Student protesters’ approach most closely echoes the protests against South Africa’s apartheid government.
Pro-Palestinian protesters rally outside of a building where they had established an encampment at Fordham University Lincoln Center campus on May 1, 2024, in New York City. The occupation of the building comes a day after police raided both Columbia University and City College, arresting dozens and closing down encampments there.
Many might detest their methodology, and we should all clearly oppose violence or hate speech within their ranks, but the broad causes are just and historically vindicated. But student demands today face more obstacles. Opposition to Israeli government action is far more polarizing than opposition to the South African apartheid regime was then. Political support for Israel within the U.S. system is so strong that it has secured laws in more than 30 states that prohibit state governments from doing business with companies that promote divestment from Israel.
Officials at Columbia University and New York University called in the police to break up encampments, leading to hundreds of arrests, which only seemed to stoke the fire. On Tuesday, dozens of protesters occupied a building at Columbia, and hundreds of heavily armed NYPD officers stormed the hall that night to clear it.
While most of the protesters across the country appear to be peaceful, it’s a ripe space for agitators, particularly those who hope to soil public perceptions of the protests for political gain. But observers should not let the extreme actors or detractors cloud the important message these students are trying to send: The situation in Gaza is inhumane and untenable, and those in a position to do something about it must act.
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