List of protests
editA study by Washington Monthly shows that pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrations and encampments are more prevalent at elite U.S. universities.[1]
Alabama
editThe pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Alabama took place on May 1 from 4 to 6:30pm at the UA Student Center.[2] Hundreds of protesters showed up on the pro-Palestinian side, with around a hundred of so counter-protesters holding Israeli and American flags.[3] The demands of the pro-Palestinian protesters was to cut ties with Lockheed Martin, the renaming of Hewson Hall, named after former Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, and the disclosure of investments from UA's endowment fund.[4] The Lockheed Martin website deleted the mention of UA as a partner university before the protest; one of the several demands published by the protest's organizers.[5]
The protest ended peacefully at 6:30, and there were no injuries.[6]
Arizona
editOn April 26, dozens gathered to protest on the Old Main lawn at Arizona State University in Tempe. Campus police announced several people were arrested "for setting up unauthorized encampment, in violation of university policy and the ABOR Student Code of Conduct."[7] On April 27, the Arizona State University Police Department arrested 69 protesters after the unauthorised encampment was established on campus.[8][9]
On April 25, a protest was held at the University of Arizona in Tucson.[10] An encampment was set up on April 29.[11]
On April 30, an encampment was set up at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.[12][13] Within the same night, the university and Flagstaff Police Departments made 24 arrests and deconstructed the site.[14]
On May 9, police fired tear gas at demonstrators at at University of Arizona, a day in advance of their scheduled commencement ceremony.[15]
Arkansas
editOn April 25, members of the University of Arkansas Students for Justice in Palestine organization delivered a letter to the school's administration, calling for action in response to the war.[16]
A protest was held in Conway, Arkansas on May 1. Around 50-60 people gathered at Hendrix College before marching to Conway City Hall.[17]
California
editColorado
editOn April 22, a Colorado State University event with Senator Michael Bennet and former Senator Cory Gardner, moderated by university president Amy Parsons, was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.[18]
Protesters from the University of Colorado Denver, Community College of Denver, and Metropolitan State University set up an encampment at the Tivoli Quad on the shared Auraria Campus. Police detained several protesters.[19][20][21]
Protests were also held at other colleges in Colorado. On April 29, rallies were held at Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado. On April 30, protests were held at the University of Denver and Colorado State University Pueblo.[22] On May 1, a die-in was held at the University of Colorado Boulder and a walk-out was held at Colorado College.[23][24]
An encampment was set up at Colorado College on May 2.[25]
On May 9, an encampment was set up at the University of Denver.[26]
On May 15, police issued citations for trespassing, interference and disturbing the peace to 22 protesters who refused to leave buildings at Auraria.[27] On May 17, campus officials announced that all buildings would be locked at 6pm on Friday. Protesters scattered their tents across campus, saying: “This whole campus is now an encampment.”[28][29]
Connecticut
editOn April 12, at Yale University, ahead of the university's Bulldog Days, when admitted freshmen would be visiting, a group of graduate students conducted a hunger strike to call attention to the university's investment in weapons manufacturers profiting off of the war in Gaza.[30] On April 15, a separate group of student protesters, under the name "Occupy Beinecke", unsuccessfully attempted to erect a bookshelf reading "Books, Not Bombs" on Beinecke Plaza and maintained a daytime occupation of the plaza for the rest of the week.[31] On April 19, during a send-off dinner for university president Peter Salovey in the abutting Schwarzman Center, Occupy Beinecke launched a three-day tent encampment on the plaza until April 22 when police arrested 48 protesters on charges of trespassing.[32] Yale administrators claimed that arrests were because students failed to leave after a warning that the protest posed "a safety violation".[33][34] A letter signed by 300 Yale faculty stated the decision to charge the students "contradicts the institution's commitment to uphold free assembly, speech and expression".[35] On April 28, more than 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters organized a "March for a Free Palestine" from the New Haven Green through Yale's campus.[36] That same day, another group of protesters erected a second, short-lived encampment on Cross Campus that was cleared by police with no arrests on April 30th.[37]
On April 25, an encampment was launched at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. One person was arrested.[38] Five days later, university police arrested multiple people and dismantled the encampment.[39]
