Across the world, students have been protesting against the ongoing bombardment of Gaza, ordered by the Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu and carried out by the Israeli army. Already, approximately 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the majority of them women and children.

It is against this backdrop that student protestors have been calling for their universities to cut ties with Israeli universities and companies, and where relevant to withdraw any investments they may have made.

The reaction to these protests, notably across a number of campuses in the United States, has at times been brutally repressive. The college authorities have not taken kindly to what have been almost universally peaceful demonstrations. Students at major schools like Columbia, The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Northeastern - where I am currently a student - have had their protests raided by campus and local police, acting in a violent manner.

Against this backdrop, student groups like Huskies for a Free Palestine (HFP) at Northeastern are calling for the school to “disclose, divest and denounce." HFP is a collective of people on Northeastern's campus who are dedicated to the Palestinian cause. Similar groups have been formed on college campuses around the world.

In a statement released on the organisation's Instagram, the students in HFP are demanding that Northeastern “disclose the universities financial ties with Israel, divest from any and all Israeli entities and war-profiteering corporations and denounce Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the Israeli occupation.”

 

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The same sentiments have been repeated by student organisations across the world.

Northeastern works with defence contractor Raytheon, which is the world’s second largest military company. Raytheon has supplied weapons, including missiles, bombs and more to the Israeli military.

The university also sends students to the company as part of their co-op program, with hundreds of students going to work for Raytheon full-time, upon graduating.

A third-year undergraduate student from Northeastern commented that “Northeastern touts that it values and fosters social justice and social activism, but it is deeply invested in the state of Israel and its genocidal and militaristic atrocities against Palestinians. I watched as Northeastern’s investment resulted in the state of Israel executing hundreds of Palestinian children, elderly, medical staff and civilians with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, leaving these people in a mass grave where some were buried alive [at Nasser Hospital in Gaza].

“On my campus, I watched as over a hundred students, and other community members, were arrested with their hands zip-tied behind their backs for daring to say this was wrong, Palestinians do not deserve this, we cannot keep funding this.”

This, student protestors note, is only the tip of the iceberg, as many universities across the world profit from their connections with Israel.

On top of being arrested, protestors are facing the threat of disciplinary action from their universities. Already, students at Northeastern are facing charges from the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR) threatening suspension, the removal from positions of power in clubs, and other potential sanctions.

In response to the raid of the encampment in Northeastern, the university released a statement that said, “While we embrace – and even celebrate – the spirited exchange of divergent views, we must balance that aspiration with our responsibility for the safety and well-being of more than 30,000 people who live, work and study on our Boston campus. We must always be vigilant in maintaining an environment in which those activities can take place without fear of harassment, intimidation, and name calling.”

This was a reference to the use of antisemitic slurs. However, the student protestors have pointed out that these were shouted by pro-Israel counter-protestors with the objective of misleading observers and the authorities. And it seems to have worked as Northeastern University called for the encampment to be shut down, due to the explicit hate speech the counter protestors used.

Elsewhere, University of Southern California (USC) cancelled their major commencement ceremony due to “safety concerns.” In a statement released from USC administration, they said, “We will not be able to host the main stage ceremony that traditionally brings 65,000 students, families, and friends to our campus all at the same time and during a short window from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.”

Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts, is implementing similar sanctions against protestors. A statement released from Tufts president, Sunil Kumar on April 30 read:

“Tufts students who do not vacate the space will be subject to the Community Standards processes which may result in suspension or other sanctions. For seniors, this may include not participating in senior week activities or Commencement. It is our strong desire that it does not come to this, and the protesters choose to leave voluntarily.”

Many eyes have been on Columbia University, where one of the biggest protests took place, with students creating a liberated zone on campus. Students occupying Hind Hall were subsequently removed by force, with the space being raided by around 100 NYPD officers, who used tear-gas and flash-grenades.

Hind Hall, formally known as Hamilton Hall, was renamed by the students after a young girl named Hind Rajab was killed in Gaza City by Israeli forces. When her family attempted to leave by car and were bombed, Hind was trapped with her dead relatives for 12 hours, before the Israeli army killed her and the medics that attempted to rescue her.

Events like this have led to a distrust amongst the student body of administration in many universities – all the more so, when U.S. universities are using intense, intimidatory tactics to scare their students from protesting.

Mick Chivers, a student at Brown University in Providence, Rhodes Island, was at his school's encampment when he gave a speech about his aspirations as a future physician to eventually work, providing care in places like Palestine. Brown-RISD Hillel hosted an event in November 2023, to which an Israeli soldier was invited to speak to students. Chivers questioned him about the humanitarian consequences of Israeli policy in Gaza – and he insists that the soldier started hurling death threats at him.

In an audio recording sent by Chivers, and heard by Hot Press, the IDF solider is recorded saying "You are acting right now as a terrorist." As well as "I'll kill you myself in seconds you fucking idiot."

“It's all right. I mean, it's not alright," Chivers says. "I'm glad I'm not a Palestinian on the other end of him, because he's clearly an unhinged, unstable person who's on a sanctioned PR tour of these campuses and yet reacts like that to a question. I can't imagine what he's doing to the people under his boot.”

Chivers then went on to explain that Brown University didn't investigate the incident, even though a complaint was made. This, combined with the college's reaction to the protests, has left students with no trust whatsoever in their school's administration.

Liz from Yale University shares similar sentiments.

“I generally don’t feel pleased with Yale’s administration," she says. "I think it is a really flawed institution that prioritises prestige and money over the values that it touts. This is just another example of the lies that Western education systems were founded upon. Regardless of how wonderful an education at Yale is, the institution itself and the administration are driven by immoral motives.”

One thing is clear amongst student protestors: that any difficulties they are facing from their universities are less than nothing in comparison to the atrocities that have been visited on the people of Palestine.

Because of this, students have urged their institutions to divest from Israeli companies.

While many students have the courage of their convictions, suffucuent to join the protests, the threats made by their universities, and the accompanying atmosphere of intimidation, have made them fearful of the repercussions that might follow if they attach their names to their statements. Their choice to keep a level of anonymity is understandable given the risks they are already taking by protesting.

With all the coverage on university student protests around the world, students ask that the public's focus remain on supporting the people of Palestine.

In Ireland, meanwhile, similar protests have led to positive developments. Students at Trinity College, Dublin participated in a five-day encampment calling for action from their university. The protest shut down the campus of what is an historic university in theheart of Dublin city, and blocked access to the school's major tourist attraction, The Book of Kells.

Following a meeting between the college authorities and Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU), the union President László Molnárfi and President-elect Jenny Maguire announced that the school had committed to working towards meeting the demands of the students. The protest has since been ended.

Senior management at Trinity College Dublin released a statement on May 8 at 7 p.m. that said “Trinity will complete a divestment from investments in Israeli companies that have activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and appear on the UN Blacklist in this regard. This process is expected to be completed by June.”

 

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After a five-day encampment on Trinity’s fabled campus, this is a major win for Trinity’s student union. One hopes that the non-violent response from Trinity College, their openness to the discussion, and ultimately to divestment, will set an example for university administrators across the world. But I wouldn't bet on it...