Thousands of Palestinian protesters were arrested over the weekend at Washington University despite the threat of disciplinary action and possible prison time at Emerson College
More than 300 Palestinians were arrested over the weekend for demonstrating at schools despite the risk of a suspension or jail time.
On Sunday, pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israeli protesters clashed at the University of California, Los Angeles, leading to what university leaders described as “physical altercations” and prompting them to increase security measures on campus.
Students and faculty at some universities are calling on their administrations not to discipline protesters. Arrested protesters face uncertainty about not only their legal records but the status of campus housing, financial aid and graduation eligibility.
The New York Police Department said at about 2:15 a.m. that it had officers stationed outside the university, but not on school grounds, in case the situation escalated. It did not specify the number of officers in the area.
The final day of class at George Washington University on Monday is a time when protests reach their fifth day after a tense weekend that included a clash between protesters and police.
Students first set up an encampment on University Yard on Thursday and later launched a second one on nearby H Street after the school put up barricades to restrict access.
When protesters flooded the lawn after knocking down the barricades, some people stayed there overnight in 85 tents, the GW Hatchet reports.
A lot of faculty at Yale University signed a letter condemning the criminalization of students for engaging in peaceful protest. They demanded that the university take no further disciplinary action and called on authorities to drop all charges against them.
The University of Florida officials said Friday that protesters could face suspension if they violate specific protest rules and that a three-year ban on campus was possible if they did.
Barnard College officials announced Friday that it will allow most of the 53 students who were arrested and suspended after protesting at Columbia University to return to campus. The New York Times reports that suspended students who reached agreements with the college have their access to residence halls, dining facilities and classrooms restored, while others are still working to reach agreements.
On Sunday, Jay Bernhardt, the president of Emerson College in Boston — where more than 100 protesters were arrested at an encampment early Thursday morning — said the college will not bring disciplinary charges against protesters, and will “encourage the district attorney not to pursue charges related to encampment violations.”
He said it is taking steps to support students arrested, including posting bail, and providing housing for those required to stay local for court appearances after the closing of their dorms.
“The College has done its best to keep all community members safe every day during these challenging times, but we recognize that we must do more,” he added.
University of Pennsylvania Student Protests at UT-Austin had been Dropped in the Early Stages of Student Protriotism
The district attorney of Texas dropped misdemeanor charges against 57 people who were arrested during a protest at the UT-Austin.
Some schools are threatening to discipline students if they don’t leave the campsites that they’re told to leave.
They are prohibited from using bullhorns or speakers to amplify their voices, possessing weapons and protesting inside campus buildings — but also face more vague prohibitions like “no disruption,” according to a list circulated late Thursday.
The Cal Poly Monterey Bay campus was closed to the public on Saturday, several days after student protesters occupied several academic and administrative buildings. They had previously given protesters until 5 p.m. on Friday to leave with a guarantee of no immediate arrest — but said they would still face consequences.
Officials said that this does not remove University conduct-related sanctions or legal implications. Voluntary departure will be viewed as a factor in University conduct processes and may reduce the severity of sanctions imposed.
The campus will remain closed until May 10, with work and classes remote through the end of the semester. The officials say they are planning for various scenarios.
She said rules have been broken, and those who break them — “including rules around the time, place and manner of protest” — will face disciplinary action.
University of Pennsylvania officials say a statue on the school’s campus was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti, and are calling for the protesters to stop.
A group of Penn faculty and elected officials signed a letter last week that urged the school to respect the rights of students to engage in protest while not calling in law enforcement to make arrests.
“Threatening students with sanctions of this kind is unconscionable and should not be the means by which Yale responds to peaceful protest,” they added.
In a further indication of discontent, faculty members at California, Georgia and Texas have either initiated or passed symbolic votes of no confidence in their leadership.
Columbia University have begun occupying a campus building: Protests against a Palestinian encampment during the 2024 coronavirus pandemic
Protesters began occupying buildings at Columbia University early Tuesday morning, after the school asked them the day before to voluntarily disperse from an encampment set up in support of Palestinians.
Protesters began climbing into open windows at John Jay Hall, a dormitory, and students entered Hamilton Hall, an academic building and began moving furniture to a balcony, reported WKCR, the university radio station.
University officials are unavailable for comment at this time. Its public safety department was doing everything they could to respond. It urged people not to come to the campus on Tuesday if they could.
Columbia set several deadlines to reach an agreement with demonstrators about the encampment, as the school said it violates school policies, is a threat to campus safety, a disturbance to Jewish students and students trying to study and sleep.
“[Academic leaders and student organizers] in these discussions put forward robust and thoughtful offers and worked in good faith to reach common ground,” Columbia President Minouche Shafik said Monday. “We thank them all for their diligent work, long hours, and careful effort and wish they had reached a different outcome.”
Columbia should stop investing in and doing business with Israeli companies, as demonstrators protested in support of Palestinians during the war.
Columbia said Monday it would not do that, but it did say the school’s Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing will start reviewing new proposals from students. The organization is going to provide funds for health and education in Gaza as well as make a list of its investments available to students.
However, the parties did agree that protests will be paused until after reading day, exams and commencement, as Shafik urged the Columbia community to consider that the class of 2024 did not get to have their high school commencement ceremonies in person due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Students have to apply at least two days in advance of the protest in order to hold it in designated areas.
The Columbia Center for Children’s Psychiatry: Families and Students in a Disturbative Encampment and Calls for Violence
But she added the encampment has caused an “unwelcoming environment” and “hostile environment” for Jewish students, and violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws discrimination at schools that receive federal funding.
“Calls for violence are completely unacceptable, and offensive to the Jewish people,” she said. I am aware of the intolerable atmosphere that many of our Jewish students have experienced in recent weeks. Many have left campus, and that is a tragedy. To those students and their families, I would like to say that you are valued members of the Columbia community. This is also your campus.
She said that she was committed to keeping community members physically safe and shielding them from harassment and discrimination, and allowed them to speak without fear, but that respecting others’ right to speak would also be important.