Across the United States, college campuses have become the epicenter of widespread protests, with students passionately voicing their concerns on a range of issues. From California to Michigan and along the East Coast, the unrest has been unfolding around the clock, drawing national attention.

The protests were initially sparked by the events of October 7th, when a Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the taking of 250 hostages, according to reports. In the aftermath, Palestinian demonstrators have been demanding action, refusing to back down as tensions have escalated dramatically. 

At the forefront of the protests is Columbia University, where students have established an encampment and are making their voices heard. The demonstrations have not only focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but have also raised concerns about anti-Semitism on campus. 

Jewish students have reported experiencing harassment and feeling unsafe, with incidents of water being thrown at them, Israeli flags being ripped from their hands, and objects being hurled in their direction. This has led to concerns that the protests have crossed the line from free speech into direct harassment and assault. 

“My friends had water thrown in their faces, one of my friends had his Israeli flag ripped out of his hands and people were throwing hard objects at him, including hitting him in the face and in the chest,” said one Jewish student.

The university administration has tried to navigate the delicate balance between respecting free speech and addressing the safety concerns of the community. In response, the university president has changed all classes to be held remotely via Zoom, a decision that has been met with criticism from some students who feel they should not be deprived of in-person instruction due to the protests.

“Why should somebody like me, who is not disrupting anything, not be able to go to class because people in there want to do class via Zoom from inside of their tents?” questioned one student. “To me, that is totally absurd.”

The protests have also drawn scrutiny from federal authorities, with the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania facing congressional inquiries on the issue of anti-Semitism. This has led to the resignation of these university leaders, and Columbia University’s president, Minouche Shafik, has also been called to testify.

“Anti-Semitism has no place on our campus and I am personally committed to doing everything I can to confront it directly,” Shafik said in a statement.

Despite the crackdown, the protests have continued, with the encampment on Columbia’s campus being cleared out by the NYPD, resulting in the arrest of over 100 people, including a Jewish student named Sarah Boris. However, the encampment has since been rebuilt, and the protesters remain steadfast in their demands.

“Stronger repression breeds more resistance,” said one protester. “The more that they repress us, the more that we will resist and the more that our demands become truer and truer.”

As the semester draws to a close, with commencement less than three weeks away, the students and administrators at Columbia University continue to navigate this delicate and complex situation, with the weight of history and the future of the campus community hanging in the balance.