Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo

ARAB AND WORLD

Tue 06 May 2025 9:41 am - Jerusalem Time

Protests at US universities denounce the arrest of Palestine supporters

Coordinated protests were held at Columbia, Georgetown, and Tufts universities in the United States, denouncing the arrest of academics and students who supported the Palestinian cause.


The protests demanded the release of Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri, Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University, and Turkish doctoral student Rumeisa Ozturk at Tufts University, all of whom were detained for their support of Palestine.


Dr. Nader Hashemi, a Middle East politics expert at Georgetown University who participated in the protest, said the detainees were detained without charges, describing it as a policy aimed at silencing pro-Palestinian freedom of expression, according to Anadolu Agency.


Hashemi said he met with Badar Khan Suri, who was arrested in March and is being held at a Texas detention center. He noted that his prison conditions are difficult, with him only allowed two hours of fresh air per week.


He added that Suri is trying to teach his friends the ideas of the late Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi in prison, stressing that his detention is significantly contributing to "conveying the truth about the genocide in Gaza to the world."


"If they can do this to one academic, they can do this to all of us," said Dr. Elliott Cola, associate professor in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, who participated in the protest.


Kula noted that the "growing atmosphere of fear" on campus has caused deep anxiety among immigrant students and academics.


Students and academics at Georgetown, Columbia, and Tufts universities continue to hold demonstrations every Monday, demanding the release of Badar Khan Suri, Mahmoud Khalil, and Rumeisa Ozturk.


On March 8, US authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil, who led solidarity protests at Columbia University last year to denounce Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip.


As of March, the United States had revoked the visas and legal status of more than 1,000 students. Several students have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration over the revocations, and temporary orders have been issued to restore the legal status of a small number of students.


Protests in support of Palestine, which began at Columbia University, spread to more than 50 universities across the country, and police detained more than 3,100 people, most of them students and faculty members.


Since October 7, 2023, and with full American support, Israel has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding more than 170,000 of its residents, the majority of whom are children and women. More than 11,000 people have been declared missing.

Tags

Share your opinion

Protests at US universities denounce the arrest of Palestine supporters

MORE FROM ARAB AND WORLD