Almost seven months after the outbreak of the war in Gaza, student protests against Israel’s military response are mounting in numerous universities around the world. From North America to Australia, from Europe to Arab countries, initiatives on campuses are multiplying to ask for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
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United States
For months, pro-Gaza demonstrations have affected dozens of university campuses in the United States, where more than 2,000 people have been stopped by the police. At Columbia University in New York the number of arrests exceeded 400.
In California, over 200 arrests have been made in various universities. In Los Angeles, the police intervened to clear the area set up inside the University of California (UCLA).
Tensions also involved Southern University, Pomona College and California State Polytechnic. In Austin, Texas, arrests rise to 132 but arrests are also recorded in Yale, Connecticut and in Georgia, Florida, Arizona and Colorado.
Canada
From the United States the wave of protests against the war in the Middle East has reached neighboring Canada.
Pro-Gaza camps have sprung up at the universities of Toronto and McGill in Montreal. Initiatives also at the University of British Columbia and the University of Ottawa.
Like American students, Canadian activists are calling for disinvestment in those who support settlements in Palestine.
Australia
According to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corp, sit-ins have taken place in Australian universities in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and the capital Canberra.
The representation of Australian Jewish students has denounced threats such as the invitation to take sides in the classroom on the conflict.
United Kingdom
At University College London the students asked the leaders to sever ties with the Tel Aviv university as well as any economic relationship with the arms manufacturing companies that support Israel. Pro-Gaza protests were also recorded at the universities of Oxford, Newcastle and Warwick.
France
Numerous universities in France have been boiling for weeks, from the Sorbonne to the Ehess Condorcet in Paris.
Last week, students at Sciences Po clashed with police who raided the school where around 60 protesters were camping. Other protests were recorded in Saint-Etienne, Dijon, Grenoble, Lyon, Menton, Rennes, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Reims.
Lebanon
In recent days in Lebanon, hundreds of students have gathered on university campuses in the capital Beirut.
A video posted online by the American University of Beirut shows protesters marching with Palestinian flags and signs calling for an end to all economic relations with Israel.
Jordan
Thousands of protesters also took to the streets in Jordan, which like Lebanon borders on part of Israel. According to the Reuters agency, the authorities have thwarted protests in recent months and students canceled a sit-in planned at Jordan University in Amman.
According to the humanitarian organization Dawn, at least 9 students were arrested and 5 expelled from the university for participating in pro-Gaza demonstrations.
Read also: Over 34.000 dead in Gaza since October 7th 2023 and more than 77.000 injured
