Moral Imperative - Tumblr Posts
At the University of Michigan on Wednesday, what was meant to be a peaceful pro-Palestinian die-in quickly turned violent after police ordered the students to disperse
[...]The immediate response by the police appeared to show a slightly different approach from the administration compared to last year, and protesters say law enforcement has become more emboldened to stamp out campus protests before they grow bigger. "We were surprised that they would commit such violence so brazenly and openly, with hundreds of new students watching, especially when it makes students feel so unsafe," the protester said. The university responded to the incident with a statement saying that it respects freedom of speech and expression but claimed the protesters were "violating university policy" by blocking traffic.
At the University of South Florida, all activities which may feature signs, tents or amplified sound now require prior approval. Likewise, at the University of California, which saw some of the most violent attacks on pro-Palestine protesters last semester, the university president ordered chancellors on all 10 campuses to ban student encampments and "overnight loitering". Using a mask to hide your identity or block walkways and university buildings is now also prohibited. According to the new directive, anyone not following the latest guidelines could face arrest. Students told MEE they perceived the policies as new layers of repression
"The university would rather focus on ways to perfect various means of both subtle and brutal repression of their students than engage and address the demands of disclosure and divestment," Mona, a student activist at UCLA, told MEE
Mona, who asked to be identified by her first name only, given the prospect of suspension and expulsion, said the policies being enacted are an attempt to bury the university's complicity in Israel's war on Gaza. "UCLA and many universities will claim to not have enough resources for a wide variety of social and health initiatives to benefit their students, but will stop at nothing to protect their role in furthering the genocide and occupation in Palestine. "There is a lot of rhetoric about the values that guide our campus, but the administration's reactions and policy implementations demonstrate that the values of equality and justice, which students are centring, are the farthest thing from their minds," Mona added.
*I can't find the source of the art to give credit, if anyone knows who it is pls let me know
If you are not at a university now is the time to start looking into how you can support campus protests; donating supplies/time, boosting bail funds, sharing posts about rights & law changes, etc.