How US universities are trying to muzzle pro-Palestine protests before they begin

The new academic semester has commenced at numerous US universities this week, and many schools are taking various measures to prevent the resurgence of pro-Palestinian and student-led demonstrations that shook the nation last spring.

As students return to their campuses, adjusting to their class schedules and reconnecting with university life, administrations have been actively working, often in collaboration with law enforcement, to prevent a repeat of last semester’s events. During that time, university authorities were caught off guard by the scale and intensity of the pro-Palestinian protests that swept across campuses.

Several campuses became scenes of conflict, with police frequently employing harsh tactics against unarmed student protesters, in incidents that were broadcast live around the world.

Efforts to prevent the revival of the movement have taken various forms.

As students return, new guidelines have been implemented concerning hate speech, the prohibition of encampments, and the ongoing suspension of students who were involved in setting up Gaza solidarity encampments last semester. However, with Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and the rising Palestinian death toll, student activism around Gaza has quickly reemerged, as was anticipated.

Protests and calls for universities to divest from companies profiting from the war have resumed this semester, and administrations are already responding to these protests with force, reminiscent of the actions taken earlier this year.

Middle East Eye examines the strategies US universities are employing to suppress pro-Palestinian protests on campus as the new semester begins.

Police Brutality Resurfaces on Campus

At the University of Michigan on Wednesday, a peaceful pro-Palestinian die-in turned violent when police ordered the students to disperse.

“We complied and got up, and began marching. Police then formed a line and suddenly lunged at protesters, arresting and injuring a minor and apprehending one alumnus,” a student protester, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation from the university, told MEE.

“Initially, the police randomly targeted protesters. Two people were injured and hospitalized as a result. The police then specifically targeted two individuals they had been monitoring for weeks. Faculty members urged them to cease the brutality as hundreds of students witnessed the attack.”

Four protesters were arrested, and two were hospitalized due to injuries sustained during the altercation with the police.

The protester who spoke with MEE said that two of those arrested had been subjected to “harassment and surveillance for weeks leading up to their arrests yesterday.”

The immediate response from the police suggested a slightly different approach from the administration compared to last year, with protesters noting that law enforcement seems more determined to suppress campus protests before they can gain momentum.

“We were shocked that they would resort to such violence so openly, with hundreds of new students watching, especially when it creates an atmosphere of fear and insecurity,” the protester said.

The university issued a statement in response to the incident, asserting its respect for freedom of speech and expression but claiming that the protesters were “violating university policy” by blocking traffic.

Surveillance and Repercussions

At the University of South Florida, all activities involving signs, tents, or amplified sound now require prior approval.

Similarly, at the University of California, which experienced some of the most violent attacks on pro-Palestinian protesters last semester, the university president directed chancellors on all 10 campuses to prohibit student encampments and “overnight loitering.” Wearing a mask to conceal one’s identity or obstructing walkways and university buildings is also now forbidden.

According to the new directive, anyone who fails to comply with these guidelines could face arrest.

Students told MEE that they perceive these policies as additional layers of repression.

“The university is more focused on refining various methods of both subtle and overt repression of their students than on addressing the demands for transparency and divestment,” said Mona, a student activist at UCLA, who requested to be identified by her first name only due to the risk of suspension or expulsion.

Mona stated that the policies being implemented are an attempt to obscure the university’s complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza.

“UCLA and many universities claim to lack sufficient resources for a variety of social and health initiatives that would benefit their students, but they spare no effort in protecting their role in perpetuating genocide and occupation in Palestine.

“There is much rhetoric about the values that guide our campus, but the administration’s actions and policy implementations reveal that the values of equality and justice, which students are advocating for, are far from their priorities,” Mona added.

At Tufts University, located near Boston, hours after a vigil for Palestine was announced this week, administrators targeted a known student activist with several community standard violations, including an accusation of “stealing water from the university.”

“Tufts’ community guidelines regarding protests are vague and intimidating, even prohibiting protests near university statues. Students who violate these guidelines face, as Tufts puts it, ‘temporary or interim suspension and immediate departure from campus,'” the targeted student told MEE.

The student described the university’s response as an intimidation tactic, with a broader political message behind these actions.

“We, student protesters, are demanding divestment from Israel, which has destroyed every university in Gaza and martyred thousands of students and academics.

“The fact that student protesters opposing this academic destruction are met with such extreme harassment reveals that rather than genuinely caring about the well-being of students, these universities are colonial institutions committed to maintaining an unjust status quo,” the student, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

Similar actions have been taken at Columbia University in New York City, which was the epicenter of last semester’s protests. Earlier this week, a group of students gathered for a “Palestine 101” teach-in at a local park near the university when they noticed New York Police Department vehicles patrolling the area.

This incident was one of several instances of student and faculty surveillance in recent months.

‘Community Guidelines’ and Online Censorship

As part of their efforts to suppress student demands, university administrators have also sought to control the language used to describe Israel’s actions against Palestinians on campus.

Last week, New York University (NYU) issued new guidelines concerning hate speech and harassment. According to the new measures, anyone identifying as a “Zionist” is now considered a protected class. This means that criticizing “Zionists” could be deemed hate speech and subject to disciplinary action.

The university had previously adopted the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism in 2020, which human rights experts argue conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

The new guidelines at NYU, however, establish a new “protected status” for individuals who adhere to Zionism.

“The new guidance sets a dangerous precedent by extending Title VI protections to anyone who subscribes to Zionism, a nationalist political ideology, and troublingly equates criticism of Zionism with discrimination against Jewish people,” said NYU FSJP.

NYU appears to be one of the first schools to adopt these guidelines, but it is expected that others may follow suit.

At George Washington University (GWU), students reported that the mandatory orientation for new students included a briefing on what could and could not be said regarding criticism of Israel on campus.

In presentation slides seen by MEE, criticizing Zionism was presented as antisemitic.

“On one hand, I’m thrilled to be back with my community, to reconnect with everyone, including friends who were arrested,” said a representative from the student coalition for Palestine at GWU.

“But on the other hand, I feel on edge in class because I’m surrounded by students who supported the police when they beat me and my friends. I’m at a university that fundamentally opposes who I am,” the student said.

The coalition noted that five students involved in last year’s pro-Palestine demonstrations are still barred from GWU’s campus, except for attending classes. This means they cannot access the library, the multicultural center where the prayer room is located, or even shop at the grocery store.

With George Washington University being one of the largest landowners in Washington DC, these students are effectively barred from significant parts of the city.

The efforts to control language on campus have coincided with actions by social media platforms to censor pro-Palestinian student groups online.

This week, Instagram permanently removed and banned the Columbia chapter of the group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and NYU’s SJP chapter.

Despite attempts to silence dissent, students assert that now is not the time to halt their efforts to push their universities to take a stand on the right side of history.

With the news that San Francisco State University (SFSU) had divested from several weapons companies involved in Israel’s war on Gaza, marking a significant victory for the divestment movement, students remain resolute.

“Every day that the genocide continues is heartbreaking. It is our responsibility as students and as humans to continue demanding that our university end its complicity in and profit from genocide by advocating for divestment and a Free Palestine,” said Mona from UCLA.