2024 Ohio State University pro-Palestinian campus protests

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2024 Ohio State University pro-Palestinian campus protests
Part of pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses and Israel-Hamas war protests in the United States
Ohio State University pro-Palestine October 7, 2024 protest.jpg
PoliceWalkingOSUApril25.png
Top to bottom:
  • Pro-Palestine protesters outside the Ohio Union holding photos of Palestinians who died in the Israel–Hamas war, October 7, 2024
  • Officers visible outside the Ohio Union after dispersing Gaza Solidarity Encampment, April 25, 2024
DateNovember 23, 2023 (2023-11-23) – Present
Location
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States

40°00′07″N83°00′54″W / 40.002°N 83.015°W / 40.002; -83.015
Methods
Parties

Flag of Palestine.svgOhio Free Palestine Coalition:

Flag of the United States.svg Local authorities:

Flag of Israel.svgPro-Israel groups:

Lead figures

Protesters and organizers

Casualties and losses
  • 38 confirmed arrests (disputed)
None

A series of protests at Ohio State University by pro-Palestinian demonstrators occurred on-campus in response to the Israel-Palestine conflict beginning on October 7, 2023. A solidarity encampment was constructed on OSU's South Oval on April 25, 2024, during which there were at least 36 arrests, [1] making for the largest en masse arrests on campus since the 1969–1970 Vietnam War protests. [2]

Contents

The protester demands of OSU include "financial divestment, academic boycott, financial disclosure, acknowledging the genocide, and ending targeted policing". [3]

Pro-Palestinian groups have been critical of the university's responses to the protests, which have included allowing state troopers to aim long-range rifles at students during the dispersal of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, [4] suspending a pro-Palestinian student organization, [5] and suppressing the Undergraduate Student Government's attempts at passing legislation for financial divestment from Israel after receiving pressure from officials in Zionist organization Hillel International. [6]

The university has insisted their actions are politically neutral, with President Walter E. Carter Jr. stating the "university's long-standing space rules are content neutral and are enforced uniformly". [7]

Background

These paragraphs are an excerpt from 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses.[ edit ]

Pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses started in 2023 and escalated in April 2024, spreading in the United States and other countries, as part of wider Israel–Hamas war protests. The escalation began after mass arrests at the Columbia University campus occupation, led by anti-Zionist groups, in which protesters demanded the university's disinvestment from Israel over its alleged genocide of Palestinians. [8] In the U.S. over 3,100 protesters have been arrested, [9] including faculty members and professors, [10] [11] on over 60 campuses. [12] On May 7, protests spread across Europe with mass arrests in the Netherlands. [13] [14] By May 12, twenty encampments had been established in the United Kingdom, and across universities in Australia and Canada. [15] [16] The protests largely ended as universities closed for the summer. [17]

The different protests' varying demands include severing financial ties with Israel, transparency over financial ties, an end to partnerships with Israeli institutions, [18] and amnesty for protesters. [19] Universities have suspended and expelled student protesters, in some cases evicting them from campus housing. [10] [20] [21] Some universities have relied on police to forcibly disband encampments and end occupations of buildings, [22] others made agreements with protesters for encampments to be dismantled, [23] and a number of universities have cut ties with Israeli institutions, or companies involved with Israel and its occupied territories. [a] The occupations have also resulted in the closure of Columbia University, [30] Cal Poly Humboldt, [31] and the University of Amsterdam; [32] rolling strikes by academic workers on campuses in California; [33] and the cancellation of a few university graduation ceremonies in the U.S., with protests occurring at various ceremonies. [34] [35] [36]

Timeline

Since October 7th, 2023, protesters have been arrested at the following pro-Palestine events:

DateIncidentConfirmed arrestsAlleged arrests by pro-Palestine groups
April 23, 2024Meiling Hall disruption2 [37] [38] 2
April 25, 2024Gaza Solidarity Encampment36 [39] 41 [40]
June 1, 2024Ohio Union disruption03 [41]
PresentTotal3846

April 23: Meiling Hall disruption

On April 23, 2024, in an event organized by Ohio Youth for Climate Justice, around 60 individuals gathered outside Meiling Hall, an administrative building near the Wexner Medical Center, to protest the Israel-Palestine conflict, and to advocate fossil fuel divestment during an OSU Board of Trustees meeting inside the building. [37]

