May 3, 2024
Scenes From the Gaza Solidarity Encampments
By Finn Cooley
We asked five student writers to talk about the pro-Palestine protests at their schools, how their administrations have responded, and what the next steps are for organizers.
(Travis Long / Getty)
On April 30, Columbia University sent in hundreds of NYPD officers to disband the school’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment and remove protesters from occupied Hamilton Hall. The original encampment at Columbia—and the subsequent crackdown—inspired more than one hundred similar protests nationwide. To prevent further actions, University President Minouche Shafik has asked the police to stay on campus until two days after graduation.
Not every administration has reacted to the Gaza solidarity protests in the same way. Students at Brown University agreed to willingly disband their encampment after the university pledged to hold a vote on divestment from companies affiliated with Israel in the fall. “On the same day that Columbia University called in the NYPD to arrest dozens of pro-Palestine protesters, the encampment at Brown University ended peacefully,” wrote Owen Dahlkamp.
To better understand what’s happening on campuses nationwide, we asked five student writers to briefly report on the encampments at their schools, how their university administrations have responded, and what the next steps are for the movement.