On April 28, another encampment was set up at Wesleyan University in Middletown.[40] On April 29, about 100 people were at the encampment, called a "Liberation Zone." University President Michael S. Roth said that he will not call in the police as long as it remains nonviolent.[41]
On May 1, an encampment was set up at Trinity College in Hartford.[42]
On May 7, a protest rally was held at Connecticut College.[43]
District of Columbia
editA walkout occurred at American University in Washington, D.C. on April 23, 2024.[44] On April 25, students from Georgetown University and George Washington University established a joint encampment[45] in response to the International Court of Justice's ruling that Israel has violated the Genocide Convention. At 5:30 am, about 70 students set up 25 tents at University Yard. The campus police arrived at 6 am and informed them that they were only allowed to be on campus between 7 am and 7 pm. Around noon, 200 students took part in a rally. At 1 pm, 150 more marchers arrived at the encampment. At 2:30 pm, counter-protesters arrived.[46] Protesters were joined by Howard University, George Mason University, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Gallaudet University students.[47][48][49] The Washington Post reported that the Metropolitan Police Department rejected an April 26 request from GWU officials to clear the site. By April 28, the encampment had spread past the barricaded University Yard into the surrounding streets.[50] On May 8, police, using pepper spray, cleared the encampment at George Washington University, arresting 33 people.[51][52]
Florida
editOn April 24, a protest organized by the "UF Divestment Coalition" took place at the Plaza of the Americas at the University of Florida in Gainesville.[53] Nine people were arrested at another protest on April 29.[54]
A protest was held at the University of Central Florida in Orlando on April 26.[55]
A planned encampment on Landis Green at Florida State University in Tallahassee lasted only a few minutes on April 25 before being disbanded by university police and the use of sprinklers by school administration.[56] On April 30 police arrested five protesters at another encampment on the FSU campus.[57]
Three people were arrested at a protest and encampment at the University of South Florida in Tampa on April 29.[58] The following day, 10 people were arrested following a physical altercation between police and protesters. Police officers used tear gas on protesters.[59]
An encampment organized by Students for a Democratic Society was set up at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville on April 30.[60] Late on May 2, sixteen demonstrators, including eight students were arrested by University Police and charged with trespassing.[61]
On May 15, a vigil and protest was held at Florida Atlantic University.[62] The same day, a protest was held at Florida International University.[63]
On May 17, protesters at the New College of Florida's graduation ceremony chanted "Free Palestine" and booed the commencement speaker, billionaire Joe Ricketts. The school said it had filed five conduct violation complaints against graduates.[64]
Georgia
editStudents at the Georgia Institute of Technology held a pro-Palestine rally on April 24. The next day, students at Kennesaw State University participated in a walkout.[65] A second walkout was held on May 1, with around 100 students from the Savannah College of Art and Design's Atlanta campus also participating.[66]
On the morning of April 25, police arrested demonstrators at an encampment at Emory University.[67] Students had established the encampment that morning in solidarity with the people of Gaza as well as in protest of Cop City.[68] Georgia State Patrol, Atlanta Police and University Police began clearing the encampment within three hours of its establishment. Tasers on restrained students and tear gas were used to arrest at least 20 students.[69][70][71][72] Caroline Fohlin, the chair of Emory's philosophy department, was one of the arrested.[73] A video of police using a taser on a restrained protester at Emory went viral, but vice president of public safety Cheryl Elliott said the person did not appear to be associated with Emory. Elliot also sent an email to the Emory community saying that "chemical irritants" were necessary for crowd control due to direct assaults of officers.[74] On 27 April, faculty placed themselves between police and students, leading Representative Ruwa Romman to say, "it never should've been necessary".[75]
On April 29, police arrested 16 people at an encampment at the University of Georgia.[76]
On May 1, a protest was held at Mercer University.[77] The next day, protests were held at Georgia Southern University's main campus in Statesboro and the Armstrong Campus in Savannah.[78] A protest was held at Georgia State University on May 3.[79]
On May 8, protesters at Morehouse College demonstrated against President Biden in response to his scheduled commencement speech at the university. Several protesters from neighboring Spelman College were also present.[80][81]
Illinois
