Call from Washington: – “Gaza demonstrations at American universities must be peaceful”

However, peaceful demonstrators should not be injured. At the same time, Kirby emphasized: “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the anti-Semitic language we have recently heard. We condemn all hate speech and threats of violence.”

The number of demonstrators is increasing
Students and university staff from universities in more than twenty US states are now protesting the Gaza war. They accuse the US government of involvement in genocide because of its military aid to ally Israel, demand solidarity with the Palestinians and demand that universities cut economic and academic ties with Israel.

Many arrests were again made during last weekend’s protests. According to The New York Times, more than 800 people have been arrested nationwide since April 18. In many cases they were reportedly released quickly. However, a number of demonstrators were excluded from courses or are no longer allowed to enter the campus grounds. There have also been reports of clashes between demonstrators from enemy camps, such as on Sunday afternoon (local time) at the University of California.

Jewish students in fear
Some demonstrators are accused of anti-Semitism and downplaying the Islamist Hamas, which denies the state of Israel the right to exist. Jewish students are concerned about their safety and no longer want to wear the Star of David on campus or speak Hebrew. At the same time, the discourse has nuances in a country with an estimated Jewish population of about 7.5 million people: even among the demonstrators there are Jewish students and teachers with a critical attitude towards the Israeli government.

Universities are responsible for safety on campus
For universities, the situation is a balancing act: on the one hand, safety on campus must be guaranteed, and on the other hand, the right to freedom of expression. The fact that the president of the elite Columbia University had a protest camp cleared by the New York police had the opposite effect: the large-scale operation on April 18 not only led to outrage and more protests on the ground, but ultimately sparked demonstrations and setting up more camps at universities across the country.

Other university administrators have also asked for police help. Critics see the immense police presence at many universities as disproportionate. People who had previously demonstrated peacefully were also arrested. Some of those affected also complained about brutal behavior by officials.

Concerns about police brutality
There have been no widespread reports of injuries so far. Concerns about – sometimes deadly – ​​police violence are not entirely unfounded in the US, not even during protests and especially when it comes to actions against minorities. Bats and pepper spray were used excessively not only during the “Black Lives Matter” protests in 2020.

The situation is now being fueled from outside by more radical voices who see an opportunity to gain political capital from it in the American election campaign. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine on Sunday rejected the suggestion by some far-right Republicans to send the National Guard to the affected universities. Such measures could have a bad ending, he warned. Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wondered why everyone doesn’t sit down at the table for a civil discussion “instead of trying to dominate the conversation.”

Bernie Sanders, a nonpartisan senator and staunch opponent of U.S. military aid to Israel, also spoke out. He himself is Jewish and anti-Semitism must be condemned, just like Islamophobia and all other forms of hatred. But the actions of the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are unacceptable given the devastating consequences for the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip. The International Criminal Court must clarify whether genocide has occurred, which many demonstrators already consider proven.