Protests in Solidarity with Palestine Resume at Columbia as Universities Across the US Attempt to Clamp-Down on Dissent

Pickets and protests continued today at Columbia university in New York, in solidarity with Palestine and to demand that the university divest from the state of Israel, as it continues its campaign of ethnic cleansing and military occupation of the Palestinians.

According to a post from Unity of Fields on Instagram, the protesters issued the following set of demands:

1. This action is the first of many. We will not stop until the university fully divests from all forms of settler-colonial violence

2. Divestment is not an incrementalist goal. True divestment necessitates nothing short of the total collapse of the university structure and American empire itself. It is not possible for imperial spoils to remain so heavily concentrated in the metropole and its high-cultural repositories without the continuous suppression of all populations that resist the empire’s expansion; to divest from this is to undermine and eradicate America as we know it

3. We refuse to allow Columbia to return to a state of ‘normalcy’. ‘Normalcy’ is the structurally impelled displacement and eventual destruction of the Palestinian people

4. We act in full support of the Palestinian resistance. This action is first and foremost an effort to extend the successes of the Palestinian resistance to the heart of the empire itself, to translate their resilience in Gaza to unrest and violence in America.

The protests at Columbia are a continuation of demonstrations and campus occupations which kicked off at the start of summer, leading to a massive and violent police crackdown. Meanwhile, politicians rushed to brand the solidarity movement as “anti-Semitic,” while simultaneously pushing conspiracy theories that they were orchestrated and funded by foreign actors and states.

As students return to classes in the fall, universities across the US have also mobilized to pass new sets of rules aimed at squashing dissent, banning encampments, and establishing guidelines for protest and speech. As Natasha Lennard wrote in The Intercept:

New York University led by troubling example when the school shared an updated code of student conduct last week. Ostensibly aimed at curtailing bigotry, the new language instead shuts down dissent by threatening to silence criticism of Zionism on campus. Students who speak out against Zionism — an ethno-nationalist political ideology founded in the late 19th century — will now risk violating the school’s nondiscrimination policies.

Tucked into a document purportedly offering clarification on school policy, the new NYU guidelines introduce an unprecedented expansion of protected classes to include “Zionists” and “Zionism.” Referring to the university’s nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policy, known as NDAH, the updated conduct guide says, “Speech and conduct that would violate the NDAH if targeting Jewish or Israeli people can also violate the NDAH if directed toward Zionists.”

The university’s NDAH rules are intended to reflect the school’s legal obligations, including to Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination and harassment based on a student’s race, color, national origin, religious identity, shared ancestry, or ethnicity.

As the Associated Press reported:

The American Association of University Professors issued a statement Wednesday condemning “overly restrictive policies” that could discourage free expression. Many of the new policies require protesters to register well in advance and strictly limit the locations where gatherings can be held, as well as setting new limits on the use of amplified sound and signage.

“Our colleges and universities should encourage, not suppress, open and vigorous dialogue and debate even on the most deeply held beliefs,” said the statement, adding that many policies were imposed without faculty input.

The University of Pennsylvania has outlined new “temporary guidelines” for student protests that include bans on encampments, overnight demonstrations, and the use of bullhorns and speakers until after 5 p.m. on class days. Penn also requires that posters and banners be removed within two weeks of going up. The university says it remains committed to freedom of speech and lawful assembly.

The University of South Florida now requires approval for tents, canopies, banners, signs and amplifiers. The school’s “speech, expression and assembly” rules stipulate that no “activity,” including protests or demonstrations, is allowed after 5 p.m. on weekdays or during weekends and not allowed at all during the last two weeks of a semester.

A draft document obtained over the summer by the student newspaper at Harvard University showed the college was considering prohibitions on overnight camping, chalk messages and unapproved signs.

“I think right now we are seeing a resurgence of repression on campuses that we haven’t seen since the late 1960s,” said Risa Lieberwitz, a Cornell University professor of labor and employment law who serves as general counsel for the AAUP.

This coordinated crack down on resistance to US empire and the ongoing genocide in Gaza stands in stark contrast to the lack of response from universities to the wave of Alt-Right and white nationalist demonstrations and events that were organized on US campuses at the start of the Trump administration. These events, featuring white supremacist grifters like Richard Spencer and Milo Yiannopoulos – which occurred with the full backing and protection of campus police, often led to violent attacks on members of the public and counter-protesters. In Seattle, WA, an antifascist was shot by a Milo supporter at an event, and following a talk by Richard Spencer in Florida, a neo-Nazi who was involved in doing security for the event opened fired on counter-protesters waiting at a bus stop.

This violence was often permitted and facilitated by police, who allowed the far-Right free reign in an effort to clamp down on antifascists. This mirrors the recent scenes of violent clashes between far-Right Zionists and pro-Palestinian protesters on the UCLA campus. In May, riot police looked on as far-Right Zionists attacked the barricaded encampment for hours, before violently raiding the protest zone and making multiple arrests.

Attempts by the heads of universities to brand their repression under the guise of “safety” and combating anti-Semitism is a smokescreen – their goal is to crush the anti-war movement using any means necessary.