editOn April 22, students at Loyola University in Chicago held a protest.[82] On April 30, a protest was held at Northern Illinois University.[83]
Hundreds of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students rallied on April 24 to demand the university divest from BlackRock.[84] On April 26, the university announced that the group had 30 minutes to remove its tents. After 45 minutes, one person who was not a student was arrested for interfering with university staff's attempt to take the tents down.[85][86]
On April 25, students at Northwestern University established an encampment on the south campus of the school's Evanston campus.[87] Several dozen students started the encampment; and the crowd grew to over 1,000 by Thursday evening.[88] In response to the protests, the university declared an interim addendum to the student code of conduct prohibiting tents from being erected on campus.[89] On April 29, Northwestern made an agreement with the protestors, in which most tents would be dismantled in exchange for the reestablishment of an Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility and increased inclusivity efforts on campus.[90]
On April 26, students from the University of Chicago, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, and Roosevelt University held a protest march and called for the universities to cut ties with Israel.[91][92][93] Three days later students established an encampment on the University of Chicago campus.[94] On May 7, police cleared the University of Chicago encampment.[95][96]
On April 30, an encampment was set up at DePaul University.[97]
On May 1, an encampment was set up at Illinois State University. Two days later, police arrested seven protesters in an administration building.[98][99]
A small encampment was set up at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on May 1.[100] Three days later, a protest was held at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in response to a professor who had been injured by police at Washington University.[101]
Police arrested dozens of people at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on May 4 as demonstrators set up an encampment.[102]
On May 16, police dismantled the encampment at DePaul. University president Robert Manuel stated that “the responses to the encampment have inadvertently created public safety issues that put our community at risk,” and the occupiers of the encampment were not to blame for their disbursal.[103]
Indiana
editOn April 19 demonstrators at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis marched on Monument Circle in response to the government's response to the war.[104] On April 26, protesters set up an encampment.[105]
On April 25, US Senator Todd Young was being interviewed by Purdue University president Mung Chiang on campus when the event was interrupted by demonstrators. Organizers with SJP and Young Democratic Socialists of America quickly set up an encampment. The chief of the Purdue Police claimed the students were not allowed to have tents, but later, a university spokesman claimed that students were allowed to have tents.[106]
At Indiana University, police arrested 33 protesters after an encampment was set up on the Dunn Meadow lawn.[107] The "IU Divestment Coalition" made demands including the resignation of the President of the university, the Provost and the Vice-Provost, the end of the institution's collaboration with Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, a naval installation close to Bloomington, and the cutting of financial ties with Israel.[108] The latter would be in violation of a state law blacklisting companies that adhere to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).[109][110] On April 25, 26, and 27, an Indiana State Police sniper was posted on the roof of the Indiana Memorial Union, overlooking the encampment on Dunn Meadow, pictures of which circulated on social media.[111] 23 further students and faculty were arrested on April 27, including one of the organizers, who was banned from campus for five years.[112][113]
On April 26, students at the University of Notre Dame held a rally calling for divestment from weapons manufactures.[114][115] Police arrested 17 people during an encampment at Notre Dame on May 2.[116][117]
A protest was held at the University of Southern Indiana on April 30.[118] Another protest was held at Ball State University on May 1.[119]
Iowa
editA protest was held at Iowa State University on May 1.[120]
A planned three-day protest began at the University of Iowa on May 3. Protest organizers stated they did not plan to set up an encampment.[121] Three days later, an encampment was formed, which police tore down later in the day.[122]
Kansas
editAround forty people protested outside of the Wichita State University student center on April 26, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.[123]
An encampment was set up outside Fraser Hall at the University of Kansas on May 1.[124] The same day, a protest was held at Kansas State University.[125] On May 8, police disbanded the encampment. One protester, who was not a student, was arrested for refusing to leave their tent.[126]
Kentucky
editThe evening of May 1, protesters held a demonstration in front of the University of Kentucky library in Lexington.[127]