According to the President of Ohio Youth for Climate Justice, students were warned that there would be "no tolerance for amplified noise" because it was Reading Day. In order to comply, the students chanted without using their megaphones after marching to Meiling Hall. OSU police officers told the protesters that even though they did not bring their megaphones, they could be heard from inside the building's lobby. After refusing to leave, police arrested two protesters who were OSU students, charging them with criminal trespassing and misdemeanor. [37] [38]

April 25: Gaza Solidarity Encampment

Clockwise from top left:
  • Officers move into the Ohio State University South Oval to arrest protesters while protesters defend praying Muslim students, chanting "let them pray"
  • Officers pick up and arrest protester after dispersing the Gaza Solidarity Encampment
  • Protest organizers instruct onlookers to go home after encampment was dispersed by officers

An encampment was organized for April 25, 2024, by multiple pro-Palestinian student organizations including OSU [42] and Toledo [43] Students for Justice in Palestine, [44] OSU Jews for Justice in Palestine, [42] the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Columbus, [42] Justice, Unity, & Social Transformation, [45] Rising Tide Columbus, [46] and Ohio Youth for Climate Justice. [47]

Pro-Palestine political cartoon depicting OSU mascot Brutus Buckeye aiming a gun at a student wearing a hijab citing university space rules; found in the OSU Timashev Family Music Building, October 15, 2024 Ohio State University pro-Palestine Brutus with gun poster.jpg
Pro-Palestine political cartoon depicting OSU mascot Brutus Buckeye aiming a gun at a student wearing a hijab citing university space rules; found in the OSU Timashev Family Music Building, October 15, 2024

Protesters initially arrived in the morning. Several were arrested throughout the day for pitching tents on the South Oval, [2] as police observed from a distance. [4] One Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine member was reportedly arrested by police, and several others were reportedly harassed, for "reading and sitting in the oval". [48] During the night of the encampment, President Walter E. Carter Jr. requested the state patrol's assistance, although university police had already been coordinating with state police since around 5:00 p.m. [40] Officials cited "rules prohibiting camping, overnight events, and disruption to university business", which was later satirized in a political cartoon. [49]

At 7:32 p.m., authorities issued a warning: "disperse within 15 minutes or face arrest." According to The Lantern , "although warnings came from beyond the crowd, laughter, and smiles abounded within". At around 10 p.m., while Muslim students were praying, [2] riot police marched on the encampment and began arrests. In response, protesters formed a human barrier around the tents by connecting their arms together. [50]

During the arrests, Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers on the Ohio Union switched from observing students through binoculars to aiming "long-range firearms" at students, which university spokesperson Benjamin Johnson claimed was part of their protocol. [4] Johnson originally stated "there are no snipers" on the Ohio Union rooftop, but after photographs of the snipers were later released, [51] [52] he stated that "the team carries standard equipment, including firearms, that would only be used reactively to protect the safety of all present, including demonstrators". [39] Ohio State University was one of the only two universities in the world, the other being Indiana University, with reports of police snipers being present at the 2024 pro-Palestinian campus protests. [51] [52]

By the end of the evening, at least 36 protesters, including 16 Ohio State students and 20 non-Ohio State students, had been arrested according to authorities. [53] This number is disputed by the Council on American–Islamic Relations, who reported 41 were arrested during this event. [40] One woman who was struck in the face showed "her bruise to others watching as she walked away from the chaos". [50] Those arrested were charged with criminal trespassing. A statement OSU later released read: "Arrests are not an action that we take lightly, and we appreciate the support of all of our law enforcement partners to disperse the encampment for the safety of our university community." [2]

Students for Justice in Palestine claim there were "at least 70 officers" on the scene. [54] After being arrested, they also alleged that hijabs were forcefully removed from students during mugshots, Muslims were refused a space to pray, and police refused to provide them with Halal food. [54] [55] [56]

April 29: Columbus City Council testimonies

A pro-Palestinian OSU student speaker, who was arrested at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, in an altercation with Columbus City Council President Shannon G. Hardin.

On April 29, 2024, pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrived at a Columbus City Council meeting to support demonstrators who were arrested at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, demanding the city drop all charges against them for criminal trespassing. The demonstrators filled the gallery and yelled slogans such as "shame" at courthouse representatives during the speeches of three OSU students who been arrested at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment.

