Student Spring protesters at GWU demand 'divestment' from Israel

Young protesters from across the US capital have banded together to form a pro-Palestine encampment less than a kilometre from the White House to demand their schools condemn Israel's onslaught in besieged Gaza and divest from businesses and defence firms tied to Israel — part of wider Student Spring demonstrations that began at Columbia University last week and have now become a nationwide movement.

The encampment on Thursday saw students from Georgetown University and George Washington University form a sit-in on the latter's University Yard, which is just over three blocks from the White House.

Hundreds of students walked out of classes at Georgetown. A smaller group consisting of dozens of protesters then marched from the Catholic university to the encampment site.

Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags, beat drums and chanted slogans. Despite a robust police presence on the edges of the encampment, there were no serious incidents.

One pro-Israel counter-protester was removed from the area by police. Three officers led the demonstrator away as he held a small Israeli flag between his hands.

It is unclear if students from four other major universities in Washington, DC — Howard University, American University, Gallaudet University and the University of the District of Columbia — have joined the demonstration.

TRT World's Selina Downes, reporting from the protest site, said: "Protesters say they are going to remain here on campus until their demands are met, although campus security has said they have to vacate by 7 pm this evening."

A protester, Moataz Salim, who is from besieged Gaza, told TRT World that he feels he has a duty to do everything he can to support Palestine.

"It [protesters demand] started off with a permanent ceasefire, I don't think that's enough anymore, we need an end to the occupation, and we need a free Palestine," he told TRT World.

"It's clear the world leaders, especially here in the US and Western nations, will not hold them accountable, so it's up to us, the people, to do everything we can whether to disrupt, confront politicians, or to say we're here, you're not going to get rid of us. You're going to divest [from Israel]."

Taking a shot at GWU, Salim said: "We know the university has a history of suppressing Palestinian speech. Whenever they send out emails from the president or dean of students, they refuse to mention the word Palestine; that's how absurd it's gotten."

"They always refer to it as the Israel-Hamas war; it's not war; it's an occupation, a siege and a genocide on the innocent civilians in Gaza, many of whom are my family members."

Protests across universities

The protestors are demanding that their universities divest from all relations with Israel and lift a suspension against a prominent pro-Palestinian student group.

Dayna Bowen Matthew, dean of the law school, released a video message saying that law school finals, which were set to be held in a building next to the protest encampment, would be moved to another building because of the noise.

The university released a statement saying that peaceful demonstrations were permitted; however, people not associated with the university were not allowed to protest on campus.

The statement also said that overnight encampments were not allowed on university property and the protesters "will be required to remove tents and disperse" by 7 pm.

Also, in the area known as DMV, in neighbouring Maryland, students protested at the University of Maryland on Wednesday, where they also set up encampments.

Protests and encampments have sprung up at universities from coast to coast, including at Columbia University, and New York University and Yale — both of which also saw dozens of students arrested earlier this week — Harvard, Brown University, MIT, the University of Michigan and elsewhere.

Protests have also been held at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, Swarthmore College and the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, the University of Rochester in New York, Tufts University and Emerson College in Massachusetts.

Dozens were arrested on Wednesday at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Southern California, and the University of Minnesota.