Student protests against war in Gaza spread across the US

The student protests in against the Israeli invasion of Gaza have been extended over the weekend to dozens of universities across the United States, and hundreds of people have been arrested.

The demonstrations They started at Columbia University.in New York, and have spread to campuses in dozens of states, including Georgia, Indiana, California and Texas, which have in common the rejection of US policy towards Israel and the request that educational centers break relations with the government and the Israeli private sector.

The students have set up camps in the university facilities, which has created tensions with the institutions, since many of them claim that this protest model “violates their policies”, which is why they have ordered evictions.

On Saturday afternoon, more than 200 students were arrested at universities in Northeasternin Boston (Massachusetts); Arizona Statein Tempe (Arizona); Indiana Universityin Bloomington (Indiana); and Washington Universityin Saint Louis (Missouri).

In the latter, the presidential candidate for the independent Green Party, Jill Stein, was detained by the authorities during the eviction in which another 80 people were detained, as reported by the university in a statement.

The university plans to file charges of “trespassing” against all those detained in Saint Louis, and some “may even be charged with resisting arrest and assault” on police officers, the statement details.

In Boston, police arrested more than a hundred people after clearing a student camp that had been set up last Thursday. The Massachusetts State Police announced that they will file charges of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct against those arrested. For its part, the university said it will “take disciplinary action” against some of the students.

In Arizona, the arrests took place late Friday night, when police entered a camp and detained more than 70 people. The university accused the protesters of trespassing on private property, noting that most “were not part of the student body or faculty.”

Indiana University, for its part, ordered the evacuation of an encampment Saturday afternoon, leading state police to arrest more than 20 people who also face trespassing and resisting arrest charges.

“Anti-Semitic” demonstrations

This Monday, the president Joe Biden He condemned what he called “anti-Semitic demonstrations” in universities and rejected “those who do not understand what is happening in Palestine.”

Most Americans are in disagreement with the management that the democratic government is giving to the war in Gaza: according to a survey also published this Sunday by CNN, 71% of citizens disapprove of the president’s policy in this conflict.

This figure is even higher among young voters, with the 81% of respondents under 35 years of age showing opposition to Biden’s actions.