Students across the U.S. have carried out sustained protests on college campuses, calling for their schools to cut all financial ties to businesses and funds that they see as complicit in Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip.
At Columbia University in New York City, where the Gaza solidarity protests began over a week ago, students in the encampment said talks on Friday with school officials remain at a stalemate.
Protesters at Columbia University calling for a free Palestine. Nine days in, they've triggered an avalanche of demonstrations across the nation. Police have attempted to crack down on the demonstrations with some 500 arrests made, many of them not university students or staff.
Despite the threat of arrest, protesters say they will not be moved until their demands for colleges to boycott Israeli companies and amnesty for students facing disciplinary action over their involvement are met.
"They so far refused to take our demands seriously, they refused to negotiate in good faith, and they continue to delay and delay and try to tire us out," said Sebastian Gomez, a protester.
Students and teachers at Northwestern University in the State of Illinois, along with local community members, have joined protests on the campus. Organizers say the protests are aimed not only at showing support for Palestinians in Gaza, but also promoting free speech and a demand for the university to stop investing in Israel.
"We are calling for the university to protect all freedom of speech and civil liberties. To disclose investments, we want to know where the money in this university is going, how the endowment is being spent. And we want divestment," said Eden, the protest organizer.
U.S. President Joe Biden and politicians in Congress have condemned the protests as "antisemitic." Students reject that claim, noting that Jewish students and community members have joined in on the demonstrations across the country.
"A lot of people are saying that these pro-Palestine protests are antisemitic. And this is obviously not true. I hope that I can use my voice to amplify what other people are saying," said a protester named Keith Larson.
The scale of the protest at Northwestern University has grown significantly since it began on Thursday morning, and demonstrators are determined to continue until their demands are met.
"In order for this to end, and this is what we told the administration, you have the power to end this tomorrow. And the thing that we need from you as students is real intentional commitment to the demands that we placed on the table," said Eden.
Some protesters at Northwestern are concerned about the potential of being arrested, but others say they're prepared for that eventuality and are ready to stay for as long as it takes.
The University of Southern California (USC) has canceled its graduation ceremony amid pro-Palestinian protests. The announcement comes after nearly 100 people were arrested at USC on Wednesday.
In just a matter of hours, hundreds of students at UCLA set up an encampment right outside the institution's iconic Royce Hall. Organizers are calling for swift action both from their university as well as their government.
"They've seen Israel's occupation of Palestine for the last 75-plus years, and they've decided that, they're tired of their tuition money and their tax money going to fund the killing of Palestinians," said Vincent Doehr, a graduate student at UCLA.
Students, employees, and even community members are permitted to join the encampment, subject to certain guidelines to safeguard peaceful protest. Some faculty members are also taking a stand to support their students' right to protest.
"Especially after what happened in Columbia and USC, we feel like our bottom line is just don't arrest our students. We have a responsibility to protect the safety and rights of our students. And we just don't want police to drag our students around, that's basically it," said Michael Chwe, a professor at UCLA.
UCLA administrators have not responded to any of the students' demands but protesters are optimistic. They say they're determined to stay until their demands are met.
US student protesters demand universities divest from Israel-linked interests
US student protesters demand universities divest from Israel-linked interests
