From Gandhi protesting apartheid in Africa to MLK in the US, civil disobedience and protesting has historically been an effective way of showing political opinion and being the change you want to see. The world currently has its eyes on the Middle East, and many college students are protesting for the people in Gaza. Students are demanding colleges halt the funding of Israel and hope to spread awareness for students in Palestine through rallies, sit-ins, fasts and encampments. There’s currently over 100 schools participating in protesting the Gaza conflict. For more information about the conflict, one of our other staff writers wrote an editorial about it back in February. Of course, new information reveals itself every day and I highly encourage you to conduct your own research.
Media coverage of the protests originated at Columbia University in New York where over 2,000 people were arrested. Police intervention due to a supposed risk to public safety has inspired many other schools to protest for the same cause. Colleges and universities have endowment ties with many Israeli companies and schools, sending them over billions of dollars. In order to put an end to schools funding the conflict, students (and sometimes random people) have been camping out at the campuses, which is known as encampment. There have been claims of vandalism, and students moving into some buildings on campus in some instances.
Colleges are not happy about the protests, with claims to be against antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and xenophobia. Many colleges released statements claiming the protests are protected by freedom of speech, however, it doesn’t excuse violence against groups as it is antithetical. Police forces are being involved to attempt to move students off campus. Many say the police force is unnecessary for the peaceful protest, while others say it’s completely necessary as the protests aren’t as peaceful as they seem. Some live accounts from students spread light on their situation, saying that police dragged them by different body parts, and they received cuts, bruises, and sprains.
Many have drawn similarities to protests againsts the war in Vietnam, which actually forced an end to US military involvement in the war. Another aspect of the current protests people have seen in the past is the involvement of police forces. Police brutality was high during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. Many people have reported the same police brutality during protests for Gaza, however, others claim the violence was needed to stop the protests.
Being a current hot topic issue several people have thoughts on the matter. Coach Shreiner, mentions “I generally have mixed feelings about it” as everyone has the right to freedom of speech. “I think the actions that many of these college kids are doing go outside the boundaries of what is appropriate,” when you’re not allowing students to enter into buildings for which they pay to go to. He also says “checking to see if a student is Jewish or supports Israel and their efforts or Zionism and things of that nature,” is crossing a ethical boundary. A student from High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College named Eli Gologanova, mentions how their students had to go online due to their high school campus being located in the City College of New York. The college deemed it unsafe for students to be there as police started to get involved.
The right to protest is enshrined in the US constitution, but does that right carry to school campuses? That is the question college protesters and school administrators are faced with. The protests will continue, as will their effects, both good and bad. Whichever side of the issue you are on, you have a right for your voice to be heard.
