Tensions rose between pro-Palestinian students and school administrators at several US universities on Monday, leading to the cancellation of in-person classes and the arrest of more than a hundred protesters. This wave of protests began last week at Columbia University in New York – when a large group of protesters established the so-called “Gaza Solidarity Camp” on school grounds – and quickly spread to other higher education establishments, including Yale, MIT and others. Also on Monday, the President of the United States said he condemned “the anti-Semitic protests”, adding that “I also condemn those who do not understand what is happening to the Palestinians”.
The protests are pitting students against each other, with pro-Palestinian students demanding that the universities they attend condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza and disassociate themselves from companies that sell weapons to Tel Aviv, while some Jewish students report episodes of intimidation and anti-Semitism during protests.
Classes at Columbia went from in-person to online on Monday, with university president Nemat Shafik calling for a “reset” in an open letter to the school community. “In recent days, there have been many examples of intimidating and harassing behavior on our campus,” she wrote. “Anti-Semitic language, like any other language used to hurt and scare people, is unacceptable and appropriate action will be taken. To ease the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,” she added.
Shafik testified last Wednesday in Congress, having been attacked by several Republicans who accused her of not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism. In December, similar hearings before congressmen led to the resignation of the presidents of Harvard and Pennsylvania universities.
Last week, more than 100 protesters were detained after university officials decided to call police to the Columbia campus on Thursday, a move that appeared to increase tensions and provoke greater weekend turnout.
Mimi Elias, a Social Action student who was detained, assured on Monday that they would “stay until they talk to us and listen to our demands”. “We don’t want anti-Semitism or Islamophobia. We are here for everyone’s liberation,” she added. In the opinion of Joseph Howley, an associate professor at Columbia, the university used the “wrong tool” by involving the police, which attracted “more radical elements who are not part of our student protests”. “You cannot combat prejudice and community differences through discipline and punishment,” he added.
