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[VIDEOS] US and European universities erupt with Pro-Palestinian protests, but will this last?
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Gaza protests: Oxford University students deliver Gaza demands
Hundreds of students protesting the war in Gaza have marched through Oxford to deliver a list of demands.
Protest camps, described as "liberated zones", have been set up near Oxford University campuses.
On Wednesday, protesters hung a list of demands up at the gates of the Sheldonian Theatre for the vice chancellor.
The university has previously expressed "profound sympathy for those suffering in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank".
On the list of demands, protesters called for the university to disclose all finances, overhaul university investment policy, boycott "Israeli genocide, apartheid and occupation" and stop banking with Barclays.
In a statement, the University of Oxford previously said it was aware of the latest protests and its students and staff members had a "right to freedom of expression in the form of peaceful protests".
In the past week, pro-Palestinian protesters have set up tents outside university buildings in cities including Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle as well as at Goldsmiths, University of London.
More than 33,000 people have been killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry there says, the majority of them civilians.
On Thursday, the Union of Jewish Students said the encampments were creating a "hostile and toxic atmosphere" on campuses and called on universities to "take their duty of care to Jewish students seriously".
Israel rejects accusations that it is engaging in genocidal acts in its campaign in Gaza, and has insisted it has the right to defend itself following the armed incursion by Hamas on 7 October.
The leaders of 17 universities have now met the prime minister to discuss the protests and steps they should take to tackle antisemitism.
It comes after Prof Dame Sally Mapstone, president of Universities UK, said they "may need to take action" if protests against the Israel-Gaza war interfere with life on campus.
The BBC has approached the university for an updated comment about the protest demands.
BBC
Hundreds of students protesting the war in Gaza have marched through Oxford to deliver a list of demands.
Protest camps, described as "liberated zones", have been set up near Oxford University campuses.
On Wednesday, protesters hung a list of demands up at the gates of the Sheldonian Theatre for the vice chancellor.
The university has previously expressed "profound sympathy for those suffering in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank".
On the list of demands, protesters called for the university to disclose all finances, overhaul university investment policy, boycott "Israeli genocide, apartheid and occupation" and stop banking with Barclays.
In a statement, the University of Oxford previously said it was aware of the latest protests and its students and staff members had a "right to freedom of expression in the form of peaceful protests".
In the past week, pro-Palestinian protesters have set up tents outside university buildings in cities including Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle as well as at Goldsmiths, University of London.
More than 33,000 people have been killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry there says, the majority of them civilians.
On Thursday, the Union of Jewish Students said the encampments were creating a "hostile and toxic atmosphere" on campuses and called on universities to "take their duty of care to Jewish students seriously".
Israel rejects accusations that it is engaging in genocidal acts in its campaign in Gaza, and has insisted it has the right to defend itself following the armed incursion by Hamas on 7 October.
The leaders of 17 universities have now met the prime minister to discuss the protests and steps they should take to tackle antisemitism.
It comes after Prof Dame Sally Mapstone, president of Universities UK, said they "may need to take action" if protests against the Israel-Gaza war interfere with life on campus.
The BBC has approached the university for an updated comment about the protest demands.
BBC
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The World is uniting against the apartheid regime slowly but steadily
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Of course, humanity wins
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Dozens of students walked out of the Virginia Commonwealth University commencement ceremony Saturday to protest Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s commencement address, amid heightened concern over potential graduation disruptions due to ongoing pro-Palestinian protests across U.S. college campuses.
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These protesters have gained strength in almost all universities in the United States.
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Police aim to break up pro-Palestine protests in Amsterdam
Police moved in to end a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Amsterdam on Monday after protesters occupied university buildings in various Dutch cities to condemn Israel’s war in Gaza, ANP news agency reported.
Earlier on Monday, a Dutch protest group said it had occupied university buildings in the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Groningen and Eindhoven.
In a post on social media site X, Amsterdam police said the university had filed a police report against the protesters for acts of vandalism.
Police made sure no one entered the university buildings and asked protesters to leave the premises voluntarily.
A spokesperson for the University of Amsterdam confirmed the occupation and said it had advised people not affiliated with the protest to leave the building.
The Eindhoven University of Technology confirmed that there were “dozens of students peacefully protesting outside next to ten to 15 tents.”
Students in the Netherlands have been protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza since last Monday and Dutch riot police had previously clashed with protesters at the University of Amsterdam.
Students in the US and Europe have also been holding mostly peaceful demonstrations calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for schools to cut financial ties with companies they say are profiting from the oppression of Palestinians.
Police moved in to end a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Amsterdam on Monday after protesters occupied university buildings in various Dutch cities to condemn Israel’s war in Gaza, ANP news agency reported.
Earlier on Monday, a Dutch protest group said it had occupied university buildings in the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Groningen and Eindhoven.
In a post on social media site X, Amsterdam police said the university had filed a police report against the protesters for acts of vandalism.
Police made sure no one entered the university buildings and asked protesters to leave the premises voluntarily.
A spokesperson for the University of Amsterdam confirmed the occupation and said it had advised people not affiliated with the protest to leave the building.
The Eindhoven University of Technology confirmed that there were “dozens of students peacefully protesting outside next to ten to 15 tents.”
Students in the Netherlands have been protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza since last Monday and Dutch riot police had previously clashed with protesters at the University of Amsterdam.
Students in the US and Europe have also been holding mostly peaceful demonstrations calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for schools to cut financial ties with companies they say are profiting from the oppression of Palestinians.
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If not now then never, everybody around the world needs to stand up against this brutality.
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Students occupy London university building over Gaza
Students have occupied a building at the London School of Economics (LSE) to protest against what they say are the university’s ties with Israel.
The pro-Palestinian activists are calling for the central London university to cut financial ties with the country over its conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Protest encampments have sprung up at university campuses across the UK, US and European countries calling for an end to the war.
A university spokesperson told BBC News its priority continued to be the "wellbeing of the LSE community”.
The activists began their occupation of the Marshall Building, which contains the departments of accounting, finance and management on its Holborn campus, shortly after holding a rally outside on Monday afternoon.
Ethan Chua, LSE Student’s Union Palestine Society Member, said the students wanted to disrupt university operations until they met their demands which also include divestment from fossil fuel companies.
He added students at the university had earlier presented a report that they say details links between LSE and “egregious activities” in Israel.
“Our main message to LSE management is a call for divestment because we refuse to keep going to a university that is materially complicit in the destruction of our planet and the death of Palestinians,” he added.
Throughout the conflict the Israeli government has maintained it has worked to minimise civilian casualties in its operations in Gaza.
While footage of the beginning of the occupation showed hundreds of protestors gathered inside the Marshall Building, Mr Chua said this had now reduced to about 50 and that they intend to remain until their demands were met.
He added they had come to an agreement with the campus’ security team to allow students with ID to maintain access to the building during the demonstration.
An LSE spokesperson said: “Following a rally on the LSE campus, some protestors entered and occupied part of the ground floor of the LSE Marshall Building, highlighting a range of demands relating to investments.
"We will carefully consider the report submitted by the protest group and respond in due course. We will also continue to engage in a peaceful dialogue."
They added exams due to take place in other buildings on the campus remain unaffected by the protest.
Meanwhile, students at The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) are calling for their university to cut associations with businesses that fund military weapons as well as sever ties with Haifa University in Israel.
A spokesperson for SOAS said protests could take place "as long as it remains peaceful" and it was "committed to divesting" from any company that "breaks the principles of its ethical investment policy".
The SOAS Jewish Society said in a social media post that it stood "shoulder to shoulder with our classmates and colleagues at the SOAS Liberated Zone for Gaza".
Edward Isaacs, the Union of Jewish Students' president, said: "When the speech becomes unlawful and when there is an environment on campus which becomes toxic and hateful for Jewish students, then that [should be] stamped out because Jewish students deserve to be able to study safely and feel included on campus.”
BBC
Students have occupied a building at the London School of Economics (LSE) to protest against what they say are the university’s ties with Israel.
The pro-Palestinian activists are calling for the central London university to cut financial ties with the country over its conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Protest encampments have sprung up at university campuses across the UK, US and European countries calling for an end to the war.
A university spokesperson told BBC News its priority continued to be the "wellbeing of the LSE community”.
The activists began their occupation of the Marshall Building, which contains the departments of accounting, finance and management on its Holborn campus, shortly after holding a rally outside on Monday afternoon.
Ethan Chua, LSE Student’s Union Palestine Society Member, said the students wanted to disrupt university operations until they met their demands which also include divestment from fossil fuel companies.
He added students at the university had earlier presented a report that they say details links between LSE and “egregious activities” in Israel.
“Our main message to LSE management is a call for divestment because we refuse to keep going to a university that is materially complicit in the destruction of our planet and the death of Palestinians,” he added.
Throughout the conflict the Israeli government has maintained it has worked to minimise civilian casualties in its operations in Gaza.
While footage of the beginning of the occupation showed hundreds of protestors gathered inside the Marshall Building, Mr Chua said this had now reduced to about 50 and that they intend to remain until their demands were met.
He added they had come to an agreement with the campus’ security team to allow students with ID to maintain access to the building during the demonstration.
An LSE spokesperson said: “Following a rally on the LSE campus, some protestors entered and occupied part of the ground floor of the LSE Marshall Building, highlighting a range of demands relating to investments.
"We will carefully consider the report submitted by the protest group and respond in due course. We will also continue to engage in a peaceful dialogue."
They added exams due to take place in other buildings on the campus remain unaffected by the protest.
Meanwhile, students at The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) are calling for their university to cut associations with businesses that fund military weapons as well as sever ties with Haifa University in Israel.
A spokesperson for SOAS said protests could take place "as long as it remains peaceful" and it was "committed to divesting" from any company that "breaks the principles of its ethical investment policy".
The SOAS Jewish Society said in a social media post that it stood "shoulder to shoulder with our classmates and colleagues at the SOAS Liberated Zone for Gaza".
Edward Isaacs, the Union of Jewish Students' president, said: "When the speech becomes unlawful and when there is an environment on campus which becomes toxic and hateful for Jewish students, then that [should be] stamped out because Jewish students deserve to be able to study safely and feel included on campus.”
BBC
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Police arrest 47 at UC Irvine after sweeping protest camp, clearing barricaded building
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel descended on UC Irvine to move hundreds of pro-Palestinian students, faculty and supporters protesting the UC system’s investments in Israel.
In another dramatic campus showdown, hundreds of police officers in riot gear descended on a pro-Palestinian encampment at UC Irvine in an hours-long siege that led to dozens of arrests.
University officials said they took action after a contingent of demonstrators briefly occupied and barricaded a nearby university building Wednesday, escalating a protest that had been tolerated by officials for weeks.
By nightfall Wednesday, police had herded the demonstrators off-site, dismantled the encampment and arrested 47 protesters, including some faculty members.
