Gallup Poll showing US change from majority approval (Nov. 2023) to majority disapproval (March 2024) of Israeli military action in Gaza.[2]
Protests, including rallies, demonstrations, campaigns, and vigils, relating to theGaza war have occurred nationwide across the United States since the conflict's start on October 7, 2023, occurring as part of a broader phenomenon ofGaza war protests around the world.
By December 5, more than 1 million Americans had participated in protest over the conflict, across over 2,600 events: 442 in support of Israel, and 2,100 in support of Palestine.[7][5] An escalation ofpro-Palestinian protests on university campuses began on April 17, 2024, andcontinued into 2025.
Four people haveself-immolated in protest of the war: an unidentified woman draped in a Palestinian flag on December 1, 2023, inAtlanta, Georgia, who survived with serious injures;[8] andAaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old serviceman of theUnited States Air Force, inWashington, D.C., died in hospital on February 25, 2024.[9] The third by anti-war activist Matt Nelson occurred inBoston in September 2024.[10][11] The fourth occurred in Washington, D.C., in October 2024.[12]
As of December 5, according to Harvard's Nonviolent Action Lab and the Crowd Counting Consortium, more than 1 million Americans had participated in protests over the conflict.[19]
"Ceasefire carols" were organized by activists throughout the United States leading up to Christmas 2023. Sarah Abbott who helped organize acarol outsideSenator Amy Klobuchar's home was quoted inCBS Minnesota saying, "Our government is funding this genocide, white Christians have historically and currently played major roles in the perpetuation ofZionism, and as people of conscience, we can't stand by silently."[20] Ceasefire carols were sung inMinneapolis, Minnesota;Louisville, Kentucky;[21]Salt Lake City, Utah;[22] and in at least 17 other cities.[20]
In February 2024, a joint report by theCenter for Constitutional Rights andPalestine Legal found widespread legal attacks against pro-Palestinian activism, describing it as "a dangerous attack on constitutionally protected speech and association".[26]
On March 31, 2024, USAF airmanLarry Hebert, a member ofVeterans for Peace, began a hunger strike to bring attention to starving children in Gaza.[29]
TheTax Day protests were held on Tax Day (April 15). After the police crackdown of the2024 Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus occupation on April 18,[30] Gaza solidarity encampments spread to multiple campuses across the US, including MIT, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Maryland, and Tufts University.[31]
At a campaign rally in Virginia on January 23, 2024, incumbent president Joe Biden was interrupted more than a dozen times by protesters calling for a ceasefire.[33] The following day, he was interrupted by anti-war protesters in Washington, D.C., during an endorsement rally held by theUnited Auto Workers.[34] Following these protests, the Biden campaign took "extraordinary" steps to prevent pro-Palestinian protesters from interrupting the president, including avoiding college campuses, hiring private companies to vet attendees, and not disclosing his events' locations ahead of time.[35] On March 10, a protester at a Biden campaign event interrupted his speech, stating, "You're a dictator, genocide Joe. Tens of thousands of Palestinians are dead. Children are dying."[36] Protesters interrupted Biden speaking on healthcare in North Carolina, telling him, "Hospitals in Gaza are being bombed," to which Biden replied, "They have a point. We need to get a lot more care into Gaza."[37]
On March 28, Biden held a fundraiser for his presidential campaign atRadio City Music Hall, accompanied by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as other celebrities. Biden and the former presidents were repeatedly heckled during the event by pro-Palestine protesters, and a demonstration was held outside the venue to protest the Biden administration's policies in Gaza. According toWithin Our Lifetime organizerNerdeen Kiswani, about 1,000 were in attendance.[38] In April 2024, Biden cancelled a plannedIftar due to pushback from invited Muslim American attendees.[39] At the 2024White House Correspondents' Dinner, protesters shouted "Shame on you!" at arriving attendees.[40]
Universities in the United States withGaza War protests since April 2024. Columbia University is marked in red. Other colleges that had encampments are marked in green, and non-encampment protests are marked in blue.
Pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses escalated in April 2024, spreadingin the United States andother countries, as part of widerGaza war protests. The escalation, nicknamed by activists the "studentintifada", began on April 18 after mass arrests at theColumbia University campus occupation, led byanti-Zionist groups, in which protesters demanded the university'sdisinvestment from Israel over theGaza genocide. Over 3,100 protesters were arrested in the U.S., including faculty members and professors, on over 60 campuses. Protests spread across Europe in May with mass arrestsin the Netherlands, 20 encampments established in the United Kingdom, and across universities in Australia and Canada.
The different protests' varying demands included severing financial ties with Israel, transparency about financial ties, ending partnerships with Israeli institutions, andamnesty for protesters. Universitiessuspended and expelled student protesters, in some cases evicting them from campus housing. Many universities relied on police toforcibly disband encampments and end occupations of buildings, several made agreements with protesters for encampments to be dismantled,[a] and others cut ties with Israeli institutions or companies involved with Israel and itsoccupied territories.[b] The campus occupations also resulted in the closure ofColumbia University,Cal Poly Humboldt, and theUniversity of Amsterdam;rolling strikes by academic workerson campuses in California, and the cancellation of some U.S. university graduation ceremonies.
Hundreds of groupsexpressed support for the protests, and the police response in the U.S. was criticised. Supporters of Israel and some Jewish students raised concerns aboutantisemitic incidents at or around the protests, prompting condemnations of the protests by international leaders. Students and faculty members who participated in the protests, many of whom are Jewish, said the protests were not antisemitic. In May 2024, it was estimated that 8% of U.S. college students had participated in the protests, with 45% supporting them and 24% opposed. 97% of the protests remainednonviolent and 28–40% of Americans supported the protests with 42–47% opposed.[c] The protests were compared to theanti-Vietnam and1968 protests, politically criticized by a wide range of mainstreamU.S. Republican andDemocratic politicians, and frequently counter-protested byZionist andright-wing organizations.
DuringPride parades throughout 2024, pro-Palestinian protesters counter-protested against celebration. Many often disrupted parades, leading to significant controversy.[55]
Midwest
Pro-Palestine protest in Columbus, Ohio, December 22, 2023
Illinois
An October 14 protest in Chicago called for the freeing ofhostages taken by Hamas, peace for Israelis and Palestinians, and an end to all killings of civilians.[56][57] On October 24, two men were arrested after one shot into the air and anotherpepper-sprayed pro-Palestinian demonstrators at an Israel solidarity event near Chicago.[58] OnBlack Friday, about 1,000 protesters marched on theMagnificent Mile retail district to condemn violence in Gaza. Police shut down streets and snowplows were used to corral the protesters.[59] On the day before Christmas Eve, a large car caravan organized by a pro-Palestinian group blocked theI-90 nearO'Hare International Airport.[60] On New Year's Eve, hundreds of pro-Palestinian marched in Chicago, blocking the I-90 again, as well as theI-94.[61] On January 5, 2024, protesters atChicago Union Station demonstrated for a ceasefire.[62]
Pro-Palestinian protesters inBloomington on May 7, 2024
Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests and demonstrations occurred on each side of theSoldiers' and Sailors' Monument inIndianapolis on October 12, 2023.[64] A pro-Palestinian protest took place on January 8, 2024, also at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, where nearly 30 people attended before increasing to about 60 people, after moving to protest outside United States senatorTodd Young's residence.[65]
On April 25, a pro-Palestine protest occurred outside the residence of state governorEric Holcomb, which resulted in the arrests of fourteen people.[66] Additionally, protesters obstructedMeridian Street in Indianapolis on the same day, which led to theIndianapolis Metropolitan Police Department threatening arrests on them.[66]
In September 2024, two people were charged with blocking the driveway of aRaytheon facility inFort Wayne, giving letters to employees urging them to find a different use for their products. Charges were dropped in December.[67]
Iowa
A pro-Palestine rally was held in Cowles Commons in downtownDes Moines on October 10 with approximately 80 people attending.[68]
