According to the global network, on the 24th local time, clashes between student protesters and police at universities in many places across the United States intensified, and protesters fell into a tense confrontation with law enforcement officials and the university, and dozens of protesters were arrested.
As of the 24th, protests have erupted in dozens of colleges and universities, including Ivy League colleges and universities on the east coast of the United States, large public schools in the Midwest and South, and several universities in California, where students have condemned the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip and called on Israel to end its actions against the Palestinian territories.
Earlier, hundreds of students at the University of Texas at Austin walked out of their classrooms to protest and demand that the university divest from companies that do business with Israel. Subsequently, at least 20 protesters were arrested by state police in riot gear on the orders of Governor Abbott.
On April 24, 2024 local time, pro-Palestinian students protested against the war between Israel and Hamas on the campus of the University of Texas. Source: Visual China
The protests began at Columbia University.
In the early morning of April 17, local time, in front of the Butler Library of Columbia University in New York City, USA, a number of students set up tents on the lawn and established the "Gaza Solidarity Camp".
A day later, the police entered the campus to disperse the protesting students and arrested more than 100 people, citing students for violating school rules. Subsequently, the protests intensified, triggering a massive solidarity movement at colleges and universities in many parts of the United States.
The demonstrators also demanded that the school cut ties with Israeli arms suppliers and other businesses profiting from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that the expulsion and other disciplinary actions imposed on the demonstrators, students, faculty and staff be revoked.
"We cannot allow outside agitators to come in and disrupt order. On the 23rd local time, New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference that the protests were mostly peaceful, and accused "external agitators" of stirring up the situation, while promising to provide more resources to help Columbia University quell the protests.
At the same time, the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University entered their sixth day, and clashes intensified as hundreds of students slept on campus and police watched them outside the campus gates.
On April 23, 2024 local time, student protesters at Columbia University called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Source: Visual China
As early as October last year, a wave of protests in support of Palestine broke out at several universities in the United States. At that time, the presidents of Harvard University, Penn University and other schools tried to uphold free speech on campus, refusing to directly punish students for their protest speech, which was fiercely attacked by many politicians and Jewish wealthy donors, and finally had to resign.
The police entered the university campus and arrested a large number of students, bringing a new phase of protests in American colleges and universities. Some US media predict that the current wave of protests may continue until the end of the year, when even some graduation ceremonies will evolve into angry confrontation occasions.
"The harassment and violent rhetoric against Jews that has emerged in recent days is reprehensible and dangerous for this blatant anti-Semitism, which has absolutely no place on a college campus or anywhere in the United States. On the 21st local time, U.S. President Joe Biden made a statement on the protest.
On April 24, local time, U.S. President Joe Biden delivered a speech after signing the Foreign Aid Act. Source: Visual China
It is worth noting that on April 23, local time, the U.S. Senate voted 79 in favor and 18 against to pass a foreign aid bill worth $95 billion, including $26 billion in aid to Israel.
A day later, U.S. President Joe Biden said he had signed the foreign aid bill.
Some analysts have pointed out that at present, American society is highly divided on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the boundaries of freedom of speech are being challenged, and the controversy over the Palestinian-Israeli issue is increasingly tearing apart society.
According to the latest data, since the outbreak of the new Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7 last year, the Israeli army's military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed 34,262 Palestinians and injured another 77,229.