But the move did little to ease division on campus over the protests and the university’s handling of it.
UCI joins several other California universities, including UCLA, UC San Diego, Cal Poly Humboldt and USC, that resorted to mass police action to clear encampments. Protesters at UC Riverside and UC Berkeley agreed to remove their camps in exchange for concessions from the university.
A UCI spokesperson said most of those arrested were booked on suspicion of failing to disperse, and a few on suspicion of trespassing. Among the 47 were 26 students, two employees and 19 who were unaffiliated with the university, UCI said late Thursday. University officials did not respond to questions about whether students or staff would face additional disciplinary action.
UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said he was “brokenhearted” at the end of the day, explaining that he had been “prepared to allow a peaceful encampment to exist on the campus without resorting to police intervention,” despite the setup violating policies and distressing many in the community.
“It was terrible to see that [the encampment protesters] would dramatically alter the situation in a way that was a direct assault on the rights of other students and the university mission,” Gillman said in a statement released late Wednesday.
He said protesters decided to “transform a manageable situation that did not have to involve police into a situation that required a different response.
“I never wanted that,” Gillman said.
But many protesters considered the forceful response unnecessary, at some points chanting “Peaceful protest!” while others felt the police presence added new safety concerns. One, a global studies professor, shouted, “Shame on them! Shame on them!” while being led away by officers.
Despite the arrests and the presence of as many as 200 helmeted officers carrying batons, the scene at UCI was calmer than some of the confrontations that have occurred on college campuses across the country in recent weeks — when protesters have hurled heavy objects at officers, police have fired “less-lethal” rounds at demonstrators and multiple protesters have been injured.
Over a matter of hours as officers converged around demonstrators at UCI, Times reporters witnessed a few skirmishes between protesters and police at the encampment’s barrier and at least one water bottle hurled in officers’ direction — but those incidents seemed isolated. One man had a bloody nose after he was swept up and taken away by police.
UCI spokesperson Thomas Vasich said one protester and five officers were injured.
University officials said a group of protesters entered campus around 2:30 p.m. and “began surrounding and ultimately barricaded” the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall, a large indoor amphitheater. A few in the group entered the building, the university said.
The building takeover was broadcast live on Instagram by several pro-Palestinian accounts. The videos showed a hectic scene as students clad in kaffiyehs ran to and from the area beside the lecture hall, setting up a wooden barrier, tents, signs and other materials.
According to some students, Wednesday’s action was taken after members of the protest negotiating team were suspended by the university. “They forced our hand,” said a student who declined to give her name for fear of retaliation by the university.
The action also coincided with the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” which refers to the estimated 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.
Protesters at UCI on Wednesday held signs and shared posts on social media referencing the Nakba while similar escalations citing the day’s history occurred at other California campuses; some law enforcement officials said that suggested a level of coordination among various activist groups. At UC Santa Cruz, a group of protesters blocked a main intersection not far from its ongoing encampment, and at UC Berkeley, a group occupied an abandoned building on campus — despite university officials reaching an agreement the day before with pro-Palestinian encampment organizers. A UC Berkeley spokesperson said the group “vandalizing an unsafe, boarded-up” building was different from the coalition that agreed to pack up their encampment after a settlement with the university related to its weapons’ investments.
With that pact, the school joined at least four other California universities and several across the country that forged settlements with activists to end campus encampments that some Jewish students say have included antisemitic signage and chants. Although no schools have agreed specifically to divest from ties to Israel — among protesters’ initial demands — each has indicated that it will explore proposals to tighten investment policies regarding companies that sell weapons.
UC Irvine is not among those. Student representatives met with university leadership two weeks ago to discuss whether the school would agree to their divestment demands in exchange for an end to the encampment. But talks were not fruitful, according to student organizers, and their encampment persisted.
The group had asked for an end to “violent extremism” funding, amnesty for student protesters, a commitment to an academic boycott of Israel and removal of what the group calls “Zionist programming.”
Gillman, in his statement Wednesday, called their requests unreasonable and an “assault on the academic freedom rights of our faculty and the free speech rights of faculty and students.”
When protesters escalated their campus demonstration to the physical sciences hall, UC Irvine officials reacted swiftly. Just after 3 p.m., the university issued a shelter-in-place order for anyone on campus near the protest, and UCI police put out a call for support. Law enforcement agencies from across the region responded, including the California Highway Patrol, Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Ana, Fullerton and Orange police departments, eventually joining together to form lines at the protest site and slowly marching forward.
As police advanced, some protesters started running, while others remained and filmed.
Sarah Khalil said she was prepared to stand her ground and face arrest. “This cause is way bigger than any of us,” the fourth-year student said, fighting back tears.
“I’ve never seen a mobilization like this,” Lorenzo Love, a Laguna Beach resident, told a Times reporter while visiting the protest to support students speaking out about the Israel-Hamas war.
“These kids were peaceful,” Love said.
By around 5:30 p.m., several demonstrators had been taken into custody, and officers were ripping down some of the tents and barriers. Arrests continued as a group of officers made its way into the previously-barricaded lecture hall.
Police remove pallets and furniture set up as a barricade while clearing protesters from outside the UCI physical sciences building.
Meryem Kamil, an assistant professor of film and media studies, said she arrived late to the demonstration because she had to finish teaching a class. When Kamil arrived, she quickly joined the group of students gathered near the lecture hall, she said in a phone interview.
As Kamil spoke, she said police in tactical gear were “kettling” the group she was with — corralling protesters into a smaller space.
Although her research focuses on Palestinians and she felt an affinity with those suffering in the Gaza Strip, Kamil said, her primary reason for being at the protest was to ensure the safety of students.
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel from various agencies descended on UCI to move protesters Wednesday.
“Their bodies are on the line; my position is to make it as safe as possible,” she said.
By about 8:30 p.m., the second of two unlawful-assembly orders was given by police officers. At that point, several dozens protesters remained, most of whom were standing on the grass or slowly walking away. “Where is the unlawful assembly?” said one student organizer.
The Orange County district attorney’s office said Wednesday evening that any person who was arrested would be charged with failing to disperse. It will be at least a week before any charging decisions are made for those arrested, the office said; all those detained have been released.
“The right to peaceful assembly is a constitutional right and we encourage protesters to exercise their right to peaceful assembly; however, criminal activity which transcends peaceful assembly, including violence and vandalism of any kind, will not be tolerated,” Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said.
But not all local leaders were supportive of how the evening played out. Irvine’s mayor took to X, saying the students’ actions did not present a threat.
“Taking space on campus or in a building is not a threat to anyone,” Mayor Farrah N. Khan posted. “UCI leadership must do everything they can to avoid creating a violent scenario here.”
Her sentiment drew a rebuke from Will O’Neill, the mayor of Newport Beach, who responded that numerous officers from his city were “currently in Irvine providing assistance at the request of a mutual aid call.”
“Your careless wording makes it appear that you are preemptively accusing our officers, and officers from the many law enforcement agencies who responded, of violence,” he wrote.
Don Wagner, the chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, thanked the multiagency response Wednesday, saying the officers showed restraint by “giving protesters hours to peacefully remove themselves from the premises, regularly warning them through a loudspeaker system, gradually moving in and removing tents, canopies, trash and barriers from the encampment, all without the violence we have seen recently on other campuses.”
“I am relieved to hear that the situation did not escalate,” Wagner said in a statement Thursday.
After arrests started breaking up Wednesday’s protest at UCI, maintenance workers began picking apart what remained of the weeks-long encampment — which by then was just a pile of debris: wooden pallets, homemade signs and various camping items — and placing them inside a moving truck.
Meanwhile, a small group of demonstrators continued its standoff with police, waving Palestinian flags and chanting, “Peaceful protest,” as officers stood watch and a police helicopter circled above.
“Community came out,” one student said, standing in the middle of Aldrich Park, several hundred feet away from the police line. “We did successfully take over the building even if it was for a short period. We held our ground for hours. That’s a big win.”
SOURCE: https://www.latimes.com/california/...-irvine-students-are-told-to-shelter-in-place
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel descended on UC Irvine to move hundreds of pro-Palestinian students, faculty and supporters protesting the UC system’s investments in Israel.
In another dramatic campus showdown, hundreds of police officers in riot gear descended on a pro-Palestinian encampment at UC Irvine in an hours-long siege that led to dozens of arrests.
University officials said they took action after a contingent of demonstrators briefly occupied and barricaded a nearby university building Wednesday, escalating a protest that had been tolerated by officials for weeks.
By nightfall Wednesday, police had herded the demonstrators off-site, dismantled the encampment and arrested 47 protesters, including some faculty members.
But the move did little to ease division on campus over the protests and the university’s handling of it.
UCI joins several other California universities, including UCLA, UC San Diego, Cal Poly Humboldt and USC, that resorted to mass police action to clear encampments. Protesters at UC Riverside and UC Berkeley agreed to remove their camps in exchange for concessions from the university.
A UCI spokesperson said most of those arrested were booked on suspicion of failing to disperse, and a few on suspicion of trespassing. Among the 47 were 26 students, two employees and 19 who were unaffiliated with the university, UCI said late Thursday. University officials did not respond to questions about whether students or staff would face additional disciplinary action.
UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said he was “brokenhearted” at the end of the day, explaining that he had been “prepared to allow a peaceful encampment to exist on the campus without resorting to police intervention,” despite the setup violating policies and distressing many in the community.
“It was terrible to see that [the encampment protesters] would dramatically alter the situation in a way that was a direct assault on the rights of other students and the university mission,” Gillman said in a statement released late Wednesday.
He said protesters decided to “transform a manageable situation that did not have to involve police into a situation that required a different response.
“I never wanted that,” Gillman said.
But many protesters considered the forceful response unnecessary, at some points chanting “Peaceful protest!” while others felt the police presence added new safety concerns. One, a global studies professor, shouted, “Shame on them! Shame on them!” while being led away by officers.
Despite the arrests and the presence of as many as 200 helmeted officers carrying batons, the scene at UCI was calmer than some of the confrontations that have occurred on college campuses across the country in recent weeks — when protesters have hurled heavy objects at officers, police have fired “less-lethal” rounds at demonstrators and multiple protesters have been injured.
Over a matter of hours as officers converged around demonstrators at UCI, Times reporters witnessed a few skirmishes between protesters and police at the encampment’s barrier and at least one water bottle hurled in officers’ direction — but those incidents seemed isolated. One man had a bloody nose after he was swept up and taken away by police.
UCI spokesperson Thomas Vasich said one protester and five officers were injured.
University officials said a group of protesters entered campus around 2:30 p.m. and “began surrounding and ultimately barricaded” the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall, a large indoor amphitheater. A few in the group entered the building, the university said.