One speaker accused police of giving her a severe concussion, [57] and a second speaker accused police of pulling down his pants after being ziptied. [58] He also claimed that after another protester passed out and hit his head on a wall, police ignored them for 15 minutes before seeking paramedics. [59]

Authority conflicts with pro-Palestinian groups

Pro-Palestine poster in the OSU Timashev Family Music Building criticizing the OSU Board of Trustees, October 14, 2024 Ohio State University pro-Palestine board of trustees poster.jpg
Pro-Palestine poster in the OSU Timashev Family Music Building criticizing the OSU Board of Trustees, October 14, 2024

December 13: Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists suspension

On December 13, 2023, the Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists (CORS), a registered pro-Palestinian OSU student organization, was suspended from OSU, during which "the club [was] prohibited from participating in or holding activities". [5] According to OSU spokesperson Dave Isaacs, this was due to several violations, including "disregarding university directives, being non-responsive to meeting requests from the organization's advisors and university leaders, and dissemination of materials that include a logo associated with a designated terrorist organization". [b] Their poster, titled "Intifada, Revolution, and the Path to a Free Palestine", included a drawing of an armed pro-Palestinian militant, which caused the university to claim CORS posed a "significant risk of substantial harm". [5] [61] [62]

CORS called the statements made by The Lantern defamatory, demanding that the OSU administration retract and apologize for their article. In a public statement, CORS claimed OSU misrepresented the charges in order to suspend them due to their political beliefs, including using ignoring a generic "getting to know you" email sent during finals week as a pretense for claiming they ignored communications from the university, by not making clear that an OSU room reservation they made had expired, and by selectively enforcing OSU signage policy. [61]

On February 2, 2024, CORS was reinstated as a student organization under the condition they attend extra meetings with administration, which CORS claims was largely due to "the hundreds of individuals and organizations who supported us". [63] [62]

March 25: Undergraduate Student Government divestment scandal

On March 25, 2024, OSU's Undergraduate Student Government (USG) proposed an initiative titled "Urging OSU to Divest from Companies Profiting from Human Rights Violations". The initiative received 1247 signatures (with 415 digital signatures from a digital circulator and 832 signatures from other sources), above the 1,000-signature minimum needed to appear on the presidency ballot. USG's Judicial Panel nullified this initiative. [6]

According to Students for Justice in Palestine President Jineen Musa, the signatures were "deemed invalid due to the dissemination of the petition on Instagram". Musa claimed other candidates who had "used the exact same method to a greater extent than what we did" were not penalized, implying their initiative was targeted due to its pro-Palestinian content. [6]

OSU Students for Justice in Palestine leaked screenshots of emails between Senior Vice President for Student Life Javaune Adams-Gaston and Hillel International member Joseph Kohane. [64] In the email, Kohane implores USG's Judicial Panel to veto the initiative, saying, "we urge that USG and especially the Judicial Panel hold itself accountable and make the needed changes, including reversing the signature threshold." Threats of impeachment ensued against the USG justices "due to concerns of an 'abuse of power and position'", which caused three justices to resign shortly after the incident. [65]

July 26th: "CAMPUS" Act signed into law

The "CAMPUS" Act, also known as House Bill 606 (HB606), was initially introduced by Ohio Representatives (R) Justin Pizzulli and (D) Dontavius Jarrells, was later incorporated into Senate Bill 94 (SB94), and was signed into law on July 26, 2024, with an effective date of October 24, 2024. [66] [67] [68] The policy's stated goal is to "require public and private colleges and universities to adopt and enforce a policy regarding racial, religious, and ethnic harassment and intimidation". [69] [67] The act has garnered attention on social media, with pro-Palestine group Rising Tide Columbus alleging that it marks the end of free speech protections at OSU and that it was passed to oppress pro-Palestinian protests. [70]

One of the provisions of SB94, outlined in Section 3320.08, enables each state institution of higher education to publicize on its website "any time, place, or manner restrictions it places on expressive activities". [71] According to Ohio Revised Code Section 3345.0211, expressive activities includes "any lawful verbal, written, audiovisual, or electronic means by which individuals may communicate ideas, including all forms of peaceful assembly, protests, speeches, distribution of literature, carrying and displaying signs, and circulating petitions". [72] While the bill says it protects First Amendment rights, the bill does not put any constraints on when restrictions on expressive activities are allowed to be implemented. [71]

