Collegiate protests and campus sit-ins are spreading like wildfire throughout the United States with students standing in solidarity with Palestinians, calling for their universities to sever all ties with Israel and divest funding.
This surge of student activism stems from the latest Israel-Hamas war that has been happening since Oct. 7, 2023.
Fresno State will be joining the acts of activism today in the Peace Garden.
Fresno for Palestine, a group of Palestinian-Americans created to raise awareness of pro-Palestine events in Fresno, as stated in its Instagram bio, in union with Students for Palestine Liberation (SPL) at Fresno State have arranged a peaceful sit-in at 1 p.m.
Columbia University was the first to see tents taking over its campus. On April 17, student protesters set up camps on East Butler Lawn and occupied Hamilton Hall in a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.” Columbia students were removed from the premises by New York police on April 30.
At the University of Southern California, the main graduation ceremony was canceled due to safety concerns, according to the university, following a pro-Palestinian protest and encampment on campus that led to the arrest of 93 individuals. This action came after the school’s pro-Palestinian valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, was prohibited from speaking at commencement, in which the university cited safety concerns.
The Fresno community is being asked to show up and join the movement saying “Enough is enough. They deserve better,” according to an Instagram post.
Participants are told not to bring any megaphones, noisemakers, speakers or anything that will cause too much ruckus.
“Don’t ruin this for everyone. Please remain peaceful,” the Instagram post says.
Individuals are also reminded that they are responsible for their own being. If someone wants their identity to remain anonymous, they are encouraged to wear a mask or face covering.
Other school buildings such as Royce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles, Siemens Hall at Cal Poly Humboldt, the Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley and Old Main at Arizona State University Tempe Campus were barricaded by student protesters the past few weeks.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill experienced protests throughout the entire campus. Police officials used pepper spray to disperse the 1,000 person crowd after the American flag was taken down in Polk Place and replaced with a Palestinian flag.
“Police have swept through other campuses across the U.S. over the last two weeks, leading to confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests nationwide,” AP News reported.
However, some campuses are settling the protests peacefully. Brown University protesters agreed to clear the campus on April 30, after officials agreed to a formal vote on a divestment measure that will take place in October 2024.
On Wednesday morning, Campus Communications sent a campus-wide email reminding students about their right to free speech, but also about the university’s Principles of Community.
The university also announced a new Free Speech website, where the campus community can access frequently asked questions and guidelines to understand how to properly execute their rights to freedom of speech.
During this time of activism, President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval encourages students to keep their demonstrations peaceful and with the respect of other viewpoints.
“We ask that everyone approach discussions and demonstrations with respect for differing viewpoints and adhere to our Time, Place and Manner of Free Expression Policy,” Jiménez-Sandoval said in the email.