The building takeover was broadcast live on Instagram by several pro-Palestinian accounts. The videos showed a hectic scene as students clad in kaffiyehs ran to and from the area beside the lecture hall, setting up a wooden barrier, tents, signs and other materials.
According to some students, Wednesday’s action was taken after members of the protest negotiating team were suspended by the university. “They forced our hand,” said a student who declined to give her name for fear of retaliation by the university.
The action also coincided with the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” which refers to the estimated 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.
Protesters at UCI on Wednesday held signs and shared posts on social media referencing the Nakba while similar escalations citing the day’s history occurred at other California campuses; some law enforcement officials said that suggested a level of coordination among various activist groups. At UC Santa Cruz, a group of protesters blocked a main intersection not far from its ongoing encampment, and at UC Berkeley, a group occupied an abandoned building on campus — despite university officials reaching an agreement the day before with pro-Palestinian encampment organizers. A UC Berkeley spokesperson said the group “vandalizing an unsafe, boarded-up” building was different from the coalition that agreed to pack up their encampment after a settlement with the university related to its weapons’ investments.
With that pact, the school joined at least four other California universities and several across the country that forged settlements with activists to end campus encampments that some Jewish students say have included antisemitic signage and chants. Although no schools have agreed specifically to divest from ties to Israel — among protesters’ initial demands — each has indicated that it will explore proposals to tighten investment policies regarding companies that sell weapons.
UC Irvine is not among those. Student representatives met with university leadership two weeks ago to discuss whether the school would agree to their divestment demands in exchange for an end to the encampment. But talks were not fruitful, according to student organizers, and their encampment persisted.
The group had asked for an end to “violent extremism” funding, amnesty for student protesters, a commitment to an academic boycott of Israel and removal of what the group calls “Zionist programming.”
Gillman, in his statement Wednesday, called their requests unreasonable and an “assault on the academic freedom rights of our faculty and the free speech rights of faculty and students.”
When protesters escalated their campus demonstration to the physical sciences hall, UC Irvine officials reacted swiftly. Just after 3 p.m., the university issued a shelter-in-place order for anyone on campus near the protest, and UCI police put out a call for support. Law enforcement agencies from across the region responded, including the California Highway Patrol, Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Ana, Fullerton and Orange police departments, eventually joining together to form lines at the protest site and slowly marching forward.
As police advanced, some protesters started running, while others remained and filmed.
Sarah Khalil said she was prepared to stand her ground and face arrest. “This cause is way bigger than any of us,” the fourth-year student said, fighting back tears.
“I’ve never seen a mobilization like this,” Lorenzo Love, a Laguna Beach resident, told a Times reporter while visiting the protest to support students speaking out about the Israel-Hamas war.
“These kids were peaceful,” Love said.
By around 5:30 p.m., several demonstrators had been taken into custody, and officers were ripping down some of the tents and barriers. Arrests continued as a group of officers made its way into the previously-barricaded lecture hall.
Police remove pallets and furniture set up as a barricade while clearing protesters from outside the UCI physical sciences building.
Meryem Kamil, an assistant professor of film and media studies, said she arrived late to the demonstration because she had to finish teaching a class. When Kamil arrived, she quickly joined the group of students gathered near the lecture hall, she said in a phone interview.
As Kamil spoke, she said police in tactical gear were “kettling” the group she was with — corralling protesters into a smaller space.
Although her research focuses on Palestinians and she felt an affinity with those suffering in the Gaza Strip, Kamil said, her primary reason for being at the protest was to ensure the safety of students.
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel from various agencies descended on UCI to move protesters Wednesday.
“Their bodies are on the line; my position is to make it as safe as possible,” she said.
By about 8:30 p.m., the second of two unlawful-assembly orders was given by police officers. At that point, several dozens protesters remained, most of whom were standing on the grass or slowly walking away. “Where is the unlawful assembly?” said one student organizer.
The Orange County district attorney’s office said Wednesday evening that any person who was arrested would be charged with failing to disperse. It will be at least a week before any charging decisions are made for those arrested, the office said; all those detained have been released.
“The right to peaceful assembly is a constitutional right and we encourage protesters to exercise their right to peaceful assembly; however, criminal activity which transcends peaceful assembly, including violence and vandalism of any kind, will not be tolerated,” Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said.
But not all local leaders were supportive of how the evening played out. Irvine’s mayor took to X, saying the students’ actions did not present a threat.
“Taking space on campus or in a building is not a threat to anyone,” Mayor Farrah N. Khan posted. “UCI leadership must do everything they can to avoid creating a violent scenario here.”
Her sentiment drew a rebuke from Will O’Neill, the mayor of Newport Beach, who responded that numerous officers from his city were “currently in Irvine providing assistance at the request of a mutual aid call.”
“Your careless wording makes it appear that you are preemptively accusing our officers, and officers from the many law enforcement agencies who responded, of violence,” he wrote.
Don Wagner, the chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, thanked the multiagency response Wednesday, saying the officers showed restraint by “giving protesters hours to peacefully remove themselves from the premises, regularly warning them through a loudspeaker system, gradually moving in and removing tents, canopies, trash and barriers from the encampment, all without the violence we have seen recently on other campuses.”
“I am relieved to hear that the situation did not escalate,” Wagner said in a statement Thursday.
After arrests started breaking up Wednesday’s protest at UCI, maintenance workers began picking apart what remained of the weeks-long encampment — which by then was just a pile of debris: wooden pallets, homemade signs and various camping items — and placing them inside a moving truck.
Meanwhile, a small group of demonstrators continued its standoff with police, waving Palestinian flags and chanting, “Peaceful protest,” as officers stood watch and a police helicopter circled above.
“Community came out,” one student said, standing in the middle of Aldrich Park, several hundred feet away from the police line. “We did successfully take over the building even if it was for a short period. We held our ground for hours. That’s a big win.”
SOURCE: https://www.latimes.com/california/...-irvine-students-are-told-to-shelter-in-place
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Fiona Lali who intellectually bodied Suella Braverman on live Tv has a message.
You can see the complete interview below.
You can see the complete interview below.
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Graduates walk out of Harvard commencement chanting ‘Free, free Palestine’
A group of graduates walks out of the Harvard commencement on chanting “Free, Free Palestine” after weeks of anti-Israel protests on campus.
School officials announced yesterday, the day before graduation, that 13 Harvard students who participated in a protest encampment would not be able to receive diplomas alongside their classmates.
Some students chant, “Let them walk, let them walk walk,” during today’s commencement, referring to allowing those 13 students to get their diplomas along with fellow graduates.
Student speaker Shruthi Kumar says “this semester our freedom of speech and our expressions of solidarity became punishable,” to cheers and applause.
“I am deeply disappointed by the intolerance for freedom of speech and the right to civil disobedience on campus.”
Over 1,500 students had petitioned, and nearly 500 staff and faculty had spoken up, all over the sanctions, she adds.
The protest encampment was calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Harvard to divest from companies that support the war.
Graduates walk out of Harvard commencement chanting ‘Free, free Palestine’
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University President Ousted Over Explosive Pro-Palestinian Email
An email sent by the president of Sonoma State University in California to students and faculty agreeing to some of the demands of campus pro-Palestinian protesters has led to a significant upheaval at the small public university, coming after weeks of demonstrations at bigger schools across the state and country.
President Mike Lee sent a campus-wide memo last week indicating that he had made several concessions to occupants of a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. The email was sent "without the appropriate approvals," according to California State University (CSU) Chancellor Mildred Garcia.
In the wake of the controversy, the university announced that Lee would be stepping down "temporarily." He announced his retirement shortly thereafter.
"Because of this insubordination and the consequences it has brought upon the system, President Lee has been placed on administrative leave," Garcia said in a statement.
In his memo, Lee informed the campus that he would initiate an academic boycott of Israel and agreed to remove links to study abroad programs in Israel from university pamphlets — what would have been the first time an American university has refused to work with Israeli academic institutions.
Among the four "points of agreement," Lee further pledged to review the school's contracts and a campus-specific investment fund called the Sonoma State Foundation for ties to Israel "to determine a course of action leading to divestment strategies that include seeking ethical alternatives."
He also agreed to work with a local chapter of the activist group Students for Justice in Palestine to form an advisory council.
The response to Lee's memo was swift and severe. Various groups, including Jewish advocacy organizations, faculty members and political figures slammed it as a capitulation to anti-Israel demonstrators and a slap in the face to the tenets of academic freedom. State Senator Scott Wiener said that Lee aligned the campus with a movement aiming for the destruction of Israel.
"The President of Sonoma State University aligned the campus with BDS, a movement whose goal is the destruction of Israel, home to 7M Jews," Wiener wrote on X. "Several other UC & CSU campuses are doing this more subtly. Sonoma State simply said the quiet part out loud. The mask is off."
In a follow-up message to the campus community, Lee issued an apology and expressed regret, acknowledging the harm caused by his attempt to acquiesce to the protesters' demands.
"In my attempt to find agreement with one group of students, I marginalized other members of our student population and community. I realize the harm that this has caused, and I take full ownership of it. I deeply regret the unintended consequences of my actions," he wrote.
Speculation surrounding Lee's future at the state school spread rapidly, with SSU's acting president, Nathan S. Evans, confirming in a letter to to the campus that Lee informed CSU of his decision to "go back into retirement."
Lee's ouster means the small state school will have its third president in two years. Lee's predecessor, Judy Sakaki, was forced out as Sonoma State's president in 2022 amid allegations that her husband had sexually harassed members of the faculty, according to reports in local media.
University President ousted over explosive Pro-Palestinian email
A small California state school is the latest to get entangled in protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
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What kind of a chancellor is this man?
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UCLA should have immediately removed protesters: Chancellor
Gene Block is one of three university administrators who have testified at a hearing of the Education Committee in the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on the protests against Israel’s war in Gaza that have unfolded on American campuses over the past two months.
“With the benefit of hindsight, we should have been prepared to immediately remove the encampment if and when the safety of our community was put at risk,” Block told the committee.
The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) was the site of an April 30 attack by Israel supporters against a pro-Palestinian protest encampment that resulted in some of the most violent scenes of the recent protests.
The university on Wednesday removed the head of its campus police for his handling of the protests, which included police inaction during the attack and arrests by state and local police of 210 people the next night.
“The recent images from UCLA are appalling. What is more appalling is that it was completely preventable,” said Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman on the committee.
“You, the UCLA leadership and law enforcement stood by for hours as the mob of agitators gathered near the encampment with the clear intention to cause violence,” she continued.
Source: Al Jazeera
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UCLA should have immediately removed protesters: Chancellor
Gene Block is one of three university administrators who have testified at a hearing of the Education Committee in the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on the protests against Israel’s war in Gaza that have unfolded on American campuses over the past two months.
“With the benefit of hindsight, we should have been prepared to immediately remove the encampment if and when the safety of our community was put at risk,” Block told the committee.
