Students Protest Nationwide.

Students & Faculty Clash with Police in Pro-Palestine Protests on US Campuses

Protests against the Israel-Hamas conflict have intensified on US college campuses, with students and faculty publicly clashing with police. One form of protest gaining traction is the formation of encampments, which have emerged at Columbia University, George Washington University, Virginia Tech, and the University of Texas at Austin, among others.

Encampment Protests:
Demonstrators build temporary communities, consisting of tents and other shelters, as a form of political resistance. These protests have been met with resistance from universities, who claim they violate policies, and have resulted in police involvement.

UT-Austin Encampment:

Formed after a silent vigil for scholasticide, honoring the loss of educational life in Gaza, and a rally for diversity, equity, and inclusion. This follows days of protests with calls to "free Palestine" and demands for universities to divest from Israeli weapons manufacturers. Smaller pro-Israel counter-protests have also taken place, amid concerns of rising antisemitism.

Divest:
Refers to diverting funds from a university's endowment, the pool of money a college invests. Protesters want their schools to stop funneling money to Israeli companies and weapons manufacturers profiting from the Gaza conflict.

"The university would rather enforce and put money into policing our communities and policing their own students than they would to supporting them. These are students who are protesting a genocide and the lack of action from the UT administration for the way that they haven't been super helpful against hate crimes against Muslim students on campus." - Anachí Ponce, UT student protester.

The protests showcase a growing movement on US campuses, as students and faculty take a stand against the conflict and demand action from their institutions.