College Campuses ERUPT in Protests! (Strange Bedfellows, Ep. 34)

As students protesting the #Israel-#Hamas war at college campuses across U.S. dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, some universities moved to shut down encampments after reports of antisemitic activity among the protesters.

With the death toll mounting in the war in #Gaza, protesters nationwide are demanding that schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies they say are enabling the conflict. Some Jewish students say the #protests have veered into #antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus.

Early today police in riot gear cleared an encampment on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston while several dozen students shouted and booed at them from a distance. Massachusetts State Police said about 102 protesters who refused to disperse were arrested and will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.

The school said in a statement that the demonstration, which began two days ago, had become “infiltrated by professional organizers” with no affiliation to the school and antisemitic slurs, including “kill the #Jews,” had been used.

“We cannot tolerate this kind of hate on our campus,” the statement posted on the social media platform X said.

The University of Pennsylvania took similar action Friday when interim President J. Larry Jameson called for an encampment of protesters on the west Philadelphia campus to be disbanded, saying it violates the university’s facilities policies, though about 40 tents remained in place Saturday morning.

The “harassing and intimidating comments and actions” by some protesters violate the school’s open expression guidelines as well as state and federal law, Jameson said, and vandalism of a statue with antisemitic graffiti was “especially reprehensible and will be investigated as a hate crime.”

At Columbia University, where protesters have inspired pro-#Palestine demonstrations across the country, negotiations continued with the student encampment.

The university’s senate passed a resolution Friday that created a task force to examine the administration’s leadership, which last week called in police in an attempt to clear the protest, resulting in scuffles and more than 100 arrests.

Though the university has repeatedly set and then pushed back deadlines for the removal of the encampment, the school sent an email to students Friday night saying that bringing back police “at this time” would be counterproductive.

Also Friday, Columbia student protester Khymani James walked back comments made in an online video in January that recently received new attention. James said in the video that “#Zionists don’t deserve to live” and people "should be grateful" James wasn’t killing them.

James, who served as a spokesperson for the pro-Palestinian encampment as a member of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, was banned from campus Friday, according to a Columbia spokesperson.

Protest organizers said James’ comments didn’t reflect their values. They declined to describe James’ level of involvement with the demonstration.

But the tensions pile pressure on school officials, who are already scrambling to resolve the protests as May graduation ceremonies near.

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, gave protesters who have barricaded themselves inside a building since Monday until 5 p.m. Friday to leave and “not be immediately arrested.” The deadline came and went. Only some of the protesters left; others doubled down. After protesters rebuffed police earlier in the week, the campus was closed for the rest of the semester.

In Colorado, police swept through an encampment Friday at Denver’s Auraria Campus, which hosts three universities and colleges, arresting about 40 protesters on trespassing charges.

In France, students at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, which counts President Emmanuel Macron among its many famous alumni, students blocked access to a campus building and classes went online as the wave of protests reached overseas.

Tonight on "Strange Bedfellows" we welcome back Na'omi Allen in South Africa, history blogger and proud Zionist, who argues that Israel's war against Hamas is justified and that the protests erupting at college campuses worldwide are celebrations of antisemitism.

Last time Na'omi was with us on Episode 28, she predicted that "a second #Holocaust" is coming, and that "it will start in New York City."

Currently #NYC has four large anti-Israel campus protests in full swing -- more than any other city in the United States. Na'omi will explain why she thinks this is a dangerous trend.

Also joining us is Kevin Michelizzi, our Maverick News correspondent in #Crimea, #Russia, to discuss the "other war" in his neck of the woods, and the $60 billion aid package passed by the U.S. Congress this week, and how this influx of money and weapons will affect the ongoing war in #Ukraine.

Tonight's international panel will include four countries (possibly five, depending on whether you view Crimea as Russia or Ukraine!):

Rick Walker in Canada

Lori Spencer in the United States

Kevin Michelizzi in Crimea

Na'omi Allen in South Africa

A fascinating conversation is always guaranteed on "Strange Bedfellows." Join us LIVE from 9-11 P.M. Eastern.

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