A protest march was held at the University of Louisville on May 15.[128]
Louisiana
editA walkout took place at Tulane and Loyola University in New Orleans on April 26. St. Charles Avenue was closed due to the march. Students demanded that both Universities divest from companies profiting from Israel's war.[129] A pro-Palestinian protest was also held outside of the Louisiana State University student union.[130] The following day, 10 people were arrested at a protest involving Loyola and Tulane University students where, according to the New Orleans Police Department, four officers were injured while clearing Jackson Square of protesters.[131]
Maine
editAbout 30 people attended a rally organized by "Maine Students for Palestine" at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.[132] On April 28, a protest was held at the University of Maine.[133] The day after, a protest was held at the University of Maine at Farmington.[134] On April 30, about 75 students established an encampment at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor.[135][136] On May 6, a vigil was held at Colby College.[137]
Maryland
editA sit-in organized by SJP took place at University of Maryland in College Park on April 23.[138] The group planted Palestinian flags in Hornbake Plaza.[139] Also on April 23, a protest was held at Towson University.[140]
An encampment was set up at Goucher College.[141]
Students rallied and marched through campus at Johns Hopkins University on April 24.[142] Over 100 demonstrators held a rally on April 29 organized by the "Hopkins Justice Collective", subsequently setting up an encampment on campus.[143] The following day, Johns Hopkins announced that an agreement had been reached with the protesters to only protest from 10am-8pm, and dismantle the encampment. Initial reports stated that the encampment had dispersed, however protesters put out a statement saying they had merely "regrouped and re-strategized", and the encampment remained, with protesters saying no agreement was reached. Johns Hopkins set a deadline of 6pm May 8 for students to sign a form and voluntarily leave the encampment and not take any further disruptive action, in exchange for no disciplinary action being taken against them, with those who remained being subject to disciplinary action. The encampment did not disperse, despite this deadline.[144][145]
Massachusetts
edit
On April 19, students at Boston University protested in solidarity with Columbia students.[146] Two days later a pro-Palestinian protest was held at Smith College.[147]
On April 24, 2024, students set up an encampment at Harvard University on Harvard Yard.[148] The encampment was organized by Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, a coalition of several pro-Palestine groups, which demand that Harvard discloses and divests from investments in Israel. The protests resulted in changes for final exam locations. During the protests, students ...have flipped maqluba, hosted prayers, danced Dabke, and eaten Shabbat dinner,[149] and the protesters, joined by some faculty members,[150] have emphasized a peaceful character of the demonstration,[151] which was also confirmed by Harvard police chief.[152] During the encampment, access to Harvard Yard has been restricted to Harvard ID holders. Harvard University considered the demonstration a 'direct violation' of its policy.[153]
Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology protested for the university to cut research ties with the IDF.[154] A solidarity encampment with at least a dozen tents also appeared at Tufts University.[155][156]
On the evening of April 21, 2024, students at Emerson College set up an encampment in the Boylston Place alleyway in solidarity with those arrested in similar protests.[157] The students called for Emerson to divest from any associations with Zionist ties.[158] During the night of April 24, about 108 people were arrested at the protest with video showing officers forcefully moving through the crowd and throwing protestors on the ground, who had linked arms and used umbrellas to resist. Four officers were reportedly injured with non-life-threatening injuries. School administrators stated that the protestors had been warned to leave beforehand as the alleyway was not solely owned by the school and that city authorities had threatened to become involved.[159] Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she ordered police to take down the Emerson encampment for public safety reasons.[160]
On April 25, students at Boston's Northeastern University circled their encampment on the school's Centennial Commons and chanted as police approached. Police left the scene shortly afterward.[161] Students from Berklee College of Music joined the Northeastern encampment.[162]
On April 27, more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested at the university. School officials alleged the student demonstration was infiltrated by outsiders who yelled antisemitic slurs such as "Kill the Jews."[163][164] A video circulating on social media later showed a counter-protestor holding an Israeli flag had attempted to provoke a response by yelling "kill the Jews."[165]
