Antisemitic protesters occupy buildings on college campuses across the US, including California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt

Published: 29 April 2024 at 00:14

Politics

Antisemitic agitators have been protesting at college campuses in various states, with California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt condemning the unlawful actions of protesters who have occupied academic buildings. The protesters have engaged in criminal activities like vandalism, theft, and intimidation, causing safety hazards and interruptions to education. The university is working to peacefully end the occupation through dialogue.

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Antisemitic protests force Harvard, Cal Poly Humboldt to implement closures, Columbia goes hybrid

Columbia University students David Lederer and Elisha Baker on what it feels like for Jewish students at the university with ongoing anti-Israel protests Two universities on opposite coasts have implemented closures of varying degrees on their campuses as numerous colleges across the U.S. are experiencing anti-Israel protests, forcing one, Columbia University, to go hybrid. California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt shuttered its entire campus late Monday and will keep it that way through Wednesday, according to a post on the colleges website. The closure stems from people occupying a building on Cal Poly Humboldts campus Monday evening as a form of protest against Israel.

U.S. law firms letter on campus antisemitism sparks debate on statements about Israel-Hamas conflict

A letter from 220 U.S. law firms urging law school deans to address campus antisemitism has ignited a debate on lawyers' statements about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Muslim groups argue that the firms' focus on discrimination against Jews has minimized Palestinian suffering. Antisemitic incidents and reports of Islamophobia have surged in the United States since the conflict began. Muslim groups are calling for a new letter to law deans focused on Islamophobia and anti-Arab bigotry. The American Bar Association is expected to vote on new free speech rules for law schools to protect the exchange of ideas and safeguard robust debate.

History of antisemitism in the United States (Wikipedia)

Different opinions exist among historians regarding the extent of antisemitism in American history and how American antisemitism contrasted with its European counterpart. In contrast to the horrors of European history, John Higham states that in the United States "no decisive event, no deep crisis, no powerful social movement, no great individual is associated primarily with, or significant chiefly because of anti-Semitism." Accordingly, David A. Gerber concludes that antisemitism "has been a distinctly minor feature of the nation's historical development."The first governmental incident of anti-Jewish action came during the American Civil War, when General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order No. 11 (1862) to expel Jews from the portions of Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi then under his control. The order was quickly rescinded by President Lincoln, but not before some Jews were forcibly removed from their homes.From the 1870s to the 1940s, Jews were routinely discriminated against and barred from working in some fields of employment, barred from residing certain properties, not accepted as members by elite social clubs, barred from resort areas and limited by quotas in enrolling in elite colleges. Antisemitism reached its peak with the rise of the second Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, antisemitic publications by Henry Ford, and incendiary radio speeches by Father Coughlin in the late 1930s.Following World War II and the Holocaust in Europe, anti-Jewish sentiment significantly declined in the United States. However, there has been an upsurge in the number of antisemitic hate crimes in recent years. Critics of Diversity, equity, and inclusion allege that it facilitates antisemitism by portraying Jews as oppressors, particularly on college campuses. Since the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war, there has been a notable surge in antisemitism throughout the US.

2023 antisemitic riots in the North Caucasus (Wikipedia)

Towards the end of October 2023, several violent antisemitic riots occurred in the North Caucasus region of Russia. A majority of the region's population is Muslim. The riots occurred during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, a conflict which caused an increase in antisemitic incidents in various parts of the world.

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Wikipedia)

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt or Humboldt) is a public university in Arcata, California. It is one of three polytechnic universities in the California State University (CSU) system and the northernmost campus in the system. The main campus, situated hillside at the edge of a coast redwood forest, overlooks Arcata, much of Humboldt Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. The college town setting on the California North Coast, 8 miles (13 km) north of Eureka, 279 miles (449 km) north of San Francisco, and 654 miles (1053 km) north of Los Angeles is notable for its natural beauty. It is the most westerly four-year university in the contiguous United States. Humboldt is a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI).The university is divided into three colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the College of Natural Resources and Sciences; and the College of Professional Studies. It offers 58 bachelor's degree programs, 14 master's degree programs, 76 minors, and 4 credential programs. Cal Poly Humboldt does not offer doctoral degrees.