Following Columbia’s lead, students across the US are demanding ceasefire and divestment – and hundreds have been arrested Four students on why they’re protesting against war in Gaza: ‘Injustice should not be accepted’ At least 40 pro-Palestine protest camps have arisen across US campuses following Columbia University’s example earlier this month. While many remain provocative though peaceful, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment by their institutions from companies with ties to Israel, hundreds of students and outside protesters have been arrested, and there have been some fierce cl ..read more

Police clashed with protesters at Ohio State University, hours after they gathered on Thursday evening. Those who refused to leave after warnings were arrested and charged with criminal trespass, said a university spokesperson, Benjamin Johnson, citing rules barring overnight events. As the death toll mounts in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis worsens, protesters at universities across the US are demanding schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies they say are enabling the conflict. Some Jewish students say the demonstrations have veered into antisemitism and made them afr ..read more

As pro-Palestinian demonstrations roil campus, the station’s undergraduate reporters – working 18 hour days – have become an essential news source “The turning point was certainly immediate, very sudden … We received a tip at 4am that there would be a demonstration on Columbia’s campus, and pretty soon after that, we went live on air.” The presenter, Georgia Dillane, is describing the moment on 17 April that student radio station WKCR was thrust into the spotlight with its quick news updates from inside the university grounds ..read more

The California university cancelled Asna Tabassum’s speech because of ‘security concerns’. The real reason is cowardice When Asna Tabassum, a hijab-wearing Muslim, was announced as the valedictorian for the University of Southern California class of 2024, my initial reaction was the thought of my south Asian mother saying, “What are you doing? Why aren’t you valedictorian?” But what followed was pride. Then the university announced last week that it would no longer allow Tabassum to speak at commencement. After pro-Israel groups mischaracterized Tabassum’s pro-Palestinian views as “antisemiti ..read more

Police have arrested dozens of students across US universities this week after a crackdown on pro-Palestine protests on campuses. Erum Salam and Margaret Sullivan report from New York As the Israel-Gaza war grinds on amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the world’s attention this week was captured by a battle on the campuses of elite US universities. Pro-Palestine student protesters were arrested en masse by New York City police at the prestigious Columbia University, prompting outrage that spread across other college sites. Guardian US reporter Erum Salam tells Michael Safi that the scene on ..read more

Ministers considering more funding to protect important research sites, with China seen as a particular concern MI5 has warned universities that hostile foreign states are targeting sensitive research, as ministers consider measures to bolster protections. Vice-chancellors from 24 leading institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London, were briefed on the threat by the domestic security service’s director general, Ken McCallum, and National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) chief, Felicity Oswald ..read more

President, scheduled to speak at the historically Black campus before the start of the Israel-Gaza war, will give speech on 19 May Student campus protests – live updates Joe Biden will be the commencement speaker at Morehouse College in Georgia, giving the Democrat a key spotlight at one of the nation’s pre-eminent historically Black campuses but potentially exposing him to uncomfortable protests as he seeks re-election against Donald Trump. The White House confirmed on Tuesday that Biden would speak on 19 May at the alma mater of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr, and then address ..read more

The university is to hold virtual classes after protests on campus culminated in the arrest of more than 100 students Over 100 students at Columbia were arrested last week after refusing to leave a pro-Palestine protest encampment set up on the university’s main campus. The arrests have since set off a chain of events, including the re-establishing of the encampment and solidarity protests on other US college campuses. On Monday, Columbia announced it will hold classes virtually to try to “reset” the situation on campus. Here’s what we know so far about what’s happening at Columbia ..read more

Pro-Palestinian students interrupted a dinner held by a top free speech defender at Berkeley. A polarized and very public controversy has followed During a dinner for students that the dean of the University of California, Berkeley law school held in his house’s backyard earlier this month, a woman wearing a hijab and checkered Palestinian scarf suddenly stood up with a microphone and amplifier. What followed lasted only a couple of minutes, but has led to a fierce debate about the limits of free speech, drew death threats to those involved, and created a “media firestorm,” as the dean, Erwin ..read more

Minouche Shafik appeared beleaguered as House members grilled her over reported upsurge in antisemitism on campus The head of a prestigious US university clashed with members of Congress today in highly charged hearings over a reported upsurge in antisemitism on campus in the wake of Israel’s war in Gaza. Minouche Shafik, the president of Columbia University, appeared beleaguered and uncertain as one Congress member after another assailed her over her institution’s supposed inaction to stop it becoming what one called “a hotbed of antisemitism and hatred ..read more