Israel’s War on Gaza: US campus protests spread overseas

The protest in the US universities against Israel's war on Gaza has spread to European and Australian universities as clashes between students and police officers have been reported all over the United States.

What started as the Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University, where students are camping inside campus to push their institute to divest from companies linked to Israel, has since spread to campuses in California, Texas and other states.

Now, more than 20 universities in the US are protesting against Israel's war on Gaza, where Israel's military offensive has killed more than 34,000 people and its blockade has caused starvation.

But the protests are not limited to the US, as students worldwide have been demonstrating in support of Gaza since the outbreak of the war on October 7. Following the Columbia encampments, the protests have further spread to universities from France to Australia.

In the US, police in riot gear yesterday detained about 100 people as they cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment at a Boston university, the latest in a series of clashes on US campuses.

The action was taken after some protesters resorted to "virulent anti-Semitic slurs, including 'Kill the Jews,'" Northeastern University said in a statement on social media platform X.

The campus protests have posed a major challenge to university administrators across the country who are trying to balance commitments to free expression with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and hate speech.

Police have carried out large-scale arrests at universities in recent days, at times using chemical irritants and tasers to disperse demonstrators.

In its statement, Northeastern said campus police backed by local law enforcement moved in yesterday to clear "an unauthorized encampment" on the campus.

"What began as a student demonstration two days ago was infiltrated by professional organizers with no affiliation to Northeastern," the school said.

It added that detained individuals who produced a valid school ID have been released and will face disciplinary proceedings, not legal action.

"Those who refused to disclose their affiliation were arrested," the school said.

Tensions were also escalating yesterday at the University of Pennsylvania, where the college president ordered a campus encampment to be disbanded immediately after what he said were "credible reports of harassing and intimidating conduct."

Meanwhile, Columbia University in New York, where the protests originated, announced Friday that it would not be calling police back to campus after more than 100 people were arrested last week.

In Paris, France, Sorbonne University students have taken to the streets. The students are calling on the French government to help Palestinians.

On Friday, students at one of France's most prestigious universities, Political Studies, or Sciences Po, called off protests over the Gaza war after street scuffles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups.

Pro-Palestinian students have staged several days of sit-ins and protests at the 150-year-old university. Some blocked entrances to the university and tents were set up at the central courtyard for a protest camp.

Hundreds of students turned out Friday and police moved in when about 50 pro-Israeli demonstrators arrived shouting and scuffles started.

With exams scheduled to start soon, the university said the pro-Palestinian students had agreed to call off their action in return for an "internal debate" about the university's ties to Israel.

In Australia, students from the University of Sydney set up pro-Palestine encampments on Tuesday, and they were continuing to protest on Friday. Also, University of Melbourne students pitched tents on the south lawn of their main campus on Thursday.

In Rome, Italy, students from Sapienza University organised demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes on April 17 and April 18.

Since April 19 night, students from the University of Warwick's group Warwick Stands With Palestine have occupied the campus piazza located in England, United Kingdom. In Leicester, England, a protest broke out in which students from the University of Leicester Palestine Society also participated.

Last month, students from the University of Leeds occupied a campus building in protest against the university's involvement with Israel.

The University of Sydney students have demanded that their institute cut ties with Israeli universities and arms manufacturers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.