Police broke in through a second-floor window, threw flares, and once again cleared Hamilton Hall of protesters. A total of about 100 were arrested at Columbia, and nearby City College in New York. This means that the number of arrests in recent weeks’ student protests in the United States last night exceeded 1,000 people.
In 1968, the protests were about the university’s connections to an organization that was in favor of US involvement in the Vietnam War. In 2024, the occupiers of Hamilton Hall and other school grounds are pro-Palestinian protesters – who, among other things, want the schools to cut all ties to Israel and Israeli universities.
War between Israel and Hamas
Clashes at pro-Palestinian student protests
Brought to Jerusalem from the war in Gaza – now they are threatened with being sent back
The arrests have taken place in 17 different states in recent weeks. But how school managements handle demonstrations has been shown to differ significantly between different parts of the country.
Increasingly important political issue
With more and more pro-Palestinian Democrats, the issue of the student protests risks tearing apart parts of Joe Biden’s voter base.
Republicans are taking every chance to blame the protests on what they see as a weak Joe Biden. It was also no coincidence that Texas Governor Greg Abbott himself asked the police to break up a demonstration in Austin, Texas.
As 1968 came to a close, it turned out to be a year of massive protests, not just on college campuses in the United States, but around the world. We’ll see how 2024 ends, but one thing is certain: many principals are longing for summer vacation in the US right now.
The universities’ different responses to the demonstrations show their difficult balance between freedom of expression and safety for the students – see more in the video.