Students across the U.S. rally for Gaza, face police crackdowns

The pro-Palestinian protests, which started at Columbia University in New York on April 18, are now expanding to other colleges throughout the country. Students are calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and urging their universities to cease collaborations with companies that back the Israeli government.

Students engaged in peaceful protests are encountering severe responses from authorities. On April 24, university administrations summoned police to the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles to disband protests. These students, suspended from their educational privileges for their involvement in the protests, were the target of police action.

At UT-Austin, more than 500 students walked out of their classes to protest the university's partnerships with companies that supply weapons to Israel for use in the Gaza Strip, as well as with other related firms. The demonstration was peaceful until police intervened, despite their repeated commands for the crowd to disperse and warnings of arrest for trespassing.

Police, equipped with batons, formed a barricade and engaged with the demonstrators, resulting in several protesters falling to the ground. Lawyers from the ACLU were present, recording the names of individuals being taken to Travis County Jail. Arrested students prepared by writing lawyers’ phone numbers on their arms. Dozens were detained in the process.

Further protests occurred at UT-Austin on April 25, with demands expanding to include the resignation of university president Jay Hartzell and the granting of full amnesty to arrested students. Some faculty members are considering a vote of no confidence against Hartzell.

On the same day, a peaceful protest at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles saw police intervention. The university's newspaper reported that a helicopter announced warnings of arrest for trespassing in Alumni Park while police officers advanced with rubber bullet launchers, zip-tie handcuffs, and tear gas. A total of 93 individuals were arrested.

Tom Morello, vocalist for Rage Against the Machine, reflected on the current protests at Harvard in a post on X, reminiscing about a similar 1986 protest he participated in to oppose apartheid in South Africa. The "Harvard Crimson," the student newspaper, was mentioned as a source of inspiration.

On April 25, student protests also took place at the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, University of North Carolina, Yale University, Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Additionally, students at the Sorbonne in Paris showed their solidarity by leaving classes in support of the people in the Gaza Strip.