• Campaigns
    • POMW
    • Guarding Innocence
    • Palestine Truth
    • Hold On
  • Articles
  • Podcast
  • More
    • About
    • Careers
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    • Submit
    • Subscribe
Be a Guardian
Islam21cIslam21c
  • Campaigns
  • Articles
  • Podcast
  • More
Search
  • Campaigns
    • POMW
    • Guarding Innocence
    • Palestine Truth
    • Hold On
  • Articles
  • Podcast
  • More
    • About
    • Careers
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    • Submit
    • Subscribe

Stay Updated

Stay updated to receive the latest from Islam21c

Subscribe
Made by ThemeRuby using the Foxiz theme Powered by WordPress

Student sit-ins spread in US and UK over Gaza genocide

Peaceful protests in support of Palestine have been met by violence; this is a microcosm of the situation in Gaza

By Ustadh Faizaan Mahmood Abu Hayyan 24 Shw 45 ◦︎ 3 May 24 6 Min Read
Student sit-ins spread in US and UK over Gaza genocide
29 April 2024: Thousands of students gather at an encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in support of Palestine. Editorial credit: Ringo Chiu / shutterstock.com

As tensions surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict continue to engulf various parts of the world, universities across the United States have become battlegrounds for pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators, resulting in hundreds of arrests and violent clashes. [1]

Contents
Universities struggling to handle protestsWorldwide demands for divestment from IsraelAnalysis

In one example at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), what began as a peaceful rally for a ceasefire in Gaza, quickly descended into disorder when counter demonstrators breached security barriers, leading to verbal and physical attacks. [1]

Campus police ultimately intervened, but the situation remained unstable as both sides exchanged insults and fought for control. [1]

Mary Osako, UCLA Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications, said in a statement,

“As an institution of higher education, we stand firmly for the idea that even when we disagree, we must still engage respectfully and recognise one another’s humanity.

“We are dismayed that certain individuals instead chose to jeopardise the physical safety of the community.” [2]

Universities struggling to handle protests

The unrest at UCLA reflects a broader trend across US campuses, with demonstrations spreading elsewhere. [1]

Northeastern, Indiana, and Arizona State universities, in addition to Columbia have all experienced sit-ins. [1]

Across state lines, militarised police forces have been deployed to bring protesters under control, with some resorting to chemical irritants, Tasers, and flashbangs. [3]

In Boston, Massachusetts, about 100 people were detained on 27 April, during the clearance of an encampment at Northeastern University, while similar incidents unfolded at other institutions nationwide. [1]

Northeastern Provost David Madigan and Chancellor Ken Henderson said in a public statement,

“Over the weekend, like many colleges and universities nationwide, Northeastern faced an untenable dilemma.

“While we embrace — and even celebrate — the spirited exchange of divergent views, we must balance that aspiration with our responsibility for the safety and well-being of more than 30,000 people who live, work, and study on our Boston campus.

“We must always be vigilant in maintaining an environment in which those activities can take place without fear of harassment, intimidation, and name-calling.” [4]

Worldwide demands for divestment from Israel

The protests at US universities have quickly reverberated around the globe, inspiring similar demonstrations in Canada, Europe, and Australia. [1]

From McGill University in Montreal to the University of Sydney, students have established protest encampments and demanded divestment from companies that support Israel. [1]

A McGill teaching assistant and student named Zeca Eufemia, who was among the demonstrators, explained her intent,

“I’m here in solidarity with Palestine because I, amongst many students, and people in the community refuse to see our tuition money go to killing children in Gaza.” [5]

Analysis

ANALYSIS


Abu Hayyan
Community volunteer & geopolitical analyst

What are the demands?

The demands of students across America, Europe, and elsewhere are quite simple: divest from companies and businesses linked to Israel, as they are profiting off of the war against the people of Gaza.

Most universities have refused to move on this demand, with experts claiming divestment may not have a significant impact on the companies themselves.

Other demands include universities disclosing their investments, severing academic ties with Israeli universities, and publicly supporting a ceasefire in Gaza.

Protest movements at some universities are also calling for school officials to protect free speech and protect students being punished for participating in protests — arguably covered by the First Amendment.

Have leftwing fanatics taken hold of campuses?

There have been many who have said that leftwing fanatics have taken over these protests and are deliberately causing chaos on campus.

