Hundreds of students arrested as Pro-Palestine protests intensify in US

Students from at least 24 universities across the United States have now joined the movement, which began at Columbia University in New York City last week, calling for universities to cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies that enable its war in Gaza. Although some students have been rather clear in their demands, others are just supporting the cause. Yet, despite the protesters having been largely peaceful, they have been met by a heavy-handed response. In just a week, more than 100 protesters were arrested at Columbia, 133 at New York University, 40 at Yale University, and over 100 at the University of Texas and University of Southern California. Texas governor Greg Abbott said the demonstrators ‘belong in jail’ and all participating students should be expelled, while US House Speaker Mike Johnson called for the National Guard to be deployed on protesting campuses. In an even greater display of authoritarianism, US Senator Tom Cotton has demanded that the Biden administration immediately deport all foreign nationals, in particular those on student visas, who have ‘expressed support for Hamas’.