Unprecedented pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the US. What protesters on American college campuses really want VIDEO

American college campuses have been rocked by protests that have led to confrontations with law enforcement, the suspension of classes and attracted the attention of the entire nation, reports CNN.

While much of the attention at first focused on the anti-Semitic incidents and how officials and police responded to the demonstrations, all of these events raise an essential question: What do the pro-Palestinian protesters really want?

The specific demands of the protesters vary somewhat from one higher education institution to another, but the main demand is that universities divest from companies with ties to Israel or businesses that profit from the war with Hamas. Universities have largely refused to accept the requirement, and experts say the decision to drop these companies may not have a significant impact on them.

Other common issues include demanding that universities disclose their stakes in companies with ties to Israel, sever academic ties to Israeli universities, and support a cease-fire in Gaza.

“I have called for Columbia University to divest from all investments from companies that profit from the genocide of Palestinians or Israeli companies that profit from the oppression of Palestinians.r,” Althea, a student who participated in the Columbia protest, told the source.

Protest movements at some higher education institutions are also demanding that officials protect free speech and prevent students from being punished for participating in demonstrations.

“Total Amnesty”

At the University of Southern California, where dozens of people were arrested on Wednesday, protesters are demanding “total amnesty” for those detained and not to exist “no police on campus.”

At Princeton University, protesters are demanding, among other things, that the Ivy League institution end research on weapons of war “used to enable genocide“, according to a flyer handed out at a campus demonstration Thursday.

Some requests are local.

At Columbia University, where the pro-Palestinian protest movement began last week, demonstrators are demanding support for low-income Harlem residents, including housing and compensation, according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the student group responsible for organizing the demonstration.

The Columbia protesters are also demanding that the university “disclose and break all ties” with the New York Police Department.

As with many major universities, Columbia has a massive endowment. It was valued at $13.6 billion in mid-2023.

And there is precedent for student activists targeting these funds during demonstrations. In the 1980s, students succeeded in persuading Colombia to abandon apartheid in South Africa.

Columbia and other universities have recently divested themselves of fossil fuels and private prisons.

Mark Yudof, president of the Academic Engagement Network, which opposes anti-Semitism on campuses, said it’s not a simple solution to implement.

“The truth is that sometimes it is hard to figure out who is doing business in Israel and what is the connection to the war”said Yudof.

Yudof, a former president of the University of California, said he knows of no university that has divested from Israel despite years of pressure to do so.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen”he said.

“Hostile and threatening”

However, none of the university centers have announced plans to divest their Israel-related funds, and some experts say they will be very reluctant to accept the request.

“A significant obstacle to opt-out is that any university supporting this measure would send a clear signal that it either: (a) consents; or (b) supports the destruction of the State of Israel and its citizens“, said Jonathan Macey, a professor at Yale Law School.

Macey stated that while such a decision might be supported by protesters, it would be “seen as hostile and threatening by many students, faculty and staff”.

Lauren Post, an analyst at the Anti-Defamation League, said the push for divestment is linked to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

While Post acknowledged that some people may push for divestment as a way to hold Israel accountable, she said the ADL views the goals of BDS as anti-Semitic.

“The goal — ultimately, the abolition of the state of Israel — is anti-Semitic.”Post said.

Yudof has stated that he too considers himself anti-Semitic.

“It smells like a double standard. Why is it only about Israel?He criticized the student protesters for focusing on Israel instead of focusing on undemocratic regimes around the world, including Iran and Russia.

It’s worth noting, however, that the student protesters aren’t directly saying they’re affiliated with BDS.

“We are not going anywhere until our demands are met”Khymani James, a student at Columbia University, said during a press conference Wednesday.

Universities don’t own that many shares

There is also some debate about how effective divestment campaigns are.

One of the problems is that selling shares in a company means that the university would give up its influence over the company.

“Be careful what you ask for. If you sell your shares, someone else will buy them and may be less concerned with the issue you care about” said Cary Krosinsky, a Yale lecturer who has advised university investment funds.

Another problem is that while university endowments are large, public companies are much larger. If a university pulls out of an investment, many companies won’t even notice.

Of course, the divestment campaign is not limited to directly punishing companies. It is about the desire to convey a message and raise public awareness.

More than wanting to ground defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, protesters would see the divestment as a symbolic victory for justice and equality.

Protesters say many of the universities’ financial interests are not transparent, and the ties to Israel may be even deeper than officials realize.