nationwide demand that universities sever financial ties with Israel and divest from companies implicated in the conflict.
However, some Jewish students express concern that the protests have taken an anti-Semitic turn, making them apprehensive about campus safety.
The decision to involve law enforcement, leading to numerous arrests nationwide, has spurred faculty members at universities in California, Georgia, and Texas to voice their lack of confidence in university leadership.
The tensions pressure university officials, who are working to address the protests as May graduation ceremonies approach.
In California, the deadline for protesters barricaded inside a building at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, came and went without compliance.
Meanwhile, police cleared an encampment at Denver’s Auraria Campus in Colorado, arresting around 40 protesters on trespassing charges.
Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, faced criticism from faculty members but retained support from trustees.
In a separate development, Columbia student protester Khymani James retracted controversial comments made in an online video, apologizing for offensive remarks. Despite this, Mr. James was banned from campus.
Protests erupted at Indiana University, Ohio State University, and the University of Connecticut, resulting in arrests. The University of Southern California cancelled its May 10 graduation ceremony following the arrest of over 90 protesters.
Faculty members at several universities, including Cal Poly Humboldt, University of Texas at Austin, and Emory University, initiated votes of no confidence in their presidents.
Meanwhile, tensions at Sciences Po in Paris eased after pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators reached an agreement to evacuate a campus building following days of discord peacefully.
The protests underscore the deeply entrenched divisions over the Israel-Hamas conflict, reflecting broader societal tensions and concerns about freedom of expression on college campuses.
