Spreading to Europe, Australia, and the Middle EastStarting from Columbia University in the United States, a reversal protest spreading across the country is now expanding to various parts of the world. According to Reuters and other sources on the 4th local time, protests against the Gaza conflict have been held in various countries such as France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, and Switzerland.
In France, prestigious universities like Sciences Po and Sorbonne in Paris have been hosting overnight protests occupying campus buildings to protest against Israel’s attacks on Gaza since the end of last month. Protesters chanted slogans like “Freedom for Palestine” and “Stop the Massacre,” continuing their demonstrations. On the 3rd, police, upon the request of university authorities, entered the Sciences Po building and dispersed dozens of protesters. The school, where President Emmanuel Macron graduated from, has close ties with Columbia University. Some students, in opposition to the university’s response, have reportedly started a hunger strike in protest.
In major cities like Berlin and Munich in Germany, hundreds of students chanted slogans like “Long live Palestine,” “Stop the Massacre,” and “From Columbia to Munich,” engaging in sit-in protests. Students at Humboldt University in Berlin previously invited the Israeli Chief Justice for a debate, but later criticized President Yulija von Blum for being a “Zionist” and demanded her resignation. Kai Wegner, the mayor of Berlin, warned that anti-Semitism would not be tolerated at universities. The police dispersed the protesters by force, leading to the arrest of 38 people. Students at the University of Sydney in Australia set up tents in front of the main building and held a protest against Israel, demanding the university to disclose all relationships with Israeli companies and universities, and to cut ties with weapons manufacturers.
Hundreds of students at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon recently marched through the streets waving Palestinian flags. In addition to these protests, similar events have taken place in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada, India, Mexico, and more. However, protests in Europe, South America, and other regions are smaller in scale compared to the United States and are conducted peacefully.