Pro-Palestinian protesters, some of them masked, occupied the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York in solidarity with the protesters at Columbia University. Among the rioters were members of the anti-Zionist Neturi Karta group. They barricaded themselves in place, and some were arrested. Meanwhile, President Alan Granberg at George Washington University in the capital stated that placing the protest tent of the pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the public area of the campus “violates university policy.” Because of this, he turned to the Washington, D.C. police with a request to help evacuate the complex.
At Columbia University, a demonstration of support for Israel took place as well. The demonstrators gathered in front of the pro-Palestinian protest tent, waved US and Israeli flags, and called for “return all the abductees home.” This came after difficult clashes that had taken place there in recent days and amidst growing protests on campus. Severe riots were also reported at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia as protesters clashed with police while attempting to storm and occupy a building at Emory University. Clashes between students who support Hamas and those who oppose it were also reported at UCLA and UC Berkeley. Anti-Israel demonstrations were reported at Penn State University as well as at Temple University and Duke University. Pro-Palestinian protests were underway at Temple University in Philadelphia, Duke University in Durham and North Carolina State University.
These multiple demonstrations and protests across various universities highlight ongoing tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict among different student groups with varying views on the situation in the Middle East. These events underscore how complex and polarizing this issue can be when it comes to addressing it on college campuses where students from diverse backgrounds often hold different opinions about sensitive topics like this one.
It’s worth noting that these events are part of a larger global movement against Israel’s actions towards Palestine which has been gaining momentum for years now through social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook
