Palestinian tents in the heart of American universities; What do students want?

Mehr News Agency, International Group: Massive protest by American students Currently in America, this country is busy with the 2024 presidential elections.

Despite the violent reactions of university officials and the American military against students, after weeks, student protests are still at the top of the most important events in this country. The protests that have so far led to the arrest of more than 2,900 students in 57 colleges and universities of this country.

According to international media reports, while since the beginning of the war in Gaza last October, More than 35,000 Palestinians, most of them children and women, have lost their lives, public opinion in the world has changed in response to the crimes of the Zionist regime in the past seven months, and American students have staged the largest university protests since the 1960s. text-align:justify”>They have shown support to the people of Gaza and Palestine.

Response to student protests

Instead of addressing the demands of the students, which were raised in a completely peaceful way and in good faith, the presidents of the universities allowed the police to enter the university campuses with anti-riot equipment. . The police forces in different states of America, with this permission, in a process of completely violent, did their best to tear down the tents and attack the students and arrest hundreds of them, as well as complete repression. This movement has been used.

Of course, in some universities, including New York University (NYU), on April 22, university faculty members formed a chain around the protesting students’ tents while declaring solidarity with them. They defended themselves against the police attacks, which were met with damage police forces and arrest After that, members of the academic board of several departments of this university wrote letters to the university president and condemned the police intervention in the affairs of the university and called it a “disgrace”.

In some other universities, such as Wisconsin-Madison, a group of members of the faculty of the university They were in the front line of the protests and the conflict between the police and the protesters started from this line.

Will the protesters’ tents be dismantled?

The officials of the universities and the government of America hope that as the spring season of the universities is approaching, The trend and intensity of the student protests turned cold. Some presidents of the universities have also announced that a joint committee with students to discuss discussion in Protest camps have announced due to the start of the exam season. This while many international analysts and observers acknowledged: the new type of protests against Israel in recent weeks in American university centers, more than other protests. In the world, it has attracted the attention of public opinion and media and Tel Avio more than The past has isolated.

Politico magazine wrote in this context: From the point of view of these students, the contemporary university is not a place that inspires change or building a better tomorrow through higher education. Changes depend solely on political and economic interests. Therefore, they are trying to act in this field themselves. In its report titled “What’s Happening in the Universities”, this publication mentioned the developments in Gaza and reported: “We are in the midst of the most widespread university unrest since the 1960s. According to this report, the protests on campus have intensified, pro-Palestinian tents have not only moved from one university to another, but also reached public places in America, including Washington Square Park. In addition to this, so far at least in more than 30 universities, direct clashes between the police and students and repression of protesters have been reported in the media.

Many students in talk with the media between international have emphasized: in the past few months, more students than in previous years have been involved in university political activities in support of Palestine and in If this trend continues, more students will join the protest movement against Israel in universities, which is not at all pleasing to university officials and the American government. The United States has long been Israel’s closest ally, providing the regime with about $3.8 billion in military aid annually. Critics have condemned the support, as well as billions of dollars in additional aid used to fuel the war against Gaza and the Palestinians since it began in October.

Why do American students insist on cutting ties between their universities and Israeli companies?

On US college campuses, the backlash against American financial, military and political aid to Israel has become very serious and intense, as students now demand that their universities sever ties with Israel. Weapons manufacturers and other companies related to the Israeli army are Egyptian. For decades, higher education institutions in the United States have partnered with the country’s defense and aerospace sectors, as well as other mostly non-US military companies and industries, including Israel.

“Daniel Besner” professor of international studies International University of Washington told Al Jazeera News that the Cold War provided the basis for the expansion of relationships between universities and military contractors. When the Soviet Union launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, the event forced the United States to confront the possibility of falling behind its competitors’ technological achievements. Therefore, the United States Congress approved the National Defense Education Act in 1958, so that American universities are the basis of military and industrial cooperation with foreign countries.

Legislators argued that if investment and funding in the higher education sector were promoted in the direction of strengthening America’s military and technological power, it could also garner more political support. achieved This law was signed by Eisenhower, even though he raised doubts about it, and after that, the Pentagon’s funds flowed to the universities and research institutes of this country.

The intertwining of academic and military activity in the US is particularly striking in California, a state known for its mild climate and defense and aerospace sectors. According to media reports, the California Office of Business and Economic Development has estimated that the defense industry alone has brought them more than $158 billion annually as of fiscal year 2021.

Summary

Analysts say that investing in American university campuses is part of a larger effort by the military and military-related industries to be at the center of academic, cultural, scientific and political institutions. This is the country. Critical students say: The access of Zionist companies to American universities has caused the Israeli military institutions to enter young specialists from the universities into their targeted military paths from the very beginning.

“Benjamin Freeman” Director of the Democratic Foreign Policy Program at the Institute -align:justify”>Quincy has told some media in this regard: In America, everywhere you turn, you can see the influence of these companies, from think tanks and universities to Video and watch popular movies. Freeman raises the question whether it is possible for young students to lose their scientific path in the connection between universities and these military companies? For example, instead of promising young students working on green energy and world environmental issues, are they directed to companies whose biggest source of income is weapons development?

These questions have been raised in American educational spaces while American students who support Palestine emphasize in their slogans: We want to build a great world, we are committed to improving the world community. we are ourselves Some students told the media about the reason for joining this style of protest: the situation in Gaza is undoubtedly dire and requires immediate international attention and a peaceful solution. span style=”text-align:justify”>justify The Palestinian death toll in the Israeli war has exceeded 35,000, and many Palestinian survivors are experiencing what the United Nations has called “all-out famine.” We want to change this process.