On October 25, hundreds ofGrinnell College students walked out demanding that the college stop any financial support of Israel.[69] On November 4, more than 100University of Iowa students and community members from across Iowa gathered to rally for Palestine, calling for justice, peace and freedom from the oppression of Israel.[70] On December 17, nearly 150 protesters gathered in two separate demonstrations in front ofTerrace Hill, the official residence of the governor of Iowa,Kim Reynolds, as she was hosting a Christmas party. One demonstration was pro-Palestine, titled "No Justice No Christmas", while the other was in support of Iowa's Area Education Agencies (AEAs), with 40 people attending. Other protesters spoke out against recentanti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state and a local drag artist performed.[71]
Kansas
On November 14, 500 flags memorializing 10,000 Palestinians who died from October 7 to November 14 were placed on the lawn of Watson Library at theUniversity of Kansas. The event was organized by the Muslim Student Association andAl-Hadaf KC.[72] The Muslim Student Association and Middle Eastern Student Association organized a student walk-out for Palestine on November 20 with the goal of the chancellor of the university,Douglas Girod, releasing a statement in solidarity with Palestinian people.[73] On November 30, pro-Palestine activists organized a sit-in at Strong Hall on the University of Kansas campus and hung banners inside and outside of the building. Protesters called again for a statement from the chancellor and criticized the university's involvement in theDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency andU.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation.[74][75] Over 100 activists marched downMassachusetts Street on March 2, 2024, calling for "hands offRafah", for more humanitarian aid, and to voteuncommitted in the2024 Democratic Party presidential primary.[76]
On the first day ofChanukah, December 7, around two dozen activists from Jewish Voice for Peace sat inSharice Davids'Overland Park, Kansas, office calling for a ceasefire and for more humanitarian aid to Gaza. Protesters carried signs saying, "Chanukah for ceasefire" and "Stop funding genocide".[77][78]
Michigan
A group of pro-ceasefire activists gathered at the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building inGrand Rapids,Michigan, on November 7, resulting in three arrests for people who refused to leave the office of RepresentativeHillary Scholten.[79] In Detroit, a Thanksgiving Day parade was interrupted by about 200 pro-Palestine protesters.[80] On February 1, 2024, a group ofArab Americans protested against the arrival of Joe Biden for a campaign stop inDearborn.[81]
On the 2024Quds Day (April 5), a pro-Palestine rally was organised in Dearborn (a city considered the capital ofArab Americans), where some protesters chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".[82][83][84] The Al Quds Committee Detroit, who organised the rally, posted on Facebook that the chants were "wrongful" and "a mistake", but that they will also continue to criticise theforeign policy of the United States.[85]
MayorAbdullah Hammoud spoke at a Dearborn rally on September 24, 2024, immediately following activistOsama Siblani. The two embraced as Hammoud joined Siblani on the stage. Siblani called to "return [Israelis] to Poland" and praisedHezbollah leaderHassan Nasrallah. Hammoud did not address the praise for the Hezbollah leader or the crowd's calls of "death to Israel", and did not respond to the media's request for comment.[86][87]
Minnesota
Pro-Palestinian protesters inMinneapolis on November 4, 2023
On October 10, a pro-Israel solidarity gathering took place at the Beth el Synagogue inSt. Louis Park. U.S. SenatorAmy Klobuchar spoke: "They are trying to destroy Israel. We will not let that happen."[88] On October 18, a large crowd gathered outside theMinnesota State Capitol to support Palestinians in St. Paul.[89] On October 22, in Minneapolis, a pro-Palestinian rally took place on theIrene Hixon Whitney Bridge. A car drove through the crowd in the afternoon and a confrontation occurred.[90] A man was arrested inMinneapolis after driving through a crowd of anti-war activists.[91] On November 1, a protester interrupted a speech byJoe Biden in Minneapolis asking him to call for a ceasefire, leading him to respond that a humanitarian "pause" was needed.[92] On November 11, hundreds of activists marched Cathedral Hill to the state capitol demanding a cease-fire.[93]
Seventy pro-ceasefire protesters demonstrated outside of Democratic presidential candidate and congressmanDean Phillips' office inMinnetonka on December 6.[94] Hundreds protested for a ceasefire outside Amy Klobuchar's office on January 8.[95]
