Following the arrests of over 100 Columbia University students during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, students at several Boston-area schools have set up encampments on or near their campuses to express solidarity and make similar demands.
At MIT, dozens of students have erected tents on the Kresge Lawn, calling for the university to cut its $11 million research funding ties with Israel. They have also set up a sign titled “Scientists Against Genocide,” expressing their refusal to support any actions that harm Palestinian families.
Meanwhile, Emerson College students have established tents in the Boylston Place alley, chanting “Free Palestine” and demanding that the university sever all financial ties with Israel. They also call for an end to disciplinary actions against protesting students.
Tufts University students have also joined the movement, setting up six tents on the Academic Quad on the Green in Medford. Their demands include divestment from Israel, dropping charges against protesting students, and a ceasefire in Gaza.
While Harvard University has yet to see any encampments, it has restricted access to Harvard Yard until Friday in anticipation of student protests. The university has also suspended its Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, citing the group’s failure to register Friday’s demonstration.
The demonstrations are part of a wave of protests across college campuses nationwide sparked by the arrests at Columbia University. Police have been present at the encampments but no aggressive interactions have been reported as of Monday night.
