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The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities has struck a deal with Gaza protesters to end their encampment.
Protesters at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities are taking down their four-day encampment on Thursday after Interim University President Jeff Ettinger said university administrators are willing to speak with students about their demands, which include divestment from investments with Israeli ties.
This development comes hours after hundreds of police officers in riot gear dismantled a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of California at Los Angeles and arrested more than 130 demonstrators early Thursday.
Officers muscled their way into a central plaza of the university Wednesday evening before forcing their way into the anti-war encampment around 3:15 am, tearing down barricades and arresting occupants who refused to leave.
Live TV footage showed protesters under arrest, kneeling on the ground, their hands bound behind their backs with zip ties. Loud explosions were heard during the clash from flash-bang charges, or stun grenades, fired by police.
The night before, the campus encampment was attacked by pro-Israel supporters.
Meanwhile, 90 Gaza demonstrators were arrested at Dartmouth College.
President Joe Biden also denounced protests that turned violent on college campuses on Thursday,
WATCH: Biden insists ‘order must prevail’ as police shut down college Gaza protests
Katie Hawkinson3 May 2024 01:00
ICYMI: Officers arrest 90 at Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire police officers arrested some 90 Gaza demonstrators at Dartmouth College overnight Wednesday into Thursday.
Those arrested included students and non-students, the police department said.
Katie Hawkinson3 May 2024 00:00
ICYMI: Pro-Palestine and Pro-Israel supporters chant ‘F*** Joe Biden’
Katie Hawkinson2 May 2024 23:00
WATCH: NYPD tear down tents inside Fordham University to disperse Gaza protesters
Katie Hawkinson2 May 2024 22:04
SEE IT: Palestinians thank protesters with signs in Gaza
Katie Hawkinson2 May 2024 21:36
ICYMI: Lauren Boebert heckled by students after turning up to college Gaza protest
Katie Hawkinson2 May 2024 21:01
ICYMI: US House passes bipartisan antisemitism bill
The US House of Representatives passed an antisemitism bill on Wednesday evening as pro-Palestinian campus protests surge across the country.
The bill would create “a clear definition of antisemitism” if passed by the US Senate and signed by the president. In turn, this bill would then allow the US Department of Education to cut funding to schools found tolerating behaviour that falls under the definition.
The bill passed with bipartisan support, 320-91.
Free speech advocates, however, oppose the bill. The American Civil Liberties Union argues the bill “would likely chill free speech of students on college campuses by incorrectly equating criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism.”
PEN America, a non-profit that advocates for free expression, also condemned the bill, noting that it would adopt the definition of antisemitism as laid out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
“This definition, and its illustrative examples, is overbroad; its enshrinement into law could lead to significant impairment of academic freedom, free speech and legitimate political expression,” the organisation wrote this week.
“Codifying the IHRA definition, which was never intended to be legally binding or otherwise codified into law, is not the right way to attack antisemitic speech and bigotry,” the organisation continued. “Its vague nature is ill-suited to serve as a legal standard, much less form a basis for punitive action.”
Representative Michael Lawler, a Republican from New York who sponsored the bill, said enshrining the IHRA definition in law will instead protect Jewish students on college campuses.
“By requiring the Department of Education to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism and its contemporary examples, the Antisemitism Awareness Act gives teeth to federal anti-discrimination laws to go after those who attack their Jewish peers,” Mr Lawler said. “Politics should never get in the way of the safety of students. The strong bipartisan support for and passage of this legislation will ensure that it won’t.”
Katie Hawkinson2 May 2024 20:30
Pulitzer Prize board praises student journalist efforts at Columbia
The Pulitzer Prize Board, housed under Columbia University, praised student journalists’ efforts to cover the protests even while facing “risk of arrest.”
“As we gather to consider the nation’s finest and most courageous journalism, the Pulitzer Prize Board would like to recognize the tireless efforts of student journalists across our nation’s college campuses, who are covering protests and unrest in the face of great personal and academic risk,” the board wrote on Thursday, four days ahead of announcing the 2024 prize winners.
“We would also like to acknowledge the extraordinary real-time reporting of student journalists at Columbia University, where the Pulitzer Prizes are housed, as the New York Police Department was called onto campus on Tuesday night,” they continued.
As The Independent’s Alex Woodward reported, student journalists worked round the clock to capture the historic demonstrations on college campuses across the country.
Read more:
Katie Hawkinson2 May 2024 20:00
University of Minnesota strikes deal with Gaza protesters
Gaza protesters at the University of Minnesota have agreed to take down their four-day encampment after administrators agreed to discuss their demands, USA Today reports.
The protesters are asking the university to bar companies with ties to Israel from campus events and job fairs. Interim University President Jeff Ettinger said he is also recommending campus police do not press any charges against protesters.
Katie Hawkinson2 May 2024 19:48
WATCH: Biden insists ‘order must prevail’ as police shut down college Gaza protests
Katie Hawkinson2 May 2024 19:30
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