With graduation looming, prestigious universities across the United States grappled with the challenge of balancing safety concerns with students’ rights to protest. Pro-Palestine demonstrations continued with vigor, leading to arrests, class cancellations, and the closure of campus spaces.
At Yale University, approximately 45 protesters were arrested for trespassing after setting up tents and demonstrating over the weekend. Protesters demanded the university divest from defense companies with ties to Israel. Columbia University was also rocked by protests, prompting the administration to lock campus gates and offer virtual course options to ensure safety.
New York University saw a surge in protesters, with an encampment swelling to hundreds. The university warned the crowd to disperse before calling in police to quell a disorderly scene and address reports of intimidating chants and antisemitic incidents.
Harvard University closed Harvard Yard to the public and suspended the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee for violating school policies during an April 19 demonstration. The committee asserted that the suspension was based on technicalities and that the university had not provided clear guidelines regarding protest activities.
Other universities, including the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California, implemented restrictions on banners and flags at graduation ceremonies and canceled planned speeches due to safety concerns. Protests erupted across the country, with students at Boston University, MIT, Brown University, Princeton University, and Northwestern University taking part.
President Joe Biden condemned both antisemitic protests and those expressing a lack of understanding for the Palestinian perspective. Similar demonstrations have unfolded in Europe, with protests in London and Italy drawing criticism over police handling of the events. In India, protesters demanded action against a professor and a guest speaker at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for allegedly glorifying terrorism during a lecture on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
