Page 26 - Issue 63
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Vol.1 Issue 63 January 2024Vol.1 Issue 63, May 2024 ELITE
cracking down on campus freedom of speech
Abdelrahman Sakr-Second Level- Economics
Since the 7th of October many protests and others at MIT are facing similar
have been taking place across threats. There have been calls by
universities in the US. Protesters from republican figures as well to call the
both sides have a list of demands from National Guard for Columbia. Other
their universities’ administrations. The Universities, like Harvard and
pro-Israeli students are urging their University of South California have
administrations to condemn Hamas and taken more tolerant measures, like
fight hate speech and antisemitism. On switching to virtual classes and
the other side are Pro-Palestine students’ restricting access to where
demands: divesting endowments from encampments are. Brown University
Israeli firms and any weapons made an agreement with its students
manufacturers that sell there; ending with a commitment to talk further
academic partnerships with Israeli about the students’ demands in
institutions; and condemning Israel’s exchange for voluntarily encampment
actions in the war. dismantle.
Most importantly was the reaction of Watching the Presidents of Harvard
the president of Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania
Minouche Shafik, who asked the police losing their positions after being called
to clear the campus of tents and for a hearing by a congress committee
protestors, leading to more than 100 on how they are fighting calls for
hundred arrests. This led to a backlash genocides and antisemitism, the
as more protests erupted elsewhere and administrations of other universities are
the protestors are still camping at the following a tough approach, trying to
University of Columbia. appease to lawmakers.
However, the arrests did not stop and The committee was biased because
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passed 1500 arrests so far. Several regardless the fact that Arab and
Vanderbilt students have been expelled Muslim students have reported a rise in
