Student protesters have gathered and built an encampment on the grounds of a university campus in Washington, D.C., as they show support for Palestine, calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the cessation of U.S. military aid to Israel.
A wave of demonstrations have erupted on college campuses across the U.S. as people voice their displeasure over the continuing war in the Gaza Strip, with some arrests being made at several sites as tensions have flared up between protesters and police.
Participants have vowed to carry on with the activity, with tents being set up as students remain determined in their calls for a ceasefire in the conflict-ridden enclave. Besan Jaber, a graduate student at the Georgetown University in Washington, said the students remain united in their cause.
"This movement is one of the most beautiful [displays of] people's unity I've ever seen. I'm very proud to be a part of this. I think we understand 100 percent that such demands take time. And the administrations of not just George Washington University but other universities have really repeatedly noted that such demands will require so much time and then also will be costly. And students understand this, the movement very much is aware. But everybody believes that if we don't start anytime now, nothing will change," she said.
Jaber also dismissed accusations of anti-Semitic behavior taking place at the universities and said Jewish supporters are peacefully standing by pro-Palestinian protesters amid wide calls for peace.
"Plenty of images have circulated the Internet that basically show you Jewish students with signs and banners that say Jews are feeling very, very safe here. This is just another tactic of the Zionist propaganda, not just in the U.S., elsewhere as well. I think it's pretty very anti-Semitic to even accuse this movement of being anti-Semitic. This is basically dismissing the effort of the Jewish community in the U.S. that have been really leading, inviting people to participate and moving and mobilizing around this issue. They are the ones who are in the encampment," she said.
Protests have been intensifying across the United States since reports emerged earlier this month of students camping out on the Columbia University campus in New York, calling for the university to financially divest from companies and institutions that "profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation in Palestine."
In recent days, universities across more than 30 states have seen more and more protests popping pop, with universities and local authorities implementing increasingly tough measures to crack down on the demonstrations, with over 700 people having been arrested so far.
Student protesters camp out at Washington university as calls for Gaza ceasefire intensify
Student protesters camp out at Washington university as calls for Gaza ceasefire intensify