A protest was held at Boston College on April 26. During the protest, an organizer read a letter written by a BC student who had been arrested at Emerson and banned from the BC campus.[166]
Demonstrators at the University of Massachusetts Amherst protested the inauguration of UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes, calling on him to cut ties with military groups and drop charges against people who had been charged during previous protests at UMass Amherst.[167] Three days later, an encampment was built on campus.[168] The encampment was dismantled the following day.[169] Another encampment was set up on May 7, and police arrested 109 people at the site.[170]
A walk-out and protest was held at Simmons University on May 1.[171] An encampment was set up at Williams College the same day, and a protest was held at the nearby Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.[172][173] On May 3, a pro-Palestinian rally was held at Worcester State University.[174]
On May 6, students from at least five and as many as a dozen high schools in the Boston and Cambridge area walked out in solidarity of the encampments, met at Boston Common, then marched to the encampment on the Kresge Lawn at M.I.T..[175] On May 7, M.I.T. president Sally Kornbluth gave students a deadline to vacate the encampment by 2:30pm. With few protesters remaining by 4pm, Cambridge police began to dismantle the encampment. By 5:30, hundreds of students pushed down the barricades and locked around the encampment.[176] Meanwhile, Kornbluth sent out an email announcing interim suspensions for the protesters.[177]
In the early morning of May 10, police in riot gear broke down the encampment at M.I.T. and arrested at least 10 people. They arrived at 4am and gave the students fifteen minutes to leave.[178] Nine had been arrested the day before.[179][180]
On May 14, protesters at Harvard reached an agreement to end encampment on campus. The university agreed to reinstate 20 suspended students, leniency for 60 others, to begin discussions about divestment with members of Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (HOOP), and to have conversations about creating a “Center for Palestine Studies at Harvard.”[181]
On May 15, United Auto Workers (U.A.W.)'s Harvard Graduate Student Union filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing it of surveillance and retaliation against workplace-related collective action, denying employees union representation in disciplinary hearings and unfairly changing policies regarding access to campus to discourage protesters.[182]
On May 23, more than a thousand people walked out of Harvard's commencement ceremony in protest of the University's decision to deny diplomas to 13 pro-Palestine protesters who were involved in the encampment. Two speakers changed their prepared remarks to show support to the protesters.[183][184]
Michigan
editOn April 22, students set up tents on The Diag, in front of the Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.[185] Counter protests handed out small Israeli flags near the encampment to show support for Israel.[186]
On April 25, students at Michigan State University in East Lansing set up a solidarity encampment in the same "People's Park" area that hosted an anti-Vietnam War encampment in 1970.[187]
On April 26, a group of protesters interrupted a meeting of the Board of Governors at Wayne State University. One person was arrested.[188]
On April 28 protesters established an encampment at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.[189] The day after, an encampment was set up at Northern Michigan University.[190] A protest had previously been held at NMU on April 22.[191]
On May 21, police used pepper spray to clear the encampment at University of Michigan. University president Santa Ono claimed that fire hazards were the reasons. Four were arrested.[192] The day after, dozens of activists gathered outside the Washtenaw County Courthouse demanding that charges be dropped against the four who were arrested.[193]
On May 23, an encampment was set up at Wayne State University.[194]
Minnesota
editNine University of Minnesota students were arrested on April 23 while attempting to set up an encampment on the Minneapolis campus.[195] US Representative Ilhan Omar joined protestors.[196] Protests resumed the following day.[197] On May 1, protesters dismantled their own encampment after the U of M agreed to consider their demands.[198]
On April 26, a group of student protesters at Hamline University held a sit-in protest at the university president's office building. After 29 hours the protesters moved to an encampment on the lawn in front of the building.[199]
A protest was held at Concordia College in Moorhead on April 30.[200]
On May 2, an encampment was set up at Minnesota State University, Mankato.[201]
Protesters at Carleton College set up an encampment. The encampment was scheduled to coincide with when the Board of Trustees would visit campus, from May 8 to 10.[202] On May 17, students held an overnight occupation of Laird Hall, the location of the president's office, resulting in twelve students receiving disciplinary action.[203]