The bill also mandates that institutions ensure collaboration between their campus security and local law enforcement, the state highway patrol, and student communities to provide security for student organizations facing threats of terror attacks or hate crimes. [73] Additionally, the act establishes three grant programs to ensure student safety at events: the Campus Security Support Program, the Campus Student Safety Grant Program, and the Campus Community Grant Program. [67]

Funding allocations for these programs include $2,000,000 for the Campus Security Support Program, $1,000,000 for the Campus Student Safety Grant Program, and $1,375,000 for Campus Safety and Training. [74]

Conflicts between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters

DateIncidentDetails
October 8, 2023Spitting incidentA student in the OSU Oval purchasing a "I stand with Israel" bracelet was spat on. [75]
November 9, 2023Hillel flag vandalismTwo protesters with no known connections with the protests vandalized Israeli flags in the OSU Hillel lobby, shouting slogans like "you support genocide". They were charged with misdemeanor, ethnic intimidation, and more. [76] All charges were later dropped except for the trespassing charge. [77]
March 27, 2024Hillel infosession disruption Black-bloc pro-Palestinian protesters affiliated with Jews for Justice in Palestine (JJP) and an unnamed allied organization disrupted an infosession for Hillel International's annual "Fact Finder Israel Trip" by holding a sign saying "OSU Hillel invites you to visit a genocidal state". JJP accused Hillel of being an "ethnonationalistic" organization and the event was canceled due to the disruption. [78]
April 20, 2024Ohio State Student Union protest clashA counter-protester wearing a kippah confronted pro-Palestinian protesters at a Student Union protest, repeatedly shouting "show your face" at a masked protester and pushing him. [79]
September 12, 2024Moritz pro-Palestine rally counter-protests Students for Justice in Palestine hosted a rally outside the Moritz College of Law. A counter-protest began shortly after, with counter-protesters waving Israeli flags. During a pro-Palestine professor's speech, counter-protesters chanted "free the hostages", which was met with "shame" from pro-Palestine protesters. [80]
October 7, 2024Ohio Union pro-Palestine picket counter-protests Students for Justice in Palestine hosted a picket outside the Ohio Union. A counter-protest of around 40 students and community members began shortly after, with counter-protesters holding Israeli flags. [81]

Allegations of hate speech and intimidation

Antisemitic

On November 10, there was a violent antisemitic hate crime perpetrated by two males against Jewish students on North High Street next to OSU campus. [82] The individuals responsible were not identified and there is no indication they are affiliated with any pro-Palestinian organization.

On April 20, 2024, Ohio State University claimed "deplorable" comments were made at student protests, describing them as hate speech, but they did not describe what specific comments were made. [83] President Walter E. Carter Jr. has referred to pro-Palestinian demonstrations as consisting of "threats of violence" and "hate speech", again without describing any specific comments. [84]

Anti-Palestinian

Multiple OSU Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) members have stated that they have been targets of social media death threats, in-class harassment, public profiling and, in one female student's case, a stalking incident. One member received a death threat through Instagram direct messages, saying: "Death to you and your family. I hope the IDF find [sic] you and you die slowly. It's good to know you go to tosu [sic] terrorist, the dean will know your [sic] beheading babies bitch". [75] A second member said she was stalked by a stranger several times after a class and that she filed a formal complaint and reached out to supervisors "at least 10 times" but that no actions were taken, so she stopped going to the class. A third member reported someone using a fake name and address sent a flyer of an Israeli hostage to her private address. [75] A spokesperson for the university said the administration and an OSUPD detective reviewed the incidents and offered resources and support, but that none of the students responded. [75]

Canary Mission, a public database dedicated to doxxing pro-Palestinian protesters, has targeted and blacklisted multiple students in OSU SJP and a current OSU professor. [85]

Authority responses

University administration

After the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, President Carter released a public statement directed toward "students, faculty, and staff" saying, "What occurred on our campus on April 25 was not about limiting free speech. It was an intentional violation of university space rules that exist so that teaching, learning, research, service and patient care can occur on our campuses without interruption". [86] In a later interview with The Lantern, Carter was asked about why an "on-campus Christian baptism ceremony", which outstayed its space reservation, resulted in no arrests, in contrast to the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Carter stated that the latter protest only ended in arrests due to "a planned attempt and a clear statement to violate campus space rules". [87]

