Campus Chaos, Nuclear Armageddon and Israel's Incursion into Rafah

Tipping Point Quick Hits (05.02.24)

How Long Will the Campus Chaos Continue?

We’ve been paying close attention to the anti-Israel protests exploding on campuses across the United States. These pro-Palestine student demonstrations reached a new level of chaos and violence in New York City early in the week when agitators at Columbia University took over a building, barricading themselves inside it. By 11pm on Tuesday, a two-hour operation by NYPD officers in riot gear—requested by the university—had taken back custody of the occupied building.

Nearly 300 students were arrested Tuesday night at Columbia University and City University of New York, leaving smashed windows and piles of furniture behind them after the occupation. Police officers in riot gear also clashed with demonstrators and made multiple arrests last night at UCLA, dismantling an encampment and removing barricades.

Across the nation, reports varied about these protestors. Some were said to be peaceful protestors holding signs about civilian deaths in Gaza. But others were openly supporting the terrorist tactics of Hamas and shouting antisemitic slogans. One attorney representing a Jewish student at Columbia said there were “straight-out calls for the genocide of Jews.”

Police were also called in last week at the University of Texas in Austin. Politicians on both sides of the political aisle have reacted with anger about the antisemitism of the demonstrators and the inability of college faculty and administration to protect Jewish students.