University campuses across the United States are preparing for potential unrest amid anticipated pro-Palestine protests as the new semester sets to resume in September.
Last semester, widespread protests across the nation’s universities led to violent clashes and thousands of arrests. The protesting students were outraged by the number of civilian deaths in Gaza.
A number of institutions have tightened protest rules to prevent a repeat of the events from the spring. Some will require ID checks and have campus safety officers present to prevent the setup of tents. Additionally, some schools are incorporating training about antisemitism into their orientation process.
"Many universities are saying the students are not allowed to have tents, they're not allowed to protest in certain places or after certain times. So it seems unlikely that we'll see the same level of encampments in protests that we saw in the spring, simply because how universities are reacting and the things they have done over the summer to try to prevent this," said Tabitha Bonilla, a political scientist at Northwestern University.
In the spring, protesters demanded that their schools stop investing in funds and businesses that might profit from the fighting in Gaza. They also called for U.S. universities to sever ties with Israeli academic institutions.
So far, however, there have been few reports of schools reconsidering their investments.
Several university presidents, including those from Columbia, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania, resigned or were dismissed over the protests.
With the U.S. presidential election drawing near and the congressional elections held on the same day, Bonilla holds that a candidate running for Congress could further politicize the situation.
"It's become a big issue and quite a divisive issue to talk about not only what's happening in Gaza, but how protests may make some students feel unsafe, and how universities need to regulate themselves on these issues," said Bonilla.
U.S. universities prepare for pro-Palestinian protests as new semester sets to resume
U.S. universities prepare for pro-Palestinian protests as new semester sets to resume
U.S. universities prepare for pro-Palestinian protests as new semester sets to resume