University officials, including Ohio State University spokesperson Benjamin Johnson, have referenced anti-BDS law Ohio Revised Code Section 9.76, a state law passed in 2016 and amended in 2022 which prohibits state agencies, including public universities, from boycotting Israel or divesting from companies that have policies in favor of Israel. [88]

University faculty

Shortly after the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, the Faculty Council of the Ohio State University Senate released their first public statement in two years (passed with 36 votes yes, 11 votes no, and 8 votes abstaining), [89] stating "we strongly reject the use of force as a response to the peaceful protests of April 2024 on The Ohio State University's campus" and that "we call on the university to take every action possible to see dropped and expunged all criminal charges related to the peaceful protests that occurred during April 2024 on Ohio State's campus". [90]

In an op-ed by former OSU Professor Keith Kilty, Kilty criticized the administration's suppression of using sound systems, stating, "During my 29 years as a professor at OSU, I helped to organize many rallies and demonstrations, where we used sound systems so that we could be heard, and those were at all times of the day. Yet now, under your leadership, we are to be silenced and denied our right to speak?" [91] In the same op-ed, Kilty suggested that Carter resign from his position as OSU's President. [91]

In an op-ed by OSU associate Professor of Elementary Language Arts Michiko Hikida, Hikida stated "it is our job to protect the young people in our care as they learn to stand up for what they believe, as they learn to fight for what they believe is right". Talking to Carter, she said, "How dare you put them in harm’s way. You should be ashamed of yourself". [92]

Government officials

After the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, Ohio Governor (R) Mike DeWine expressed support for the university's policy in an interview. [40] DeWine said, "I think that Ohio State did well", "what we don't want is any kind of hate", and that he opposes protests "right outside the door of a classroom". [40] The demonstrators at the encampment were on the South Oval, which is not in the vicinity of any classrooms. [93] [53] [94] He said that he supports Ohio and the U.S. "backing the country of Israel". [40] In the same interview, he expressed support for Ohio Revised Code Section 9.76.

After the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, Ohio State Senator (R) Jerry Cirino gave a speech named "New OSU President Passes First Test with Flying Colors", stating that "university administrators across the country could learn a thing or two from the OSU example, rather than sitting on their hands as violent mobs riot, storm buildings, and engage in running street battles with police, as shockingly occurred at colleges including Columbia and UCLA". [95] Cirino also claimed that "outside agitators" were responsible for the encampments. He concluded his speech by saying "perhaps we should consider introducing legislation that would provide for the termination of faculty members, tenured or not, who participate in, or encourage others to commit, violence on campus" and that "freedom from this horrible fear is every student's God-given right" and is his "sacred duty". [95]

Notes

  1. ↑ Universities that have cut or paused ties with Israeli institutions – or companies involved with Israel and its occupied territories – include Portland State University, [24] Trinity College Dublin, [25] the University of Helsinki, [26] the University of Copenhagen, [27] Ghent University, [28] and the University of Waterloo. [29]
  2. ↑ The organization in question was the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and United Nations. [60]

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References

  1. ↑ Farkas, Karen (April 25, 2024). "Hamas-Israel War: Gaza Protest at Ohio State University Campus". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "About three dozen pro-Palestine protesters arrested at Ohio State". NBC4 WCMH-TV. April 26, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  3. ↑ @sjposu (April 27, 2024). "SJP Demands Instagram Post" . Retrieved June 9, 2024– via Instagram.
  4. 1 2 3 "University says officers had readied firearms, directed toward protesters from Ohio Union's roof once arrests began". The Lantern. April 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Student organization placed on interim suspension for disregarding university directives and use of PFLP logo". The Lantern. December 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
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  8. ↑ "US college protests: Who are the student groups and others involved". Reuters. April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024. Among the lead student groups in the coalition are the Columbia chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine. The two decades-old anti-Zionism advocacy groups that protest Israel's military occupation have chapters across the country that have been key to protests on other campuses.
  9. ↑ Taft, Isabelle; Lemonides, Alex; Gamio, Lazaro; Betts, Anna (July 21, 2024). "Campus Protests Led to More Than 3,100 Arrests, but Many Charges Have Been Dropped". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
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