One example, from just up the Ivy-garlanded I-95, at Brown University, was announced just hours before Shafik again called in the police. Brown’s governing body agreed to vote on a proposal that would divest the school’s endowment of companies affiliated with Israel in a meeting in October. The proposal is based on a 2020 Advisory Committee on Corporation Responsibility in Investment Practices that identified and recommended divestment from “companies that facilitate the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory,” per the Brown Daily Herald.
In exchange, the university’s nonviolent student protesters agreed to vacate their encampment by 5 p.m. that afternoon.
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Another plausible outcome from California: When a similar encampment went up a few days ago at the University of California, Irvine, it seemed likely that police might sweep the protesters away. Orange County sheriff’s deputies began to appear in riot gear near the protest.
But, rather than traffic in vague allegations of misconduct before hiding behind a belligerent mayor and an aggressive police force, like Shafik, the UC–Irvine administration took a much different tack. “UC Irvine respects the rights of any students to engage in free speech and expression including lawful protest,” the school said in a prepared statement. This, remember, is at a public school, where keeping public police forces away is more challenging than a private enclave like Columbia.
And in fact, Irvine’s mayor did get involved in the action. Not long after that, Mayor Farrah N. Khan issued a resounding statement declaring that she would not tolerate any violation of students’ free speech or right to assembly. “I am asking our law enforcement to stand down. I will not tolerate any violations to our students’ rights to peacefully assemble and protest.” She asked the deputies to leave, and they did.
Columbia should continue to expel students who breach the code of conduct. They’ve started with that person who went on the unhinged rant and that’s a good start.
College is supposed to prepare you for real life. Real life has consequences.
Protesting is an important part of democracy, what we’re seeing clearly goes beyond protesting and is a clear violation of the school rules in many places.
It does seem that the protests that haven’t evolved into hate filled homeless camps are having better success negotiating with the various schools they’re pushing to change. It’s odd that the other camps aren’t taking notice and following suit. Talking this out is going to bring much more favorable outcomes than barricading buildings.
Universities and cops that have attacked students like this have historically, pretty much always been on the wrong side of history. Fifty years from now, these protests will probably be seen the same light, students standing up for what is right, with governments and institutions standing up for the grotesque.
I mean…we have witness of this happening in the 40s, with Jews being locked out of American schools. Dunno if you’ve seen that photo going around but it’s pretty striking.
We’ve got witness of it 30 years later when the students in Iran were on the streets calling for change (change that led to my family having to flee) so we know for sure that students can and definitely will be wrong at times.
The students could be right today, if they are they sure have lined up with some of the worst people this world has to offer, with the regime in Iran, Hamas and Russia lining up to support. I’m fascinated by the Saudis coming to the defense of Israel and American kids protesting against Israel right now. If you told me this would happen twenty years ago I’d have thought you were crazy. Turns out crazy is the flavour of the day.
Maybe you should correct yourself on the fact that Iran is not the palistinian people, Israel is not Jews. Conflating these things is going to lead you to side with oppressors.
I’d correct myself if I was wrong. But only the most ignorant would try and claim that the Iranian regime isn’t directly responsible for the conditions in Gaza Right now. Hamas is Iranian regime controlled and supported, and Gazans support Hamas. Being intentionally ignorant about the context doesn’t help the situation.
Once the Palestinians choose peace over hate, peace will be had. Letting ignorance and misinformation spread like you’ve been the victim of only leads to more suffering.
I’m assuming you’re talking about this one:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2024/04/30/2023-photo-not-columbia-protest-fact-check/73512273007/
If so, it’s a bullshit false equivalence, and not even the right context/time/place.
Seems like you’re misplacing your anger of the government’s actions on the students.
A broken clock is right twice. And let’s be honest, Iran and Russia are only in it to see the US’s interests (Israel as a middle east oil base) fail. And no students are lining up to side with Hamas, they’re protesting the genocide.
The USSR, China, North Korea, and Cuba sided with the students when they protested the Vietnam war. Same shit, different year.
Given that “stop killing people” is currently a controversial opinion nowadays, yeah.
How is there a false equivalence between Jews being locked out in the 40s and Jews being locked out today? It’s clearly happened on multiple campuses and has been documented by more than a few pro Israel groups.
I’m not misplacing anything or confused here. This is one thing I think Biden is getting right LoL, these aren’t protests. Protests are needed, these are crossing multiple lines in multiple locations and in many cases are not protests at all any longer.
There’s way more people being killed in a lot of places right now. Have you considered what’s prompting this now? When the region was on the verge of widespread peace? After a half dozen countries turned away from war and chose peace and the biggest player in the region was about to follow. Have you considered that this isn’t the organic Movement that you harken to the past as your examples? I’m assuming you’ve seen the publication linking the funding for these protests together. Were the students protesting against Vietnam all using tents provided by the Vietnamese? You’ve surely noticed that coincidence right?
Stop killing people…by supporting the people who kill people for not being in lock step with them really seems to be an interesting approach. I’m doubtful it’ll work, we’re seeing the people funding this mess step up their public hangings and jailing all while being cheered by the very people they’ve sworn to kill so ya, crazy really is the flavour of the day.
The White western saviours have really established themselves as useful idiots here. It’s fascinating having a foot in both worlds listening to people actively involved on both sides and watching the utter stupidity breaking out in America that’s disconnected from reality. Crazy really is the only way frame it.