The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) was the site of an April 30 attack by Israel supporters against a pro-Palestinian protest encampment that resulted in some of the most violent scenes of the recent protests.
The university on Wednesday removed the head of its campus police for his handling of the protests, which included police inaction during the attack and arrests by state and local police of 210 people the next night.
“The recent images from UCLA are appalling. What is more appalling is that it was completely preventable,” said Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman on the committee.
“You, the UCLA leadership and law enforcement stood by for hours as the mob of agitators gathered near the encampment with the clear intention to cause violence,” she continued.
Source: Al Jazeera
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US college leaders grilled in Congress over Gaza protests
Three university leaders have testified before Congress about their institutions' responses to campus protests over the Israel-Gaza war.
The leaders of Northwestern, UCLA and Rutgers appeared before the House committee on education and the workforce.
They defended some of the negotiations between students and schools during the protests and offered updates on how those involved were being disciplined.
Thursday’s hearing was the latest in a series of appearances by university heads, and coincided with a new small camp being set up on UCLA’s campus.
Thousands of students, at more than 130 colleges and universities across the US, demonstrated in opposition to the war in Gaza. More than 3,000 demonstrators were arrested between April and May.
The committee on Thursday questioned the university heads on what concessions were made to get students to reduce or disband protest camps.
Committee members also sought answers on how antisemitism was being addressed in their institutions.
All three were asked about how many students were disciplined for their behaviour: at Northwestern none were suspended or expelled for antisemitism; four people were suspended and 19 sanctioned at Rutgers; while UCLA is evaluating more than 100 reported cases of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Michael Schill, the president of Northwestern, took the majority of questions.
Multiple Republican committee members were critical of Mr Schill for reaching an agreement with protesters in exchange for them taking down the camp.
Rutgers reached a similar agreement.
Some Democrats on the committee applauded Mr Schill for his peaceful handling of the matter: no arrests were made and the police were not called during the clearing of the camp.
One of the most contentious moments of the three-hour-long hearing came from Elise Stefanik, a Republican.
Ms Stefanik cited multiple examples of alleged instances of antisemitism on Northwestern's campus and asked Mr Schill how long the investigation into these instances would go on.
"We believe, at Northwestern, in due process”, Mr Schill responded.
The spotlight was on UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, whose university saw large protests and a camp that was attacked by counter-protesters.
Police and school officials were slow to respond to violence and were heavily criticised for their response last month.
On Wednesday, the police chief at UCLA was temporarily removed and reassigned “pending an examination of our security processes”, the university said.
In his opening remarks, Mr Block said the protesters had "tested the limits” of the UCLA administration's de-escalation strategy. He said his university strove to prevent using law enforcement to make arrests on campus “unless it is absolutely necessary to protect the physical safety of the community”.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, accused Mr Block of not protecting pro-Palestinian students by allowing counter-protesters to attack for hours.
Meanwhile, photos and videos showed a new small camp being built outside Kerckhoff Hall at UCLA on Thursday.
Protesters used tables, metal fences, and wooden boards to block off walkways, while security guards watched over them, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner.
UCLA Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications told BBC News that the administration was "aware of the demonstration activity on the Kerckhoff patio".
"Our safety personnel are on site and actively monitoring the situation."
A later statement issued by Mr Block and the UCLA vice chancellor of campus safety said the administration "has withdrawn consent to remain on campus for the demonstrators," and is "asking them to disperse immediately".
"There is reasonable cause to find that demonstrators' activities — including erecting barricades, establishing fortifications, and blocking access to parts of the campus and buildings — are disrupting campus operations," the statement continued.
"Demonstrators have been informed that if they do not disperse, they will face arrest and possible disciplinary action."
Some classes switched to remote learning due to the new protest on Thursday, and Los Angeles police issued a citywide tactical alert, according to KTLA-TV.
The alerts are used to re-distribute on-duty police officers and prepare for a possible escalation that would trigger an emergency.
At Harvard University on Thursday, over 1,000 graduating students stood up and left their commencement ceremony in protest after the administration barred 13 students from graduating due to their protest activities.
Members of the audience also booed the university president as he spoke, and Palestinian flags were seen flying near the back of the crowd.
Previous hearings by the House of Representatives committee have resulted in two Ivy League university heads stepping down, though Thursday's hearing had tense moments it was much less contentious than the previous committee hearings.
The appearance of Columbia University's president Dr Nemat Shafik at an April congressional hearing emboldened students on campus and led to them pitching tents on a lawn, sparking a wave of protests across the US.
BBC
Three university leaders have testified before Congress about their institutions' responses to campus protests over the Israel-Gaza war.
The leaders of Northwestern, UCLA and Rutgers appeared before the House committee on education and the workforce.
They defended some of the negotiations between students and schools during the protests and offered updates on how those involved were being disciplined.
Thursday’s hearing was the latest in a series of appearances by university heads, and coincided with a new small camp being set up on UCLA’s campus.
Thousands of students, at more than 130 colleges and universities across the US, demonstrated in opposition to the war in Gaza. More than 3,000 demonstrators were arrested between April and May.
The committee on Thursday questioned the university heads on what concessions were made to get students to reduce or disband protest camps.
Committee members also sought answers on how antisemitism was being addressed in their institutions.
All three were asked about how many students were disciplined for their behaviour: at Northwestern none were suspended or expelled for antisemitism; four people were suspended and 19 sanctioned at Rutgers; while UCLA is evaluating more than 100 reported cases of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Michael Schill, the president of Northwestern, took the majority of questions.
Multiple Republican committee members were critical of Mr Schill for reaching an agreement with protesters in exchange for them taking down the camp.
Rutgers reached a similar agreement.
Some Democrats on the committee applauded Mr Schill for his peaceful handling of the matter: no arrests were made and the police were not called during the clearing of the camp.
One of the most contentious moments of the three-hour-long hearing came from Elise Stefanik, a Republican.
Ms Stefanik cited multiple examples of alleged instances of antisemitism on Northwestern's campus and asked Mr Schill how long the investigation into these instances would go on.
"We believe, at Northwestern, in due process”, Mr Schill responded.
The spotlight was on UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, whose university saw large protests and a camp that was attacked by counter-protesters.
Police and school officials were slow to respond to violence and were heavily criticised for their response last month.
On Wednesday, the police chief at UCLA was temporarily removed and reassigned “pending an examination of our security processes”, the university said.
In his opening remarks, Mr Block said the protesters had "tested the limits” of the UCLA administration's de-escalation strategy. He said his university strove to prevent using law enforcement to make arrests on campus “unless it is absolutely necessary to protect the physical safety of the community”.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, accused Mr Block of not protecting pro-Palestinian students by allowing counter-protesters to attack for hours.
Meanwhile, photos and videos showed a new small camp being built outside Kerckhoff Hall at UCLA on Thursday.
Protesters used tables, metal fences, and wooden boards to block off walkways, while security guards watched over them, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner.
UCLA Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications told BBC News that the administration was "aware of the demonstration activity on the Kerckhoff patio".
"Our safety personnel are on site and actively monitoring the situation."
A later statement issued by Mr Block and the UCLA vice chancellor of campus safety said the administration "has withdrawn consent to remain on campus for the demonstrators," and is "asking them to disperse immediately".
"There is reasonable cause to find that demonstrators' activities — including erecting barricades, establishing fortifications, and blocking access to parts of the campus and buildings — are disrupting campus operations," the statement continued.
"Demonstrators have been informed that if they do not disperse, they will face arrest and possible disciplinary action."
Some classes switched to remote learning due to the new protest on Thursday, and Los Angeles police issued a citywide tactical alert, according to KTLA-TV.
The alerts are used to re-distribute on-duty police officers and prepare for a possible escalation that would trigger an emergency.
At Harvard University on Thursday, over 1,000 graduating students stood up and left their commencement ceremony in protest after the administration barred 13 students from graduating due to their protest activities.
Members of the audience also booed the university president as he spoke, and Palestinian flags were seen flying near the back of the crowd.
Previous hearings by the House of Representatives committee have resulted in two Ivy League university heads stepping down, though Thursday's hearing had tense moments it was much less contentious than the previous committee hearings.
The appearance of Columbia University's president Dr Nemat Shafik at an April congressional hearing emboldened students on campus and led to them pitching tents on a lawn, sparking a wave of protests across the US.
BBC
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Alan Dershowitz compares anti-Israel campus protests by ‘Hitler Youth’ to Nazi Germany: ‘They are our future leaders’
Former Harvard University professor Alan Dershowitz likened the antisemitism and anti-Israel protests on college campuses to the early days of Nazi Germany in the 1930s — and he’s worried that these “Hitler Youth” students could become America’s future leaders.
“This is much like what happened in Germany in the early 1930s, when Nazi students blocked Jews from entering universities. This is a lot like the lead up to what happened in the 1940s,” Dershowitz said Sunday on the 77 WABC’s “Cats Roundtable” radio show.
“[During] Harvard graduation the other day, students walked out. Students wore Hamas-supportive garb. Students were on Hamas’s side. They are our future leaders,” he told host John Catsimatidis.
“What worries me is 10, 15 years from now, these Hitler Youth will be members of Congress, will be on the editorial board of the New York Times, will be owning media stations … and substitute their own radical progressive anti-American craziness for the stability that our Constitution calls for,” he continued.
Dershowitz, a constitutional and civil rights lawyer who has been a vocal critic of the anti-Israel college protests, said he intends to start a group called “Hurt a Jew, we sue you.”
He referred to the wealthy professional agitator James Carlson — aka Cody Carlson, aka Cody Tarlow, “a longtime anarchist,” police sources said — who was a leader in the violent Columbia University protest.
“It applies beyond Jews: The two janitors who were held captive, kidnapped by wealthy Columbia graduates and outsiders — like the kid who owns a $2 or $3 million home in Brooklyn — they should be sued and held responsible for what they’re doing,” he said.
“We have to fight back.”
He also said colleges and universities are “going to hell” by imposing diversity, equity and inclusion programs — a form of affirmative action — and de-emphasizing merit in hiring and policies.
“DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — is antisemitic to its core and anti-intellectual and anti-progress and anti-meritocracy. The big enemy of the hard left today is meritocracy,” Dershowitz said.
Alan Dershowitz compares anti-Israel campus protests by ‘Hitler Youth’ to Nazi Germany: ‘They are our future leaders’
“What worries me is 10, 15 years from now, these Hitler Youth will be members of Congress, will be on the editorial board of the New York Times, will be owning media stations …”
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These protests are getting bigger and bigger
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Gaza war protesters occupy university building
Students protesting against the war in Gaza have barricaded themselves inside a university building.
The protesters had occupied an area outside of Newcastle University but have since moved inside the Armstrong Building.
A number of police officers were at the scene on Wednesday.
