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US campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza go global

NT Correspondent

Washington/Paris: From France to Australia to England to Italy, university students are joining pro-Palestine protests, while Columbia students continue their encampments.

Reports of clashes between students and police officers are emerging across the United States amid escalating university demonstrations.

What initially began as a Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University, with students camping inside the campus to advocate for divestment from companies associated with Israel, has now expanded to campuses in California, Texas, and beyond.

Currently, over 20 universities in the US are protesting against Israel’s military actions in Gaza, where the ongoing offensive has resulted in the loss of over 34,000 lives and widespread starvation due to the blockade.

However, the wave of protests extends beyond the borders of the US, with students worldwide demonstrating in solidarity with Gaza since the outbreak of the conflict on October 7.

Following the encampments at Columbia University, the protests have gained momentum, spreading to universities from Italy to England.

Demands of student protesters: 'Divest from Israel'

A rallying cry reverberates across prestigious campuses like Harvard Yard, Columbia’s South Lawn, Yale’s Beinecke Plaza, and UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza: "Disclose and divest," reports Bloomberg.

University students vow to persist in their protests against Israel until this demand is met.

“We’re prepared to face suspension, expulsion, and arrest, believing that such actions will apply pressure,” states Malak Afaneh, a law student at the University of California, Berkeley, and a leading organizer of the protests.

Afaneh and her fellow pro-Palestinian demonstrators advocate for universities to sever ties with investments linked to Israel and weapons fueling the conflict in Gaza.

This includes divestment from funds managed by BlackRock, Google, Amazon's cloud service, Lockheed Martin, and even Airbnb.

Varsities worldwide stand against Israel

• Sorbonne University students in Paris, France, have taken to the streets in protest.
• In Australia, students from the University of Sydney established proPalestine encampments on Tuesday and continued their protests until Friday.
• Similarly, students at the University of Melbourne pitched tents on the south lawn of their main campus on Thursday.
• In Rome, Italy, students from Sapienza University organised demonstrations, sit-ins, and hunger strikes on April 17 and April 18.
• Since the night of April 19, students from the University of Warwick's group "Warwick Stands With Palestine" have occupied the campus piazza in England.
• Last month, students from the University of Leeds in England occupied a campus building in protest against the university's involvement with Israel.

Death toll in Gaza hits 34,388

Gaza’s death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks has surged to 34,305 since last October, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave told reporters.

A ministry statement said that 77,293 other people have also been injured in the Israeli onslaught.

“At least 43 people were killed and 64 others injured in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

“Many victims are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.