💠U.S. Campuses Brace for Return of Pro-Palestine Protests(1)💠
Monday 02 September 2024Year 1960 Number 12337
💠U.S. Campuses Brace for Return of Pro-Palestine Protests(1) 💠
WASHINGTON (WP) -- Two pro-Palestinian student groups at George Washington University say they have been suspended by the university. American University, the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia announced new policies for protesting. And student activists at Virginia Commonwealth University held a “disorientation” week to press for a cease-fire and drum up support for future actions.
Months after demonstrations over the war in Gaza scrambled the end of spring classes, leading to thousands of arrests nationwide, colleges across the D.C. region are bracing for a new round of protests this fall. And as they do, some students and faculty are renewing calls for institutions to cut ties with Israeli universities and divest from companies that may support the state.
Now, as ceasefire talks over the fighting in Gaza stall, and the U.S. presidential election draws more attention by the day, some are worried tensions could erupt. Already at the University of Michigan, police arrested four pro-Palestinian protesters — none of whom were students — for refusing to disperse, according to a university spokesperson, as demonstrators vowed to return to Columbia University.
“I know the hurricane is out there and it’s coming,” said Jeff Hunt, a crisis communications consultant who works with universities across the country, including in the D.C. region. “I just don’t know where and when.”
Earlier this month, the GWU chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, another pro-Palestinian student organization, announced they’d been suspended for the semester for setting up an encampment at the D.C. university in the spring that led to 33 arrests.
University officials declined to comment on the alleged suspensions, adding that conduct violations would be disclosed once the entire disciplinary process, including appeals, concludes.
Student activists quickly organized a demonstration in response that drew about 100 protesters from schools across the region on Aug. 22, including in a park near GWU. They marched to GWU President Ellen Granberg’s house on campus, where they called for divestment — a rallying cry of the student protest movement that has meant everything from urging universities to divest from weapons manufacturers to cutting ties with tech companies that aid Israel. They held signs directing people’s attention to Gaza.
A university spokesperson said GWU and city police worked together to ensure the protests occurred on public spaces but did not address whether students violated the groups’ suspensions.
“Anything is on the table,” said Lance Lokas, a fourth-year student who is on the leadership team of the GWU SJP. “And they should know that the community is prepared and willing to take action. We will continue to escalate until our demands are met.”
Continued in the next post...
💠U.S. Campuses Brace for Return of Pro-Palestine Protests(1) 💠
WASHINGTON (WP) -- Two pro-Palestinian student groups at George Washington University say they have been suspended by the university. American University, the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia announced new policies for protesting. And student activists at Virginia Commonwealth University held a “disorientation” week to press for a cease-fire and drum up support for future actions.
Months after demonstrations over the war in Gaza scrambled the end of spring classes, leading to thousands of arrests nationwide, colleges across the D.C. region are bracing for a new round of protests this fall. And as they do, some students and faculty are renewing calls for institutions to cut ties with Israeli universities and divest from companies that may support the state.
Now, as ceasefire talks over the fighting in Gaza stall, and the U.S. presidential election draws more attention by the day, some are worried tensions could erupt. Already at the University of Michigan, police arrested four pro-Palestinian protesters — none of whom were students — for refusing to disperse, according to a university spokesperson, as demonstrators vowed to return to Columbia University.
“I know the hurricane is out there and it’s coming,” said Jeff Hunt, a crisis communications consultant who works with universities across the country, including in the D.C. region. “I just don’t know where and when.”
Earlier this month, the GWU chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, another pro-Palestinian student organization, announced they’d been suspended for the semester for setting up an encampment at the D.C. university in the spring that led to 33 arrests.
University officials declined to comment on the alleged suspensions, adding that conduct violations would be disclosed once the entire disciplinary process, including appeals, concludes.
Student activists quickly organized a demonstration in response that drew about 100 protesters from schools across the region on Aug. 22, including in a park near GWU. They marched to GWU President Ellen Granberg’s house on campus, where they called for divestment — a rallying cry of the student protest movement that has meant everything from urging universities to divest from weapons manufacturers to cutting ties with tech companies that aid Israel. They held signs directing people’s attention to Gaza.
A university spokesperson said GWU and city police worked together to ensure the protests occurred on public spaces but did not address whether students violated the groups’ suspensions.
“Anything is on the table,” said Lance Lokas, a fourth-year student who is on the leadership team of the GWU SJP. “And they should know that the community is prepared and willing to take action. We will continue to escalate until our demands are met.”
Continued in the next post...
۱.۳k
۱۲ شهریور ۱۴۰۳
دیدگاه ها
هنوز هیچ دیدگاهی برای این مطلب ثبت نشده است.