The university said the occupation was being treated as trespass and "those involved would face disciplinary action".
Northumbria Police said it was "liaising with all relevant parties".
A spokesperson said: "Our over-arching priority is to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance, including the protesters, members of the public and our officers."
'Two months'
About 50 people have occupied the building in Queen Victoria Road, which houses a number of subjects, while a group of about 100 gathered outside the campus.
The Newcastle Coalition Apartheid Off Campus group said: "After four weeks of peaceful protest we've escalated our action today by taking the joint decision to occupy the Armstrong Building at Newcastle University."
The protesters have called on the university to cut ties with defence companies and Israeli universities, and for it to call for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza".
A spokesperson, who did not wish to be named, said people had "barricaded" themselves into the building because "our demands have not been met", and added protesters were "prepared to stay here for as long as two months".
He claimed protestors had "already seen security become violent" - claims which were refuted by Newcastle University.
The protestors also denied their use of masks on university grounds would intimidate Jewish students.
"If any student is feeling intimidation we want to adjust that and we want to do some outreach for them," the spokesperson said.
The Jewish Society at Newcastle University and the Union of Jewish Students have been contacted for comment.
'Unacceptable behaviour'
Newcastle University said its security team was "dealing with the situation" with the assistance of police.
"While we respect students’ rights to peaceful protest, unauthorised occupation of university property is trespass," a spokesperson said.
"We wish to be clear that this behaviour is unacceptable and those involved could face disciplinary action."
The university added it does not "tolerate the use of threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour that causes, or is likely to cause, distress".
The protest is one of a number of pro-Palestinian demonstrations taking place at universities around the UK, including Manchester, Leeds, and Goldsmiths in London.
They followed on from similar protests in the US, where more than 1,000 people have been arrested during demonstrations.
BBC
Students protesting against the war in Gaza have barricaded themselves inside a university building.
The protesters had occupied an area outside of Newcastle University but have since moved inside the Armstrong Building.
A number of police officers were at the scene on Wednesday.
The university said the occupation was being treated as trespass and "those involved would face disciplinary action".
Northumbria Police said it was "liaising with all relevant parties".
A spokesperson said: "Our over-arching priority is to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance, including the protesters, members of the public and our officers."
'Two months'
About 50 people have occupied the building in Queen Victoria Road, which houses a number of subjects, while a group of about 100 gathered outside the campus.
The Newcastle Coalition Apartheid Off Campus group said: "After four weeks of peaceful protest we've escalated our action today by taking the joint decision to occupy the Armstrong Building at Newcastle University."
The protesters have called on the university to cut ties with defence companies and Israeli universities, and for it to call for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza".
A spokesperson, who did not wish to be named, said people had "barricaded" themselves into the building because "our demands have not been met", and added protesters were "prepared to stay here for as long as two months".
He claimed protestors had "already seen security become violent" - claims which were refuted by Newcastle University.
The protestors also denied their use of masks on university grounds would intimidate Jewish students.
"If any student is feeling intimidation we want to adjust that and we want to do some outreach for them," the spokesperson said.
The Jewish Society at Newcastle University and the Union of Jewish Students have been contacted for comment.
'Unacceptable behaviour'
Newcastle University said its security team was "dealing with the situation" with the assistance of police.
"While we respect students’ rights to peaceful protest, unauthorised occupation of university property is trespass," a spokesperson said.
"We wish to be clear that this behaviour is unacceptable and those involved could face disciplinary action."
The university added it does not "tolerate the use of threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour that causes, or is likely to cause, distress".
The protest is one of a number of pro-Palestinian demonstrations taking place at universities around the UK, including Manchester, Leeds, and Goldsmiths in London.
They followed on from similar protests in the US, where more than 1,000 people have been arrested during demonstrations.
BBC
Cpt. Rishwat
T20I Captain
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Alan Dershowitz compares anti-Israel campus protests by ‘Hitler Youth’ to Nazi Germany: ‘They are our future leaders’
Former Harvard University professor Alan Dershowitz likened the antisemitism and anti-Israel protests on college campuses to the early days of Nazi Germany in the 1930s — and he’s worried that these “Hitler Youth” students could become America’s future leaders.
“This is much like what happened in Germany in the early 1930s, when Nazi students blocked Jews from entering universities. This is a lot like the lead up to what happened in the 1940s,” Dershowitz said Sunday on the 77 WABC’s “Cats Roundtable” radio show.
“[During] Harvard graduation the other day, students walked out. Students wore Hamas-supportive garb. Students were on Hamas’s side. They are our future leaders,” he told host John Catsimatidis.
“What worries me is 10, 15 years from now, these Hitler Youth will be members of Congress, will be on the editorial board of the New York Times, will be owning media stations … and substitute their own radical progressive anti-American craziness for the stability that our Constitution calls for,” he continued.
Dershowitz, a constitutional and civil rights lawyer who has been a vocal critic of the anti-Israel college protests, said he intends to start a group called “Hurt a Jew, we sue you.”
He referred to the wealthy professional agitator James Carlson — aka Cody Carlson, aka Cody Tarlow, “a longtime anarchist,” police sources said — who was a leader in the violent Columbia University protest.
“It applies beyond Jews: The two janitors who were held captive, kidnapped by wealthy Columbia graduates and outsiders — like the kid who owns a $2 or $3 million home in Brooklyn — they should be sued and held responsible for what they’re doing,” he said.
“We have to fight back.”
He also said colleges and universities are “going to hell” by imposing diversity, equity and inclusion programs — a form of affirmative action — and de-emphasizing merit in hiring and policies.
“DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — is antisemitic to its core and anti-intellectual and anti-progress and anti-meritocracy. The big enemy of the hard left today is meritocracy,” Dershowitz said.
Alan Dershowitz compares anti-Israel campus protests by ‘Hitler Youth’ to Nazi Germany: ‘They are our future leaders’
“What worries me is 10, 15 years from now, these Hitler Youth will be members of Congress, will be on the editorial board of the New York Times, will be owning media stations …”
This attempt to stigmatise students who protest against the genocide in israel is having the opposite effect. The national media is running a campaign backed by influential Israeli to demonise the Palestinians, and brand protestors as a threat to ordinary Jewish people which is a lie. Such blatant propaganda is seen for what it is, and is alienating huge chunks of the younger population.
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Three arrests after Gaza war protests at university
Three arrests have been made after people protested against the war in Gaza in a university and city centre.
A group of students barricaded themselves inside a Newcastle University building on Wednesday.
Northumbria Police said a number of protesters refused to comply with its instructions and caused "considerable disruption" in the city centre later that evening.
Two men in their 20s were arrested in connection with public order offences and a man in his 60s was arrested for breach of the peace.
The protesters occupied the Armstrong Building for about five hours.
Police were called at about 16:10 BST and a spokesman said they had engaged with "all parties".
A spokesman said: "While the activity mainly passed without incident, a number of protesters outside the building refused to comply with police instruction and seemed intent on gaining entry.
"Later that evening, some protesters moved on to other parts of the city centre – causing considerable disruption."
The men arrested for public order offences were still in custody, police said, while the other man was released.
The force added: "As a force, we uphold the right to peaceful protest. However, if any criminal offences are committed, then those responsible can expect to be dealt with appropriately."
'Escalated action'
About 50 people occupied the Queen Victoria Road building, with about 100 gathered outside on Wednesday afternoon.
The Newcastle Coalition Apartheid Off Campus group said at the time it had escalated its action after four weeks of peaceful protest.
The protesters had called on the university to cut ties with defence companies and Israeli universities, and for it to call for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza".
The university said unauthorised occupation would be treated as trespass and any students identified would face disciplinary action.
The Union of Jewish Students said Jewish students in the city had received "abuse" since the encampment began.
"We call on the university leadership to ensure Jewish students can study in safety on campus," a spokesperson added.
The protest is one of a number of pro-Palestinian demonstrations taking place at universities around the UK, including Manchester, Leeds, and Goldsmiths in London.
They followed on from similar protests in the US, where more than 1,000 people have been arrested during demonstrations.
BBC
Three arrests have been made after people protested against the war in Gaza in a university and city centre.
A group of students barricaded themselves inside a Newcastle University building on Wednesday.
Northumbria Police said a number of protesters refused to comply with its instructions and caused "considerable disruption" in the city centre later that evening.
Two men in their 20s were arrested in connection with public order offences and a man in his 60s was arrested for breach of the peace.
The protesters occupied the Armstrong Building for about five hours.
Police were called at about 16:10 BST and a spokesman said they had engaged with "all parties".
A spokesman said: "While the activity mainly passed without incident, a number of protesters outside the building refused to comply with police instruction and seemed intent on gaining entry.
"Later that evening, some protesters moved on to other parts of the city centre – causing considerable disruption."
The men arrested for public order offences were still in custody, police said, while the other man was released.
The force added: "As a force, we uphold the right to peaceful protest. However, if any criminal offences are committed, then those responsible can expect to be dealt with appropriately."
'Escalated action'
About 50 people occupied the Queen Victoria Road building, with about 100 gathered outside on Wednesday afternoon.
The Newcastle Coalition Apartheid Off Campus group said at the time it had escalated its action after four weeks of peaceful protest.
The protesters had called on the university to cut ties with defence companies and Israeli universities, and for it to call for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza".
The university said unauthorised occupation would be treated as trespass and any students identified would face disciplinary action.
The Union of Jewish Students said Jewish students in the city had received "abuse" since the encampment began.
"We call on the university leadership to ensure Jewish students can study in safety on campus," a spokesperson added.
The protest is one of a number of pro-Palestinian demonstrations taking place at universities around the UK, including Manchester, Leeds, and Goldsmiths in London.
They followed on from similar protests in the US, where more than 1,000 people have been arrested during demonstrations.
BBC
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Freedom of speech talk disrupted by Gaza protest
A university talk on freedom of speech was disrupted by Gaza war protesters.
Masked protesters interrupted the talk last week at Northumbria University's inaugural Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) conference by chanting and holding baby clothes covered in fake blood.
A member of staff, who did not wish to be named, said they felt "personally unsafe" during the protest.
Northumbria University said safety of staff was its "highest priority" and action that disrupted the running of the university would not be "tolerated".
The protests took place on Wednesday during a talk titled "How freedom of speech and academic freedom influence equality diversity and inclusion".
The protesters entered the room as university deputy vice chancellor Tom Lawson was about to speak, according to a witness.
Video footage filmed by an audience member shows the protesters standing at the front of the lecture hall while chanting: "Your hands are washed with Palestinian blood."
The protest was carried out by members of the Newcastle Apartheid Off Campus group, which has encamped outside Newcastle University.
A spokesperson for the demonstrators said: "As a collective we decided to target and disrupt this event on the basis that these claimed ‘EDI’ values are incompatible with the university’s relationship with Lockheed Martin - the world's largest weapons manufacturer."
