It’s a sight that has become way more common over the last couple of weeks. At first, these protests took place on the east coast and were a simple way to raise uproar against the US’s unfair treatment in supporting Israel and disregarding Palestinian lives. However, as time has gone along, this has turned into an international affair.
A major place where these efforts have ramped up is Columbia University located in New York. The prestigious Ivy League school has made national waves when students took over Hamilton Hall, one of the school’s academic buildings. The students took over the building in a sign of solidarity and protest until New York City police were called to settle down the issue. Neighboring universities such as NYU and The New School had protests also taken down as well.
Recently, a UCLA protest turned violent as counterprotestors lashed out at a Palestine encampment. For more than three hours, violent counterprotestors tore down the Palestine camp boundary and harassed the protestors, throwing chemicals and fireworks. Eventually, past two A.M., police came and settled the violence. However, this is a staggering trend in how journalists and protestors are being attacked while peacefully protesting.
It remains a tough watch to see how the nation will respond from these protests.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/03/us/ucla-protests-encampment-violence.html
Image Credits: Jae C. Hong, AP
