Call from Washington:

“Gaza demos at US universities must be peaceful”

Demonstrations continue at Columbia University in New York.

(Bild: AP)

In view of the heated atmosphere at pro-Palestinian demonstrations at a number of American universities, the US government has called for a renunciation of violence. "We understand that these protests are important," National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby told US broadcaster ABC News on Sunday. "But they must be peaceful." The White House leaves it up to local authorities to decide how to deal with protests.

However, peaceful demonstrators should not be harmed. At the same time, Kirby emphasized: "We strongly condemn the anti-Semitic language we have heard recently. We condemn all hate speech and threats of violence."

Demonstrations continue at Columbia University in New York.

(Bild: AP)

The number of demonstrators is increasing
Meanwhile, students and university staff at universities in more than two dozen US states are protesting against the Gaza war. They accuse the US government of involvement in genocide because of its military aid to its ally Israel, demand solidarity with the Palestinians and call on universities to cut economic and academic ties with Israel.

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There were again many arrests during the protests at the weekend. According to the New York Times, more than 800 people have been arrested across the country since April 18. In many cases, they were reportedly released quickly. However, a number of protesters were barred from classes or are now not even allowed to enter the campus grounds. There are also some reports of clashes between demonstrators from opposing camps, such as on Sunday afternoon (local time) at the University of California.

Jewish students in fear
Some of the protesters are accused of anti-Semitism and trivializing the Islamist Hamas, which denies the state of Israel's right to exist. Jewish students are worried about their safety and no longer want to wear the Star of David on campus or speak Hebrew. At the same time, the discourse in a country with a Jewish population estimated at around 7.5 million people has nuances: there are also Jewish students and lecturers among the demonstrators who are critical of the Israeli government.

Universities responsible for campus security
For the universities, the situation is a balancing act: On the one hand, security on campus must be guaranteed, and on the other, the right to freedom of expression. The fact that the president of the elite Columbia University had a protest tent camp cleared by the New York police backfired: the large-scale operation on April 18 not only led to outrage and more protests on site, but ultimately provided the impetus for demonstrations and the setting up of further tent camps at universities across the country.

Since then, other university administrations have also asked for police support. Critics consider the immense police presence at many universities to be disproportionate. People who had previously demonstrated peacefully were also arrested. Some of those affected also complained about the officers' brutal actions.

Concerns about police violence
There have been no extensive reports of injuries so far. However, concerns about - sometimes fatal - police violence are not entirely unfounded in the USA, even during protests and especially when it comes to actions against minorities. It was not only during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 that batons and pepper spray were used excessively.

The situation is now being fueled from the outside by more radical voices who sense an opportunity to make political capital out of the US election campaign. On Sunday, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine rejected the suggestion of some staunchly right-wing Republicans to send the National Guard to the affected universities - such measures could end badly, he warned. The Republican minority leader of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, raised the question of why not all sit down at the same table for a civilized discussion "instead of trying to dominate the conversation".

Bernie Sanders, a non-partisan senator and staunch opponent of US military aid to Israel, also spoke up. He is Jewish himself and anti-Semitism must be condemned in the same way as Islamophobia and all other forms of hatred. But the actions of the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are unacceptable in view of the devastating consequences for the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip. The International Criminal Court would have to clarify whether this amounted to genocide, which many demonstrators already see as proven.