However, the fact of the matter is that in the so-called 'land of the free', professors and students have been man-handled, simply because they hold an opinion.

The irony is, Western universities that have been paraded for centuries as bastions of liberal opinion and thought have become arenas of mass suppression by the states themselves!

Western media apparatus have, for decades, been showing protests that have been physically dismantled by authoritarian regimes such as in China, Russia, Iran, and other nations. Such outlets have deemed these actions as undemocratic.

Western nations proudly emulating authoritarian regimes

The scenes across the US, UK, and elsewhere are very much on par with state brutality across the world, those that suppress opinions, especially that of protesting against an undeniable genocide.

It is unfortunately the case that the opinion that Israel is committing a genocide is not the view of Biden and his cronies, of Sunak and his ministers. Therefore, the states are gagging the voice and actions of students for the world to see.

Freedom is a mirage in the West; it sells an idea which is seldom practised unless it agrees with the normative opinion of the governments and capitalists of the day. It was the same with anti-apartheid protests and anti-war movements of the past.

History will judge accordingly that Western governments were complacent in the genocide against Gaza and suppressed even their own people from raising their voices against it.



Source: Islam21c

Notes

[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/28/hundreds-of-university-students-arrested-in-us-as-gaza-war-protests-spread

[2] https://abcnews.go.com/US/violent-clashes-ucla-college-protests-counterprotests-intensify/story?id=109828027

[3] https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/university-protests-palestine-04-30-24/h_3224dbaa97906a83325b695c521f234c

[4] https://news.northeastern.edu/moving-forward-together/

[5] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/protest-palestinian-israel-mcgill-encampment-investments-divest-1.7188777

TAGGED: AID, APARTHEID, AUTHORITARIANISM, BIDEN, CONFLICT, CRISIS, DEMONSTRATION, DEMONSTRATIONS, DISPLACEMENT, FAMINE, FOOD, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, GAZA, GAZA STRIP, GENOCIDE, HUMANITARIAN, HUNGER, INTERNATIONAL LAW, ISRAEL, MAINSTREAM MEDIA, NETANYAHU, PALESTINE, PALESTINIANS, Peaceful Protests, PROTEST, PROTESTING, PROTESTS, UNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, UNIVERSITIES, UNIVERSITY, VOTE, WAR CRIMES, WESTERN THOUGHT, ZIONIST STATE
Ustadh Faizaan Mahmood Abu Hayyan 24 Shw 45 ◦︎ 3 May 24 24 Shw 45 ◦︎ 3 May 24
Share This Article
Copy Link
By Ustadh Faizaan Mahmood
Ustadh Faizaan is a regular contributor at Islam21c. He is also the founder of Abqa Institute, which provides on-site and online Islamic education across the globe. Ustadh Faizaan is currently pursuing a BA in Islamic Sciences at al-Azhar University, and has worked as an Imam at Northwich Muslim Centre. He has been studying the Islamic Sciences under the supervision of scholars for over nine years, and regularly delivers sermons and lectures at different mosques in the UK.
By Abu Hayyan
Abu Hayyan has been volunteering for Islamic organisations for over twenty years. He has a keen interest in geopolitics and provides analysis on pressing issues affecting the Muslim world.
Previous Article Top footballers to play in support of Gaza's children Top footballers to play in support of Gaza’s children
Next Article Britain's first ever Turkish mosque at risk of closing Britain’s first ever Turkish mosque at risk of closing
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Charlie Kirk, whataboutism, genocide, & Joseph Goebbels

Charlie Kirk, whataboutism, genocide, & Joseph Goebbels

Opinion
Doha bombing has only exposed Israel’s war on peace

Doha bombing has only exposed Israel’s war on peace

Politics
Today's religiosity has missed the point

Today’s religiosity has missed the point

Podcast
Why I produced the Bosnia series

Why I produced the Bosnia series

History
Show More
Facebook Youtube Instagram Telegram Whatsapp

© 2025 Islam21c | All rights reserved

Work with us

Whether you want to volunteer or be a part of our team, there are ways you can always make a contribution to the Muslim Ummah.

View vacancies

Stay connected!

We know how it feels to miss out on the latest breaking stories, exciting project announcements, and multimedia productions, so here is this handy box to make sure you don’t miss a thing! Signing up takes just 10 seconds.

Subscribe
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?