Security staff and officers from Northumbria Police attended the scene. The force said no arrests were made during the protest.
'Shaken by events'
The witness said there were about 10 protesters present at the event.
"They were standing at the doors," they said.
"They weren't blocking the door but it was unpleasant."
The talk was halted during the protest and continued in another lecture hall in the university's business school.
Andy Long, the Northumbria University chief executive, sent an email to attendees the day after the talk offering "additional support" to staff members affected by the protest.
The email read: "I know that colleagues may have felt shaken by the events. The aim of the conference was to create a genuinely inclusive space in which colleagues felt free to express themselves and their identities.
"That safety was disrupted and disturbed by the protestors and their conduct was the very opposite of the inclusivity which we are striving for."
A Northumbria University spokesperson said: "We understand the concerns raised on this occasion and have sought to reassure colleagues that their safety and wellbeing is our highest priority.
"In this instance our security team were able to resolve the situation swiftly and peacefully.
"We will seek to avoid the possibility of similar interruptions to other events of importance to our community - any action that seeks to disrupt the smooth running of the university cannot be tolerated."
The spokesperson said the university has a legal obligation to promote freedom of speech and supports its members' right to protest.
"However, we have guidelines about how to facilitate peaceful protest on our campus and remain clear that no members of our community should be engaged in conduct that seeks to stifle or shut down debate or seeks to intimidate," they added.
BBC
A university talk on freedom of speech was disrupted by Gaza war protesters.
Masked protesters interrupted the talk last week at Northumbria University's inaugural Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) conference by chanting and holding baby clothes covered in fake blood.
A member of staff, who did not wish to be named, said they felt "personally unsafe" during the protest.
Northumbria University said safety of staff was its "highest priority" and action that disrupted the running of the university would not be "tolerated".
The protests took place on Wednesday during a talk titled "How freedom of speech and academic freedom influence equality diversity and inclusion".
The protesters entered the room as university deputy vice chancellor Tom Lawson was about to speak, according to a witness.
Video footage filmed by an audience member shows the protesters standing at the front of the lecture hall while chanting: "Your hands are washed with Palestinian blood."
The protest was carried out by members of the Newcastle Apartheid Off Campus group, which has encamped outside Newcastle University.
A spokesperson for the demonstrators said: "As a collective we decided to target and disrupt this event on the basis that these claimed ‘EDI’ values are incompatible with the university’s relationship with Lockheed Martin - the world's largest weapons manufacturer."
Security staff and officers from Northumbria Police attended the scene. The force said no arrests were made during the protest.
'Shaken by events'
The witness said there were about 10 protesters present at the event.
"They were standing at the doors," they said.
"They weren't blocking the door but it was unpleasant."
The talk was halted during the protest and continued in another lecture hall in the university's business school.
Andy Long, the Northumbria University chief executive, sent an email to attendees the day after the talk offering "additional support" to staff members affected by the protest.
The email read: "I know that colleagues may have felt shaken by the events. The aim of the conference was to create a genuinely inclusive space in which colleagues felt free to express themselves and their identities.
"That safety was disrupted and disturbed by the protestors and their conduct was the very opposite of the inclusivity which we are striving for."
A Northumbria University spokesperson said: "We understand the concerns raised on this occasion and have sought to reassure colleagues that their safety and wellbeing is our highest priority.
"In this instance our security team were able to resolve the situation swiftly and peacefully.
"We will seek to avoid the possibility of similar interruptions to other events of importance to our community - any action that seeks to disrupt the smooth running of the university cannot be tolerated."
The spokesperson said the university has a legal obligation to promote freedom of speech and supports its members' right to protest.
"However, we have guidelines about how to facilitate peaceful protest on our campus and remain clear that no members of our community should be engaged in conduct that seeks to stifle or shut down debate or seeks to intimidate," they added.
BBC
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Pro-Palestine students end LSE building encampment
Pro-Palestinian student protesters have dismantled their month-long encampment on the ground floor of a London School of Economics (LSE) building.
The group had set up the encampment within the Marshall Building in central London on 14 May - but had lost a legal battle and were ordered to leave.
They held a rally before they removed tents, signs and bin bags, and climbed out through the building's windows at 15:30 BST - just 30 minutes before the deadline set in the court order.
The university said it decided to apply for the court order after "exhausting all other options".
The group set up the encampment after the release of the Assets in Apartheid report by the LSE Students' Union's Palestine Society.
The report claims that LSE has invested £89m in 137 companies involved in the conflict in Gaza, fossil fuels, the arms industry or nuclear weapons production.
Dozens of students have since been staying at the encampment for more than a month and had vowed to remain there until LSE met a series of demands, including divestment and democratisation of the financial decision-making process.
LSE previously said it would carefully consider the report and hoped for "peaceful dialogue".
Annabelle, an LSE undergraduate who was among those leaving the encampment, told BBC News the rally was "energetic but peaceful".
Ethan Chua, a spokesperson for the protest group, said it was "incredibly shameful" that the university had taken them to court and had decided to "criminalise them instead of engaging with their substantive demands".
An LSE spokesperson said: "[The interim possession order] was applied for following careful consideration, including in relation to the safety of the protesters. This decision was taken after exhausting all other options."
They said fire safety was one of the reasons for applying for the order.
The protest group said negotiations continued with the university administration about their demands.
BBC
Pro-Palestinian student protesters have dismantled their month-long encampment on the ground floor of a London School of Economics (LSE) building.
The group had set up the encampment within the Marshall Building in central London on 14 May - but had lost a legal battle and were ordered to leave.
They held a rally before they removed tents, signs and bin bags, and climbed out through the building's windows at 15:30 BST - just 30 minutes before the deadline set in the court order.
The university said it decided to apply for the court order after "exhausting all other options".
The group set up the encampment after the release of the Assets in Apartheid report by the LSE Students' Union's Palestine Society.
The report claims that LSE has invested £89m in 137 companies involved in the conflict in Gaza, fossil fuels, the arms industry or nuclear weapons production.
Dozens of students have since been staying at the encampment for more than a month and had vowed to remain there until LSE met a series of demands, including divestment and democratisation of the financial decision-making process.
LSE previously said it would carefully consider the report and hoped for "peaceful dialogue".
Annabelle, an LSE undergraduate who was among those leaving the encampment, told BBC News the rally was "energetic but peaceful".
Ethan Chua, a spokesperson for the protest group, said it was "incredibly shameful" that the university had taken them to court and had decided to "criminalise them instead of engaging with their substantive demands".
An LSE spokesperson said: "[The interim possession order] was applied for following careful consideration, including in relation to the safety of the protesters. This decision was taken after exhausting all other options."
They said fire safety was one of the reasons for applying for the order.
The protest group said negotiations continued with the university administration about their demands.
BBC
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Charges dropped against Gaza protesters at Columbia
New York prosecutors have dropped all criminal against most students and activists arrested for occupying a Columbia university building to protest at the Gaza war.
Of the 46 people arrested in April in connection with the occupation of Hamilton Hall, 31 had their charges dismissed on Thursday.
University officials had authorised police to enter the hall after student demonstrators inside ignored a deadline to leave.
None of the arrested students had any previous criminal history, and all were facing disciplinary proceedings, including suspensions and expulsions, by Columbia.
All 46 protesters, who were arrested on the night of April 30, were initially charged with trespass in the third degree, a misdemeanour.
Manhattan district attorney's office told a court on Thursday that they would drop the charges against 31 protesters citing "prosecutorial discretion and lack of evidence".
Prosecutors also told 14 others that their cases would be dropped if they avoided being arrested in the next six months. The defendants rejected the offer and are all due back in court on 25 July.
One other defendant, James Carlson, has two open cases against him involving separate charges, including arson for setting an Israeli flag on fire before the takeover of Hamilton Hall.
He has also been charged with damaging a police surveillance camera in while in custody. Mr Carlson has no affiliation with Columbia.
US college campuses were a flashpoint for protests against the Gaza war, which was sparked after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and taking 253 others back to Gaza as hostages.
More than 37,390 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Student and activists across the US have demanded that their universities, many with large endowment funds, financially divest from Israel. Divestment means to sell or otherwise drop financial ties.
BBC
New York prosecutors have dropped all criminal against most students and activists arrested for occupying a Columbia university building to protest at the Gaza war.
Of the 46 people arrested in April in connection with the occupation of Hamilton Hall, 31 had their charges dismissed on Thursday.
University officials had authorised police to enter the hall after student demonstrators inside ignored a deadline to leave.
None of the arrested students had any previous criminal history, and all were facing disciplinary proceedings, including suspensions and expulsions, by Columbia.
All 46 protesters, who were arrested on the night of April 30, were initially charged with trespass in the third degree, a misdemeanour.
Manhattan district attorney's office told a court on Thursday that they would drop the charges against 31 protesters citing "prosecutorial discretion and lack of evidence".
Prosecutors also told 14 others that their cases would be dropped if they avoided being arrested in the next six months. The defendants rejected the offer and are all due back in court on 25 July.
One other defendant, James Carlson, has two open cases against him involving separate charges, including arson for setting an Israeli flag on fire before the takeover of Hamilton Hall.
He has also been charged with damaging a police surveillance camera in while in custody. Mr Carlson has no affiliation with Columbia.
US college campuses were a flashpoint for protests against the Gaza war, which was sparked after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and taking 253 others back to Gaza as hostages.
More than 37,390 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Student and activists across the US have demanded that their universities, many with large endowment funds, financially divest from Israel. Divestment means to sell or otherwise drop financial ties.
BBC
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Students banned from camping in LSE atrium
The London School of Economics (LSE) has been granted a court order indefinitely barring camps in one of its buildings after students slept in an atrium for more than a month in support of Palestine.
Several students pitched up on the ground floor of the Marshall Building in central London on 14 May.
They vowed to remain there until LSE met a series of demands.
LSE began legal action this month, with a judge granting it an interim possession order on 14 June.
No breaches
That meant the activists had to leave within 24 hours of the order being served.
The students left on 17 June, minutes before the deadline.
At a hearing at Central London County Court on Friday, District Judge Morayo Fagborun-Bennett granted a possession order, meaning no encampments can be set up at the same location indefinitely.
Olivia Davies, for LSE, said: "The defendants don't dispute the claimant's entitlement."
She continued: "They were served with an interim possession order and they vacated in accordance with it. There have been no breaches of the interim order."
Daniel Grutters, representing three students, said: "Those instructing me had only opposed the making of the interim possession order.
"Since that was made, we indicated that we would not defend the possession order."
The camp was set up after the release of the Assets in Apartheid report by the LSE Students' Union's Palestine Society.
The report alleged LSE has invested £89m in 137 companies involved in the conflict in Gaza, fossil fuels, the arms industry or nuclear weapons production.
