Student mobilization across several countries in solidarity with Gaza is growing, following a call from U.S. President Joe Biden for order to prevail at American universities. French police intervened to remove demonstrators from the Sciences Po political science institute in Paris. Protests and sit-ins demanding an end to the seven-month-long war between Israel and Hamas are taking place at universities in France, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and Mexico. The New York Police Department announced that the number of detained students has risen to over 2,300.
In the United States, from where the student mobilization originated, President Biden emphasized on Thursday the need for "order" on campuses after a prolonged silence on the issue. Biden's statement came after police dismantled tents set up by pro-Palestinian students at various universities, the most recent being at the University of California, Los Angeles, where dozens were arrested.
Late Tuesday into Wednesday, security forces removed students occupying a building at Columbia University in Manhattan in protest against the war in Gaza. Other encampments were dismantled at the University of Arizona in Tucson (Southwest) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (North), according to local media. The New York Police Department reported that 48% of the 282 individuals arrested at both Columbia University and the City College of New York on Tuesday evening were non-students.
At the University of Texas in Dallas, police removed a protest encampment on Wednesday and arrested at least 17 individuals for "criminal trespassing," according to the university.
In France, police intervened on Friday at the prestigious Sciences Po in Paris to remove dozens of pro-Palestinian activists who had occupied some areas since Thursday. A student named Hicham, identifying himself as a representative of the "Palestine Committee," stated that the university authorities gave the group 20 minutes to leave before a forced evacuation due to upcoming exams. Paris police clarified that the police chief sent law enforcement to clear the area, resulting in 91 individuals being removed without incident. After the building was evacuated, some students remained at the end of the closed street, chanting, "We are still here, even if Sciences Po doesn’t want us," and "Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people."
Outside the Sorbonne University in central Paris, members of the Jewish Student Union in France organized a "dialogue table" on Friday.
Similar scenes are occurring in other countries, including Mexico, where dozens of pro-Palestinian students and activists pitched tents on Thursday in front of the "National Autonomous University of Mexico," the country's largest university, to protest the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Protesters raised several demands, including that the Mexican government sever diplomatic and trade relations with Israel.
In Australia, hundreds of demonstrators, including both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli supporters, gathered at a university in Sydney on Friday, where both sides raised their slogans. However, the protest remained peaceful despite some tense exchanges.
