NEW YORK/AMSTERDAM: In view of the Israeli military offensive unleashed on civilians in Gaza over the last few months, students at institutes of higher education across the globe have been demonstrating in a bid to force their universities to divest and disassociate with groups ‘enabling’ the Israeli military occupation and assault on Palestine.

The wave of protests began with an encampment set up by students at Columbia University and soon spread to campuses across the United States. The student-led movement to divest and disassociate from groups with ties to Israel, is now popping up at universities across the globe.

The turmoil on campuses has prompted several colleges and universities across the United States to relocate, modify, or cancel commencement ceremonies altogether.

Columbia University on Monday cancelled its main, university-wide commencement ceremony scheduled for May 15 in favour of smaller, school-based events, a decision that follows weeks of pro-Palestinian protests that roiled the Ivy League School.

“We have decided to make the centerpiece of our commencement activities our Class Days and school-level ceremonies, where students are honored individually alongside their peers, rather than the university-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15,” Columbia said in a statement, calling the past few weeks “incredibly difficult for our community.”

Belgian and Dutch students join Gaza protest wave

The protests at Columbia, which drew national attention, have inspired similar demonstrations at dozens of universities around the US.

European protest wave

Students in Belgium and the Netherlands occupied parts of the universities of Ghent and Amsterdam on Monday to protest against Israel’s war in Gaza.

At a campus of University of Amsterdam (UvA) in downtown Amsterdam, hundreds of students set up camp, pitching dozens of tents, playing in drum circles, and barricading access with wooden pallets.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2024