Dozens of students slept in the Marshall Building for more than a month and said they would remain there until LSE took several steps, including democratisation of the financial decision-making process.
BBC
The London School of Economics (LSE) has been granted a court order indefinitely barring camps in one of its buildings after students slept in an atrium for more than a month in support of Palestine.
Several students pitched up on the ground floor of the Marshall Building in central London on 14 May.
They vowed to remain there until LSE met a series of demands.
LSE began legal action this month, with a judge granting it an interim possession order on 14 June.
No breaches
That meant the activists had to leave within 24 hours of the order being served.
The students left on 17 June, minutes before the deadline.
At a hearing at Central London County Court on Friday, District Judge Morayo Fagborun-Bennett granted a possession order, meaning no encampments can be set up at the same location indefinitely.
Olivia Davies, for LSE, said: "The defendants don't dispute the claimant's entitlement."
She continued: "They were served with an interim possession order and they vacated in accordance with it. There have been no breaches of the interim order."
Daniel Grutters, representing three students, said: "Those instructing me had only opposed the making of the interim possession order.
"Since that was made, we indicated that we would not defend the possession order."
The camp was set up after the release of the Assets in Apartheid report by the LSE Students' Union's Palestine Society.
The report alleged LSE has invested £89m in 137 companies involved in the conflict in Gaza, fossil fuels, the arms industry or nuclear weapons production.
Dozens of students slept in the Marshall Building for more than a month and said they would remain there until LSE took several steps, including democratisation of the financial decision-making process.
BBC
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Gaza protesters end occupation of university land
Pro-Palestine protesters in Oxford have said they have disbanded a second camp which they set up on university land.
Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P) said it had left Radcliffe Camera, a university building, in the face of legal action.
The group, which has called for the university to cut financial ties with Israel, said the departure brought an end to 64 days of encampments, which began outside the Museum of Natural History on 6 May.
The University of Oxford has been approached for comment.
The two protests were designed to draw attention to "the University's complicity in Israel's genocide in Gaza", OA4P said.
The group said it had decided to pursue other forms of action in future.
Workers with tractors and other vehicles dismantled the one camp outside the Museum of Natural History in June.
The area around Radcliffe Camera was abandoned in the early hours before contractors moved in and cleared the site, OA4P said.
It said protestors then picketed the university's Wellington Square administrative offices until 09:00 BST.
In a statement, it said: "In the past two months we have built a historic coalition for Palestine across Oxford.
"In the coming weeks, we will hold organising assemblies with the students, faculty, staff and Oxford residents ready to carry this movement forward."
Previously, the university said it recognised "the importance of peaceful protest and the deeply felt concerns" about the situation in Gaza and Israel.
It added there would be no disciplinary action taken against students who attended the camps.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.
More than 38,153 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
BBC
Pro-Palestine protesters in Oxford have said they have disbanded a second camp which they set up on university land.
Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P) said it had left Radcliffe Camera, a university building, in the face of legal action.
The group, which has called for the university to cut financial ties with Israel, said the departure brought an end to 64 days of encampments, which began outside the Museum of Natural History on 6 May.
The University of Oxford has been approached for comment.
The two protests were designed to draw attention to "the University's complicity in Israel's genocide in Gaza", OA4P said.
The group said it had decided to pursue other forms of action in future.
Workers with tractors and other vehicles dismantled the one camp outside the Museum of Natural History in June.
The area around Radcliffe Camera was abandoned in the early hours before contractors moved in and cleared the site, OA4P said.
It said protestors then picketed the university's Wellington Square administrative offices until 09:00 BST.
In a statement, it said: "In the past two months we have built a historic coalition for Palestine across Oxford.
"In the coming weeks, we will hold organising assemblies with the students, faculty, staff and Oxford residents ready to carry this movement forward."
Previously, the university said it recognised "the importance of peaceful protest and the deeply felt concerns" about the situation in Gaza and Israel.
It added there would be no disciplinary action taken against students who attended the camps.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.
More than 38,153 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
BBC
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King’s College London to revise arms investments after pro-Palestine student protests
King’s College London has announced plans to revise its investment policy on arms companies, following a series of pro-Palestine protests by students on its campuses, The Times reported on Wednesday.
The decision, which has been under consideration since April, was confirmed in a statement by the vice president of the King’s College London Students’ Union, on Instagram.
“The university will no longer invest in companies engaged in the production or distribution of controversial weapons,” Hassan Ali said.
The agreement among university finance executives was finalized on Monday, with a formal decision expected to be completed in October. This change will be reflected in the university’s environment, social and governance framework under a new “controversial weapons” clause.
The clause specifies that King’s College London will “not hold any direct or indirect (via pooled funds) investments in companies deemed to be engaged in controversial weapons.”
The definition of controversial weapons in this context includes cluster bombs, land mines, depleted uranium weapons, chemical and biological weapons, blinding laser weapons, non-detectable fragments, and incendiary weapons such as white phosphorus. The university has committed to regular monitoring to ensure compliance with these new guidelines.
Ali described the development as “a testament to the power of our community’s dedication and perseverance.”
King’s College London has seen numerous demonstrations, including walkouts, sit-ins and encampments, since Israel launched its war on Gaza, student newspaper Roar News reported.
The protests, which began in October, reflect a broader wave of activism across British universities, where students have criticized their institutions for being “complicit in genocide” and have called for divestment from Israeli and defense companies supplying arms to Israel.
The atmosphere at King’s College London has been tense following the suspension of three elected student representatives by the student union in November after issuing pro-Palestinian statements online. Ali, along with his colleagues Sadaf Abbas Cheema and Alizeh Abrar, had their positions informally revoked by the student union, adding to the controversy around the issue.
A third-year politics student at King’s College who participated in the protests, said: “This is a huge development for the students. Many of us have been advocating for this change, and it represents a significant step in the right direction.”
York University and Queen’s University Belfast have committed to revising investments following pro-Palestine protests earlier this year.
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UCL wins court order on Gaza protest camps
University College London (UCL) has won a court order to regain control part of its campus which has been occupied by pro-Gaza protesters since May.
The university took legal action against "persons unknown" over the "unauthorised occupational encampment" on its main site on Gower Street in central London, claiming activists were trespassing on private land.
The High Court granted a summary possession order, which decided the case in the university's favour without a full trial.
In a social media post in response to the court’s decision, protest group UCL Stand for Justice said it was "disheartening" that the university had chosen to "smear" its actions rather than address its concerns "through open and honest dialogue".
Protesters have alleged some universities are "complicit" in the loss of life in Palestine and want them to divest from Israel in response to its military operation in the Gaza Strip.
'Disruption to university activites'
UCL told the High Court that it had spent more than £200,000 on security fees for managing the unauthorised protest camp.
The university also argued that the encampment affected its ability to deliver core educational functions.
Katharine Holland KC, for UCL, said in written arguments that the aim was to "protect the claimant's right to possession of its own land and enable it to carry on the activities of the university and prevent disruption to other members of the university's community”.
The protest began on 2 May with 12 tents, growing to an encampment that "at its peak" involved about 50 people and some 52 tents, Ms Holland said.
The university had identified "escalating incidents and disruption" allegedly associated with the encampment, with there being "obvious concern" about its ability to use its main quad for events such as its student "welcome week" in September, the court was told.
UCL sought "an immediate order for possession" covering its main campus stretching from Gower Street to Gordon Street and Gordon Square and from Gower Place to Torrington Place.
Judge Francesca Kaye said the university's decision-making process was "appropriate" and that an order covering its whole campus was "compatible" with protesters' human rights, and UCL has a right to regain possession of its land.
UCL Stand for Justice said on Instagram that it remained "open to negotiating in a manner that respects the rights and voices of all students" and urged the university to "commit to engaging with us in good faith".
BBC
University College London (UCL) has won a court order to regain control part of its campus which has been occupied by pro-Gaza protesters since May.
The university took legal action against "persons unknown" over the "unauthorised occupational encampment" on its main site on Gower Street in central London, claiming activists were trespassing on private land.
The High Court granted a summary possession order, which decided the case in the university's favour without a full trial.
In a social media post in response to the court’s decision, protest group UCL Stand for Justice said it was "disheartening" that the university had chosen to "smear" its actions rather than address its concerns "through open and honest dialogue".
Protesters have alleged some universities are "complicit" in the loss of life in Palestine and want them to divest from Israel in response to its military operation in the Gaza Strip.
'Disruption to university activites'
UCL told the High Court that it had spent more than £200,000 on security fees for managing the unauthorised protest camp.
The university also argued that the encampment affected its ability to deliver core educational functions.
Katharine Holland KC, for UCL, said in written arguments that the aim was to "protect the claimant's right to possession of its own land and enable it to carry on the activities of the university and prevent disruption to other members of the university's community”.
The protest began on 2 May with 12 tents, growing to an encampment that "at its peak" involved about 50 people and some 52 tents, Ms Holland said.
The university had identified "escalating incidents and disruption" allegedly associated with the encampment, with there being "obvious concern" about its ability to use its main quad for events such as its student "welcome week" in September, the court was told.
UCL sought "an immediate order for possession" covering its main campus stretching from Gower Street to Gordon Street and Gordon Square and from Gower Place to Torrington Place.
Judge Francesca Kaye said the university's decision-making process was "appropriate" and that an order covering its whole campus was "compatible" with protesters' human rights, and UCL has a right to regain possession of its land.
UCL Stand for Justice said on Instagram that it remained "open to negotiating in a manner that respects the rights and voices of all students" and urged the university to "commit to engaging with us in good faith".
BBC
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Columbia University president resigns in wake of campus protests over Gaza war
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned on Wednesday, nearly four months after the university's handling of campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza drew criticism from pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian sides alike.
Shafik, who cited the toll the campus turmoil took on her family, becomes the third president of an Ivy League university to step down in the wake of campus protests over Gaza.
She said she made the announcement now so new leadership could be in place before the new term begins on Sept. 3, when student protesters have vowed to resume protests.
"It has... been a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community. This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community," Shafik said in a statement.
The university announced Katrina Armstrong, dean of Columbia's medical school, would serve as interim president. Armstrong said in a statement she was "acutely aware of the trials the University has faced over the past year."
Columbia was rocked in April and May as protesters occupied parts of the New York City campus in opposition to Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza, resulting in hundreds of arrests. The demonstrators denounced Shafik for calling police onto campus to halt the demonstrations, while pro-Israel supporters castigated her for failing to crack down sufficiently.
Students with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a group behind the protests, welcomed the resignation but said it should not become a distraction from their efforts to have Columbia divest from companies that support Israel's military and its occupation of Palestinian territories.
"We hope that Columbia will finally appoint a president that will hear the students and faculty rather than appeasing Congress and donors," said Mahmoud Khalil, one of the group's lead negotiators with the school's administration.
