At the Asma Jahangir Conference held in Lahore last week, a member of the Progressive Students Collective (PSC) disrupted the address of the German ambassador on human rights, shouting, “Excuse me, Mr. Ambassador! I am shocked by the audacity that you are here to talk about civil rights while your country is brutally abusing the people speaking for the rights of the Palestinians!”
The protester’s interruption, which included chants of “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,” prompted organizers to remove them from the conference hall.
The PSC members later claimed they were mistreated during their removal, while organizers defended their actions, citing security concerns.
Across campuses worldwide, students are protesting to demand the de-platforming of pro-Zionist representatives and boycotts of companies operating in Israel. These demonstrations often face accusations of posing security threats, with university administrations justifying police interventions and arrests.
For example, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, students set up a protest encampment featuring a makeshift library named ‘Rafaat al Areer Library’, where they expressed their dissent through various creative forms.
At New York University, graduate students faced challenges when the administration threatened police action over setting up tents during protests.
Similar incidents occurred at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where police used riot gear to disperse nonviolent gatherings demanding divestment from companies profiting from the Israeli conflict.
Students at Rice University in Houston organized a 48-hour liberated zone and faced intimidation when proposing resolutions for divestment from corporations implicated in the Gaza conflict.
At Harvard University, students faced disciplinary action and formed coalitions like the ‘Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine Coalition’ to advocate for divestment and express solidarity with Palestine.
At UT Austin, faculty members expressed no confidence in the university president for calling state troopers to disperse peaceful gatherings, which was viewed as an Islamophobic response.
These protests have drawn multi-faith support, including from Jewish protesters, to oppose genocide in principle, irrespective of religious affiliation.
In summary, student-led protests globally seek to highlight human rights abuses and demand accountability through various forms of nonviolent resistance and creative expression.
