Demonstrations at universities: Policeman shot in Columbia VIDEO

The pro-Palestinian student protests that have been going on for weeks at US higher education institutions are taking on “explosive” dimensions. From New York to Los Angeles, the United States has seen scenes of violence and unrest in the past 24 hours, seeing escalating tensions on campuses come to a head. Tensions, arrests, chemicals against students, clashes between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators, make up the scene. Universities, for their part, are suspending classes and canceling students.

In fact, as it became known in the previous hours, as part of the police interventions in the educational institutions, a police officer from the New York department (NYPD) accidentally fired his weapon in a room during the evacuation operation on the Columbia campus on Tuesday , however no one was injured, CBS News reported, citing the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

BREAKING @CBSNewYork has learned Columbia University has given NYPD authority to enter campus @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/px26P6caIb

— Ali Bauman (@AliBaumanTV) May 1, 2024

For the same incident, the New York Post reported that the bullet from the officer’s gun ended up in a wall a few meters away, citing a statement from the New York Police Department. The officer, who has not been identified, was approaching a barricade on the first floor of the Hamilton building when his gun, which was being used as a flashlight, went off, police said. The shooting was captured on the officer’s body camera, which was turned over to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

#BREAKING MASS ARRESTS as NYPD pour hundreds of cops inside Columbia University, Raiding Encampment

Video by Olga Fe [e-mail] to license pic.twitter.com/YnS6v4V00p

— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) May 1, 2024

The incident did not come to light until Thursday, when the local news organization “The City” reported, in a related report, about a shooting in Hamilton during the police intervention.

But how did we get here?

The protests grew after the pitching of tents on the grounds of Columbia University in New York led to the arrest of more than 100 protesters on April 18. Since then, pro-Palestinian protests have spread to almost all of the country’s universities, including top institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Princeton and UCLA.

The students are calling on the universities to condemn Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip and to end their contracts with arms companies that supply Israel so it can fight. About 100 US colleges have reported gifts or contracts from Israel totaling $375 million over the past two decades, according to a US Department of Education database.

The professors reported that the protests are coordinated by people outside the student community. In an attempt to de-escalate, administrations have decided to discontinue the live classes. This move, however, resulted in students setting up even more tents inside the Universities.

As for Columbia, the negotiations between the coordinating committees and the management of the university collapsed, with the chancellor having given the students until Wednesday morning to leave the university premises. The students replied that they would leave only by force.

Since then, more than 2,000 people have been arrested on college campuses. Columbia University, which “broke up” the occupation with the intervention of the police, said in a statement that it had asked the police to intervene to “restore security and order”, but underlined that this decision was taken “in response to the actions of the protesters and not to the cause they support.” Columbia’s administration has asked police to remain on campus for protection until May 17.

This was followed by a police raid at UCLA University in California to break up a gathering of pro-Palestinian protesters. Police removed wooden barricades set up by students, fired tear gas into the crowd camped outside the campus and made arrests.

According to the New York Times protesters have been arrested on more than 30 campuses in at least 21 states, while other universities have experienced protests without arrests.

Parents protest

The tensions that have peaked in recent days are further straining the relationship between universities and students’ parents. Parents of students are preparing to put financial pressure on universities to demand refunds for fees where courses have been canceled and are contacting academic advisers to ask how to get their money back. At the same time, parents threaten not to donate in the future.

US President Joe Biden condemned the pro-Palestinian protests, stating that “the destruction of property is not a peaceful protest, it is illegal. Trespassing, vandalism, blocking the campus and canceling classes do not constitute peaceful protest.”

“President Biden respects the right to free speech, but protests must be peaceful and legal. Violent building occupations are not peaceful — they are wrong. And hate speech and hateful symbols have no place in America,” US officials said.

The events on campus have alarmed US lawmakers who have passed the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, with the Senate next to be called to vote.

The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act directs the Department of Education to use the definition formulated and promoted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws.

A group of 21 pro-Israel Democrats, in fact, sent a letter blasting Columbia and accusing the administration of failing to crack down on the campus’ anti-Israel encampment. Lawmakers claimed their omission constituted a violation of Jewish students’ civil rights. The letter, led by representatives Josh Gottheimer and Dan Goldman, describes the camp as “the breeding ground for anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish students, including hate speech, harassment, intimidation, and even threats of violence.”

American leading media reported that there were not a few Jewish students, who feel unsafe in their university facilities.

Evacuation of Occupy at School of Political Studies in Paris – Protester Camps and in Canada

Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists had proceeded to occupy the building with French media reporting that around 50 people had remained in the area at the time of the evacuation by the police.

A student who was inside the school told reporters that about 50 of the students who had gone ahead with the sit-in protest were still inside when the police entered the building.

Other witnesses who spoke to Reuters said police removed some of the people there.

It should be noted that the current president of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, is a graduate of Sciences Po, of course, among many other eminent personalities.

And in Canada, the pro-Palestinian movement in academic institutions has intensified, with encampments set up at some of the country’s largest universities, such as those in Toronto, British Columbia and Ottawa. In fact, on Thursday the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, requested the intervention of the police to break up the camp at McGill University in Montreal. “We want the camp to be dissolved. We trust the police, let them do their job,” said a Lego spokesperson. At the same time, a representative of the University of Toronto emphasized to Reuters that it is “in dialogue with the protesters” and that the encampment “does not disrupt – for the time being – normal university activities”.

Iranian universities offer scholarships to students expelled from the US and Europe

Meanwhile, two Iranian universities are offering scholarships to students from the US and Europe who were expelled for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests on campuses, Iran’s Press TV reported. These are Shiraz University and Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran.

On Friday, university chancellor Shahid Beheshti said the educational institution was willing to accept students expelled for protesting against Israel, providing them with full scholarships covering education, housing and other related expenses. The university also offers special support to Palestinian students affected by Israeli aggression.

Information from APE – MEB