Even the early end of the academic and school year is considered on United States, as a “countermeasure” to protests against US support for Israel as it continues its military operation in Gaza. After the incidents and hundreds of arrests at some of the largest US universities, reports of incidents anti-Semitism and “out-of-school instigators” to the organizers of the demonstrations, the rectory and local authorities are trying to prevent the phenomenon from spreading.
These days, the last of the academic term, his campus Columbia, in New York, should be buzzing with life. Instead now, it is locked and entry is only allowed on presentation of a student ID. The rector’s authorities decided to close the schools and complete the courses remotely, to deal with the phenomenon of demonstrations in the shadow of the incidents and of more than 100 arrests the past days.
Closure and hybrid, online courses are the solution chosen by other universities, such as Harvard – access to whose courtyard is now impossible – while the demonstrations calling for an end to the war spread to a number of university institutions, such as Yale, the University of New York, the University of Minnesota, Texas, Barnard, MIT, Berkeley and elsewhere.
In “response”, the protesters, who in several cases have camped out in the courtyards of universities, having raised banners with pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli slogans, threaten to proceed to occupations of university institutions, hardening their stance. In fact, protesters have announced their plans for sit-ins at Columbia, the University of New Mexico and the University of Texas.
The question for the American authorities is that in the demonstrations, which take place during it Pesach, the Jewish celebration of liberation from the Egyptians, there have been incidents of anti-Semitism. And what is even more worrying is not so much the slogans being heard, but the fact that Jewish students have been targeted – among them some who do not support the Israeli business in Gauzein the context of the war with Hamas.
The issue has also taken on political dimensions, with Democratic senators visiting Columbia to show their support for Jewish students and (New Jersey Democratic Sen.) Josh Gottheimer to request the resignation of the rector of the university, Minus Shafiq, because it cannot guarantee the safety of Jewish students. The solution to hybrid courses at Columbia has also angered Republicans, with the Donald Trump to state that Columbia’s leadership made a “tragic mistake” in failing to show courage and leave the university open, as it “shows that the other side (including the pro-Palestinian side) is winning.”
This show of force is supported by several Republican senators, some of whom have even called for the deployment of the US National Guard to quell the protests. Proposal which the president Joe Biden would not comment, as White House spokesman Andrew Bates was content to say that “[Ο πρόεδρος] is aware, of course, of the protests – we know this is a painful time for many communities, we respect that and we support the right of every American to protest peacefully, that’s something we’re consistent about. But as I said, when we witness calls for violence, physical intimidation, hate speech, anti-Semitic speech, these are unacceptable. We will report them. The president knows that silence is complicity, and that’s why he’s using the platforms he has to try to make sure our fellow Americans are safe.”
With the precedent of NYU writing a letter to the NYPD to intervene to clear campus of protesters, most US universities are expected to take effect today ultimatum to vacate the premises, noting that camping in their front yards is prohibited (under the Trespassing Act – trespassing which justifies the use of force to remove the intruder). In Columbia, the relevant ultimatum expires at midnight tonight to dismantle the encampment set up in the forecourt.
However, while today US officials and senators are expected to visit universities, especially Columbia, to express their support for Jewish students and to condemn anti-Semitic rhetoric, the mayor of New York seems to be leaving a window open for police intervention, or even for the development of the National Guard.
Yesterday, Mr Eric Adams said authorities identified “external disturbances” causing problems in the mostly peaceful student protests at Columbia, NYU and other universities in the city. “We cannot have outside troublemakers coming in and causing disruption. We must deal with it while it is a spark. Let’s not wait until there’s a fire,” Adams said. A key part of that, he said, is to keep non-student protesters off campus. This may mean sharing information with the identification of some well-known university protesters.
The deployment of the National Guard is apparently downplayed by the Biden administration, as it will largely be reminiscent of its use in the bloody suppression of massive peaceful demonstrations (it was hundreds of thousands) against the war in Vietnam in the mid and late 60s. Today, the situation is completely different, as the protesters have grown in recent days from dozens to hundreds, and their pro-Palestinian demands do not directly concern Washington. Which is probably why the White House would prefer to see the protests fade away and be forgotten…
News today:
The 67 arrested for the murder of Lyggeridis with a heavy indictment – Five investigators for the case file
Return to 2019 percentages for the ND with a stability strategy – “Gas” in AEGIS projects for Civil Protection
Two Iraqis sentenced to 252 years in prison for transporting illegal immigrants in “ghost” cars
Tags: USA Universities turmoil Gaza protests
