WASHINGTON, Sunday, April 28, 2024 (WAFA) – For the second consecutive week, students at universities across the United States persist in their peaceful encampments and demonstrations, advocating for an end to the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza and urging their universities to sever ties with Israel and companies supporting its military.

The movement has garnered support from activists both within and outside the campuses.

The protest wave has now reached various universities, including Stanford, Northeastern, George Washington, and notably Columbia University, where the protests initially erupted. Students have erected new encampments and organized accompanying events to galvanize support for halting Israeli aggression.

As the demonstrations gain momentum, they have also crossed borders, spreading to Europe and Australia.  

In the United States, university administrations have struggled to contain the demonstrations, resorting to police intervention, with videos emerging from various states depicting forceful arrests of students and faculty members.

At Northeastern University in Boston, police in riot gear dispersed a Gaza solidarity encampment, though without major confrontations. Meanwhile, at Columbia University, where over a hundred activists were previously arrested, the administration faces mounting pressure as protests persist.

Despite false accusations of antisemitism, many Jewish activists, including Orthodox Jews, have joined the demonstrations, emphasizing their rejection of complicity in genocide.

The demands for a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from Israel continue to reverberate across university campuses and beyond, underscoring the growing international solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

M.N