College Chaos and the History of Divestment Protests
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at an encampment on the University of California, Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California, US, on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergHello, and welcome back to the Equality newsletter. I’m Claire Suddath, a senior writer for Bloomberg News’ Equality team, covering topics ranging from women in the work place to race and equity initiatives. You can subscribe here, and share feedback with me here.
This week I’ll look at how the student protests over Gaza are and are not like past college protest movements. But first...
This week, all hell broke loose on college campuses. I’m sure you saw some of the footage of the student protests against the war in Gaza on social media or in the news. Tent encampments have cropped up on the lawns of at least 100 US colleges. Students at Columbia University overtook a classroom building and others at Portland State University took over a library, prompting campus lockdowns at both schools. Police reportedly tear gassed protestors at the University of South Florida. Pro-Israel protesters clashed with pro-Palestinian groups at UCLA, prompting police action. Indiana University reportedly changed a 55-year-old policy on student assembly a few hours before a planned protest, then called in state troopers because students had violated its newly added ban against tents. Dozens of students at multiple schools have been arrested, suspended, even possibly expelled.