Republican U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik, a critic of university leaders in congressional hearings over Gaza protests nationwide, called Shafik's resignation "overdue" on X because of what she called failure to protect Jewish students.
Two other Ivy League presidents have resigned after facing congressional critics. Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania stepped down in December 2023 and Claudine Gay of Harvard quit a month later.
Shafik, an Egyptian-born economist who holds British and U.S. nationality, was previously deputy governor of the Bank of England, president of the London School of Economics and deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund.
After leading Columbia for little more than a year, Shafik said she would return to the British House of Lords and chair a review of the government's approach to international development.
Her position at Columbia was undermined when pro-Palestinian protesters set up dozens of tents on the main lawn.
On April 18 she took the unusual step of asking New York police to enter campus, angering rights groups, students and faculty, after encampments were not cleared voluntarily.
More than 100 people were arrested and the tents removed, but within days the encampment was back in place. The university called police back in on April 30, when they arrested 300 people at and near Columbia and the City College of New York. Some protesters were injured in the arrests.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7 when Palestinian fighters from Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's subsequent assault on the Hamas-governed enclave has since killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, while displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and leading to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.
REUTERS
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned on Wednesday, nearly four months after the university's handling of campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza drew criticism from pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian sides alike.
Shafik, who cited the toll the campus turmoil took on her family, becomes the third president of an Ivy League university to step down in the wake of campus protests over Gaza.
She said she made the announcement now so new leadership could be in place before the new term begins on Sept. 3, when student protesters have vowed to resume protests.
"It has... been a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community. This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community," Shafik said in a statement.
The university announced Katrina Armstrong, dean of Columbia's medical school, would serve as interim president. Armstrong said in a statement she was "acutely aware of the trials the University has faced over the past year."
Columbia was rocked in April and May as protesters occupied parts of the New York City campus in opposition to Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza, resulting in hundreds of arrests. The demonstrators denounced Shafik for calling police onto campus to halt the demonstrations, while pro-Israel supporters castigated her for failing to crack down sufficiently.
Students with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a group behind the protests, welcomed the resignation but said it should not become a distraction from their efforts to have Columbia divest from companies that support Israel's military and its occupation of Palestinian territories.
"We hope that Columbia will finally appoint a president that will hear the students and faculty rather than appeasing Congress and donors," said Mahmoud Khalil, one of the group's lead negotiators with the school's administration.
Republican U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik, a critic of university leaders in congressional hearings over Gaza protests nationwide, called Shafik's resignation "overdue" on X because of what she called failure to protect Jewish students.
Two other Ivy League presidents have resigned after facing congressional critics. Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania stepped down in December 2023 and Claudine Gay of Harvard quit a month later.
Shafik, an Egyptian-born economist who holds British and U.S. nationality, was previously deputy governor of the Bank of England, president of the London School of Economics and deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund.
After leading Columbia for little more than a year, Shafik said she would return to the British House of Lords and chair a review of the government's approach to international development.
Her position at Columbia was undermined when pro-Palestinian protesters set up dozens of tents on the main lawn.
On April 18 she took the unusual step of asking New York police to enter campus, angering rights groups, students and faculty, after encampments were not cleared voluntarily.
More than 100 people were arrested and the tents removed, but within days the encampment was back in place. The university called police back in on April 30, when they arrested 300 people at and near Columbia and the City College of New York. Some protesters were injured in the arrests.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7 when Palestinian fighters from Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's subsequent assault on the Hamas-governed enclave has since killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, while displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and leading to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.
REUTERS
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Columbia University term starts with protests and security
Columbia University students began the school year with fresh protests and increased security just outside their famous New York City campus.
Last term, the Ivy League college saw some of the largest and tensest campus demonstrations in the US as students protested against Israel's military operation in Gaza.
On Tuesday, the first day of term, all eyes were on the demonstrators who gathered at the school gates to see whether they would reflect the scale of the earlier protests.
Police said there were at least two arrests on Tuesday, but characterised the gatherings as "peaceful".
Pro-Palestinian protesters - many of their faces covered in traditional keffiyeh scarves - could be heard several blocks from the site of the demonstration on Tuesday morning. They chanted "Free Palestine" as they banged on drums and marched in circles outside Columbia University's famous iron gates.
On the other side of metal barricades, students and staff watched the demonstration as they queued up to have their identification thoroughly checked before they could enter campus.
Inside, the biggest disruption occurred around noon on Tuesday, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner. The Alma Mater statue outside Low Memorial Library was doused with red paint - allegedly by protesters. The area was reportedly blocked off, as a crew worked to clean the statue.
Columbia’s previous academic year concluded with the New York Police Department raiding a pro-Palestinian encampment that had taken over the campus quad. Student protesters then briefly occupied an academic building that police ultimately cleared, leading to more than 100 arrests.
The school cancelled its main graduation and the student body left for the summer under a cloud of deep unease.
Last month Minouche Shafik - who served as Columbia's president during the encampment and permitted the police raid - resigned.
On Tuesday, the pro-Palestinian protesters asked the returning students to remember why they had demonstrated during the last academic year.
“We ask that you put aside your excitement for a new school year and remember the Palestinians who died by our very dollars,” read a flier that the protesters distributed.
Multiple protesters declined the BBC’s interview requests on Tuesday, and participants were generally unwilling to speak to the press.
By mid-afternoon, the pro-Palestinian demonstration concluded - though protesters chanted: "We'll be back."
Most students on Tuesday appeared unfazed by the demonstrators. Several excitedly greeted each other, hugging after a summer apart. Two students manoeuvred a flatscreen television through protesters and metal security barriers.
Stephanie Lee, a 28-year-old graduate student studying business, said she expected there to be protests, but she felt "OK" on her first day on campus.
“Security is pretty good," she added.
Rachel Black, a freshman from North Carolina, said that she saw the protests as a welcome part of her overall experience at Columbia University.
“I’m interested in becoming more educated,” she said. “I’m hoping to learn what the conflict [is] about.”
Columbia University spokesperson Samantha Slater did not acknowledge the protests in a statement provided to BBC News.
"As we begin the new semester, we are focused on our mission of teaching, creating, and advancing knowledge and ensuring a safe, respectful campus environment for our community."
Multiple protests and counter-protests have been staged at Columbia University since Hamas’s attack in Israel on 7 October, 2023. The attack left about 1,200 people dead, while 251 people were taken hostage.
About 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, since Israel began a retaliatory military campaign that has drawn international criticism.
On Sunday, Israel announced it had recovered the bodies of six of the hostages who were taken to Gaza. Among them was 23-year-old Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents waged a public campaign calling for his release.
David Lederer, a 22-year-old junior at Columbia University, held a small-counter protest along with a fellow Jewish student outside the university gates on Tuesday.
His friend held a photo of Goldberg-Polin, and the two unfurled a large banner that read “Get Support for Terrorism Off Our Campus”.
Mr Lederer - who was sworn at by one passerby - is one of several pro-Israel Jewish students who have expressed concern about antisemitism on campus. They said the pro-Palestinian groups had not sufficiently condemned the 7 October attack or its perpetrators.
“To be anti-war is one thing, but to be pro a terrorist organisation is another, and that has no place at Columbia,” Mr Lederer said.
BBC
Columbia University students began the school year with fresh protests and increased security just outside their famous New York City campus.
Last term, the Ivy League college saw some of the largest and tensest campus demonstrations in the US as students protested against Israel's military operation in Gaza.
On Tuesday, the first day of term, all eyes were on the demonstrators who gathered at the school gates to see whether they would reflect the scale of the earlier protests.
Police said there were at least two arrests on Tuesday, but characterised the gatherings as "peaceful".
Pro-Palestinian protesters - many of their faces covered in traditional keffiyeh scarves - could be heard several blocks from the site of the demonstration on Tuesday morning. They chanted "Free Palestine" as they banged on drums and marched in circles outside Columbia University's famous iron gates.
On the other side of metal barricades, students and staff watched the demonstration as they queued up to have their identification thoroughly checked before they could enter campus.
Inside, the biggest disruption occurred around noon on Tuesday, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner. The Alma Mater statue outside Low Memorial Library was doused with red paint - allegedly by protesters. The area was reportedly blocked off, as a crew worked to clean the statue.
Columbia’s previous academic year concluded with the New York Police Department raiding a pro-Palestinian encampment that had taken over the campus quad. Student protesters then briefly occupied an academic building that police ultimately cleared, leading to more than 100 arrests.
The school cancelled its main graduation and the student body left for the summer under a cloud of deep unease.
Last month Minouche Shafik - who served as Columbia's president during the encampment and permitted the police raid - resigned.
On Tuesday, the pro-Palestinian protesters asked the returning students to remember why they had demonstrated during the last academic year.
“We ask that you put aside your excitement for a new school year and remember the Palestinians who died by our very dollars,” read a flier that the protesters distributed.
Multiple protesters declined the BBC’s interview requests on Tuesday, and participants were generally unwilling to speak to the press.
By mid-afternoon, the pro-Palestinian demonstration concluded - though protesters chanted: "We'll be back."
Most students on Tuesday appeared unfazed by the demonstrators. Several excitedly greeted each other, hugging after a summer apart. Two students manoeuvred a flatscreen television through protesters and metal security barriers.
Stephanie Lee, a 28-year-old graduate student studying business, said she expected there to be protests, but she felt "OK" on her first day on campus.
“Security is pretty good," she added.
Rachel Black, a freshman from North Carolina, said that she saw the protests as a welcome part of her overall experience at Columbia University.
“I’m interested in becoming more educated,” she said. “I’m hoping to learn what the conflict [is] about.”
Columbia University spokesperson Samantha Slater did not acknowledge the protests in a statement provided to BBC News.
"As we begin the new semester, we are focused on our mission of teaching, creating, and advancing knowledge and ensuring a safe, respectful campus environment for our community."
Multiple protests and counter-protests have been staged at Columbia University since Hamas’s attack in Israel on 7 October, 2023. The attack left about 1,200 people dead, while 251 people were taken hostage.
About 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, since Israel began a retaliatory military campaign that has drawn international criticism.
On Sunday, Israel announced it had recovered the bodies of six of the hostages who were taken to Gaza. Among them was 23-year-old Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents waged a public campaign calling for his release.
David Lederer, a 22-year-old junior at Columbia University, held a small-counter protest along with a fellow Jewish student outside the university gates on Tuesday.
His friend held a photo of Goldberg-Polin, and the two unfurled a large banner that read “Get Support for Terrorism Off Our Campus”.
Mr Lederer - who was sworn at by one passerby - is one of several pro-Israel Jewish students who have expressed concern about antisemitism on campus. They said the pro-Palestinian groups had not sufficiently condemned the 7 October attack or its perpetrators.
“To be anti-war is one thing, but to be pro a terrorist organisation is another, and that has no place at Columbia,” Mr Lederer said.
BBC
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