United States: Amidst the tumult on US college and university grounds, former President Trump voiced his thoughts on the ongoing protests against Israel.
Though absent from court proceedings, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee took to Truth Social to express his stance, including commentary on the demonstrations against Israel’s conflict with Hamas, the governing body of Gaza, according to Fox News.
Trump’s digital outcry, emphasized with all caps, demanded an end to the protests. This call comes amidst a wave of arrests totaling nearly 900 individuals, including students and those inciting antisemitic sentiments, since the dismantling of an anti-Israel protest camp at Columbia University on April 18th.
The demonstrators, driven by the mounting casualties in Gaza amidst Israel’s campaign against Hamas, which perpetrated a devastating attack on October 7th, 2023, have faced opposition from groups advocating for divestment from companies supporting Israel’s military actions.
Despite calls for dispersal from university administrations, students persist in their encampments, prompting Trump’s Monday morning admonishment alongside critiques of President Biden and complaints of electoral injustices, as outlined by Fox News.
Over the weekend, hundreds more were apprehended at various institutions, with notable instances including the arrest of approximately 275 individuals at Indiana University at Bloomington and Arizona State University, as well as the forceful removal of over 100 protesters at Northeastern University in Boston, clad in riot gear.
Similarly, more than 100 individuals were detained at Washington University in St. Louis, and campus police at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg physically removed and arrested protesters from their encampment, Fox News highlighted.
The fervor of nationwide campus protests has intensified since the establishment of a protest hub at Columbia University, signaling a resolve to persist until institutional disengagement from Israel is achieved.