The protest against the war in Gaza, which started from US universities, is spreading throughout the world. In addition to Italy, there are demonstrations on all continents: a wave of students gathering in front of places of knowledge to ask the powerful to stop the war. Not an anti-Zionist movement, they say, although there are sometimes anti-Zionists infiltrated among the kids, but a peaceful protest that only asks for an end to hostilities and mutual respect between the two peoples.
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Canada
From the United States of America, the protest soon spread to neighboring Canada. Students set up tents at McGill University in Montreal, chanting pro-Palestine slogans. They demand that colleges disengage from partnerships with companies that have ties to Israel. At first the university attempted to disperse the protesters. But then came a May 2 decision from the Quebec Superior Court that rejected a request for an injunction that would have forced the protesters to evacuate. The protest then spread to the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
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France
The protests began at the Sorbonne and Sciences Po universities in late April. At the Sorbonne, one of the most prestigious universities not only in France, the protesters were evicted from the tent city on 29 April. Other students were evicted from the main hall of Sciences Po, the institute of political studies in Paris. The sit-in had recently begun and the campus had been closed. Students call for an end to the genocide and a boycott of Israeli universities.
Great Britain
Pro-Palestine protests have been held in British universities since the early days of the conflict. And they moved on. A small camp with a dozen tents has appeared at Newcastle University, some of which display the Palestinian flag. Other protests were held at the universities of Bristol, Leeds, Warwick, all pro-Palestine. Criticism from groups of Jewish students, but no disorder.
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India
The protests took place at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, in New Delhi, in solidarity with Columbia students in the USA. The students began demonstrating when the American ambassador to India arrived on campus, which was later postponed. The university has already been at the forefront of other protests, such as in 2019 against a law deemed discriminatory towards Muslims. Now, the clear position of the student union, which does not want to provide platforms to those who are “accomplices to the genocide committed by Israel”. The position of the Indian government, which supports Israel, has also been stigmatised.
Australia
Students protesting in at least seven Australian universities. Supporters of the Palestinian cause and a group of pro-Israel kids met at the Queensland University in Brisbane. The former ask universities to reveal all their collaborations with Israel, both with universities and companies. And there are some moments of tension between the two factions, but no scenes of violence.
In Sydney, 50 tents with around a hundred protesters were pitched in front of the university. A counter-protest by pro-Israel groups was also held, but the two groups neither met nor clashed.
Lebanon
Protests also in the Middle East. In Lebanon, a few steps away from the war in Gaza, and with the clashes often reaching within the borders of the state, pro-Palestine students are calling for a boycott of Israel and Israeli companies. Demonstrations were held in front of the Beirut university in particular and young people said they were inspired by American campuses.