Global campus protests emerge against Israeli aggression in Gaza

Shafaq News/ Protests over the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip have spread across US and European universities and college campuses in recent weeks, leading to disruptions and arrests. 

Some demonstrations even extended into weekend graduation celebrations in the US. However, they were comparatively muted compared to the encampments and rallies that have roiled campuses and resulted in nearly 2,900 arrests of students and other protesters.

Students at Birmingham University have been told they could face legal action if they do not remove their encampment against the war in Gaza.

The university is one of the major British universities, including Cambridge and Oxford, where camps have been set up similarly to those in the United States.

Johns Hopkins University and student protesters agreed to dismantle and conclude the protest-related encampment on the Beach at the Homewood campus. 

Dozens of the 7,000 graduates at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, left their seats to protest during the commencement ceremony featuring pro-Israel speaker and comedian Jerry Seinfeld on Sunday. Some waved the Palestinian flag and chanted "Free Palestine."

Student protesters at Emerson College in Boston occasionally erupted into chants during Sunday's commencement ceremony, trying to disrupt the event.

Dozens of graduating students at Virginia Commonwealth University walked out on Saturday during Gov. Glenn Youngkin's speech. Reports indicate that around 100 students and family members exited during the Republican governor's address. Some showed support for Palestinians, while others expressed opposition to Youngkin's education policies with signs, as reported by WRIC-TV.

At the University of California, Berkeley, a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators waved flags and chanted during Saturday's commencement ceremony. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that these demonstrators were escorted to the back of the stadium. While there were no significant counterprotests, some attendees expressed frustration with the disruption.

Protests also included the University Of Texas At Austin, Northeastern University in Boston, Ohio State University, the University Of Michigan, and the University Of Wisconsin-Madison.