Anger spikes at US universities as Israel-Gaza war protests intensify
- Student protests in the US over the war in Gaza have intensified and expanded over the past week
- Police have been called in to several university campuses to arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators
Student anger with university officials and law enforcement fuelled worsening tensions on several US campuses on Tuesday after days of pro-Palestinian protests that have triggered mass arrests and shut down classes.
Some of America’s most prestigious universities have been rocked by protests in recent weeks as students and other agitators take over quads and disrupt campus activities, furious over the war between Israel and Hamas and ensuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
At Columbia University in New York, the core of the spreading protests, organisers are calling for the university to divest from companies “that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation in Palestine”.
Pro-Israel supporters and others worried about campus safety have pointed to antisemitic incidents and argue that campuses are encouraging intimidation and hate speech.
“Students have the right to protest, but they are not allowed to disrupt campus life or harass and intimidate,” Columbia’s vice-president of public affairs Ben Chang told reporters on Monday.