Front Burner

The growing wave of campus protests

A conversation about the pro-Palestinian protests on college and university campuses, why some students are risking arrest and suspension, and why others feel the demonstrations are contributing to a dangerous climate that fuels antisemitism.
A crowd of protesters on one side of a line of shrubs faces a crowd of police in riot gear, as officers pull one demonstrator away.
Pro-Palestinian protesters are pushed to the edge of campus at the University of Texas Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up on an increasing number of college campuses following last week's arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman/The Associated Press)

On April 17th, pro-Palestinian protesters set up an encampment on the lawn of Columbia University in New York, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and for their administration to divest from ties to Israel. The next day, their university's president called on the NYPD to clear the encampment. They arrested more than 100 students. That event caused an eruption of solidarity encampments, protests, and faculty walk-outs at colleges and universities across the U.S. 

Now, the encampments and solidarity protests have spread even further — including at McGill University in Montreal, and universities in Europe and Australia.

Today, we're going to talk about why students in multiple countries feel compelled to face arrest or suspension for this movement — and why others feel the protests are creating a dangerous climate that is fueling antisemitism.

Our guest is Arielle Angel, editor-in-chief of the magazine Jewish Currents.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts 

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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