Campus Arrests Top 2,200 as Some Universities Capitulate

Instead of the quiet, studious atmosphere often observed near a semester’s end, American colleges continue to wrestle with radical leftists’ prolonged, pro-terrorism temper tantrum. Police have already arrested more than 600 demonstrators this month for trespassing, public disturbance, or more violent crimes, raising the total number of campus arrests since April 18 to more than 2,200.

Yet at least three universities have decided to reward this misbehavior by agreeing to protestors’ demands, instead of having them arrested. Brown University agreed in a signed memorandum to hold a vote on divesting all university funds from Israel and to provide amnesty for those occupying the campus.

Rutgers University agreed to eight out of 10 demands made by protestors, which obligate the university to:

• “Accept at least 10 displaced Gazan students to study at Rutgers University on scholarship”;
• “Provide resources for Palestinian and Arab students in the form of an Arab Cultural Center on each Rutgers campus”;
• “Hire senior administrators with cultural competency and knowledge about Arabs, Palestinians, Muslims, anti-Palestinian racism, and Islamophobia”;
• “Hire additional professors specializing in Palestine studies and Middle East studies, institute a center for Palestine studies, and establish a path to departmentalization for Middle East studies”;
• “Provide full amnesty” to the protestors.

The only reason the president did not agree to all 10 demands is because the other two were not in his control.

Northwestern University agreed to “support visiting Palestinian faculty and students at risk” (two faculty, five students), “provide and renovate a house for MENA[Middle East and North Africa]/Muslim students,” give students input on university investments, chaplaincy, and dining services, and “advise employers not to rescind job offers” for students who participated in the rule-breaking protest.

“The university agreed to the terms under duress, as the students were breaking Northwestern’s rules and threatening further disorder,” Northwestern professor John McGinnis wrote in response. “Their capitulation will incentivize more rule-breaking in the future.”

This was all entirely avoidable, of course. Universities are within their rights to demand that protests remain peaceful and orderly, without causing a disruption, occupying campus buildings or lawns, or putting other students in danger. They are well within their rights to arrest students who refuse to disperse from any gathering that violates these rules. In fact, more and more universities are doing just that. Here’s an update on campus arrests, since The Washington Stand’s previous report on May 1:

Tuesday, April 30 (two incidents I missed, in addition to the nine previously reported):

• 24 activists were arrested at Northern Arizona University when police cleared an illegal encampment. Two of those arrested were not affiliated with the school.
• Five activists were arrested at Florida State University for attempting to set up an encampment. Two were students, but three were not affiliated with the school.

Wednesday, May 1 (including previously reported incidents):

• 90 activists were arrested at Dartmouth College when police cleared an illegal encampment. Those arrested were reportedly a mix of students and unaffiliated individuals.
• 34 activists were arrestedat the University of Wisconsin at Madison when police cleared an illegal encampment. Four of the demonstrators were charged with resisting arrest and/or battery to a police officer.
• 16 activists were arrested at the University of Buffalo when they refused to disperse. Some were students, and some were not affiliated with the school.
• 15 activists were arrested at Fordham University when police cleared an illegal encampment set up inside a university building.
• 12 activists were arrested at the University of New Hampshire when they began erecting an illegal encampment. Two were not affiliated with the school.
• Four activists were arrested at the University of Arizona when police cleared an illegal encampment overnight. Two were students, and two were unaffiliated with the school.
• Four activists were arrested at Yale University when they refused to disperse late in the evening.

Thursday, May 2:

• 210 activists were arrested at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) when police cleared an illegal encampment. Activists had maintained the encampment for day, fortifying it with boards and chicken wire, and turning away Jewish students who sought to access the campus. On the previous night, police intervened to break up a fight between pro- and anti-Jewish demonstrators.
• 70 (approximately) activists were arrested at the State University of New York (SUNY) Purchase campus when they refused to disperse. This number included students and faculty, according to local news reports; 50 people not affiliated with the campus were previously removed from the grounds.
• 30 activists were arrested at Portland State University following a days-long occupation of the campus library. The police arrested 22 of the activists earlier in the day and arrested the rest when more activists tried to re-establish the library occupation. Only seven of those arrested were students (including four of the initial library group), and 23 were unaffiliated with the school.
• 29 activists were arrested at Stony Brook University when they refused to disperse late in the evening. University President Maurie McInnis said the activists had been hostile to students not participating in the demonstration. Among those arrested were 22 students, two faculty members, and five unaffiliated people.
• 17 activists were arrested at Notre Dame University when they refuse to disperse late in the evening.
• Nine activists were arrested at the University of North Florida when they refused to disperse late in the evening.
• Nine activists were arrested at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville when police cleared an illegal encampment.

Friday, May 3:

• 43 activists were arrested at the New School in New York City when police cleared an illegal encampment.
• 13 activists were arrested at New York University (NYU) when police cleared an illegal encampment.

“When I was at NYU, we were starting to see some of the seeds of the anti-Semitism,” said Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, director of Family Research Council’s Center for Family Studies, on “Washington Watch.” Students “were talking about boycotting Jewish professors back … around 2010.”

“This is not new. What we’re seeing is more fruit,” Bauwens added. “Professors who have a certain ideological bent — many from the 60s” — are bringing a Marxist ideology “to the table, and they’re shepherding young, vulnerable minds to think a certain way.” According to their perverted worldview, “those who have a biblical basis are considered to be the oppressor,” and this manifests in hatred toward Jews, even though they comprise only a “small percentage … of the world’s population.”

Bauwens added that the unreasonable hatred towards Jews “should be a clue right there that there’s more to this than meets the eye.” Family Research Council Tony Perkins agreed. “his is spiritual in nature,” he said.

“When I look at those protesters, I want to weep because I see people who are sheep without shepherds,” Bauwens mourned. “So pray for our universities. … Preach the gospel there. The harvest is ripe, and we have a real opportunity with this generation to see many come to the Lord.”