Pro-Palestine activists rally by the road at Mill Creek Park inKansas City, Missouri, October 14, 2023
On November 6, more than 75 activists blocked the entrances to theBoeing plant in theSt. Louis suburb ofSt. Charles, where the company manufactures bombs that have been sold to the Israeli government.[100][101] About 150 activists participated in a second protest, blocking entrances again on November 21.[102][103] Pro-Palestine students atWashington University in St. Louis (Washu) staged adie-in to pressure the university to cut ties with Boeing.[104] Student activists fromUniversity of Missouri-St. Louis, Washu, andSt. Louis University called for their universities to divest and disaffiliate with Boeing over the company's weapons manufacturing in a letter endorsed by seven student groups.[105]
About 600 Kansas City residents attended a pro-Israel rally on October 9.[106] On October 15, hundreds of people gathered for a pro-Palestine protest at Mill Creek Park.[107][108] On November 8, 30 activists associated withAl-Hadaf KC andKC Tenants held a sit-in outsideRepresentative Emanuel Cleaver II's office calling for his support for theCeasefire Now Resolution.[109] On November 18, Cleaver called for a ceasefire, but did not sign onto the resolution.[110] In February 2024, theGirl Scouts threatened to sue a Missouri chapter for making bracelets for starving children in Gaza, leading the chapter to leave the national organization.[111]
Ohio
Officers arresting a pro-Palestinian protester at the OSU Gaza Solidarity Encampment, April 25, 2024
A series of protests atOhio State University bypro-Palestinian demonstrators are ongoing and began on-campus following the outbreak of theGaza war andgenocide. A solidarity encampment was constructed on OSU's South Oval on April 25, 2024 during which there were at least 36 arrests, making for the largest en masse arrests on campus since the1969–1970 Vietnam War protests.[112]
Pro-Palestinian groups have been critical of the university's responses to the protests, which have included allowingstate troopers to aimsniper rifles at students during the dispersal of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment,[116][117][118][119] suspending a pro-Palestinian student organization,[120][121][122] and blocking the Undergraduate Student Government's attempts at passing legislation for financial divestment from Israel after receiving pressure from officials inZionist organizationHillel International.[123][124][125]
Following protests, the OSU administration coordinated multi-agency police operations, implemented a campus-wide chalking ban, andexpelled a pro-Palestinian social media influencer; state-level officials floated invoking a 1953 anti-KKK statute against pro-Palestinian protesters who wore face coverings, suggested terminating faculty members who encourage or engage in "violence on campus", and passed the "CAMPUS" Act to formalizefree speech restrictions; and officials in theTrump administration revoked the student visa of at least one pro-Palestinian protester at OSU and threatened to withdraw funding from OSU if they did not sufficiently "combat antisemitism" on campus. These actions have been met with multiple lawsuits over alleged violations ofFirst andFourteenth Amendment rights.
The university has insisted their actions are politically neutral, with OSU PresidentTed Carter stating the "university's long-standing space rules are content neutral and are enforced uniformly".[126] Critics argue the university engages inselective enforcement of university space rules, enforcing policies disproportionately against pro-Palestinian groups and not similarly against other groups on campus.
In Merrimack, New Hampshire, three protesters were arrested and charged with riot, sabotage, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, and disorderly conduct for a pro-Palestine protest that occurred at the offices of Elbit Systems, an Israeli "defense and homeland security business".[127][128]
On November 11, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered near Biden's residence inWilmington, Delaware, calling for a ceasefire and accusing him of genocide.[129] On January 23, 2024, protesters outside a campaign event for Biden inManassas, Virginia, chanted "Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Genocide Joe".[130] TheCouncil on American-Islamic Relations called for a federal probe into violations of international law due to a real estate event planned at a synagogue inTeaneck, New Jersey, which would sell "stolen land" taken from Palestinians in theIsraeli-occupiedWest Bank.[131]
A protest was held at theUniversity of Connecticut's main campus inStorrs by the UConn SJP chapter.[135] On April 19, 2024, a pro-Palestinian protest occurred on the campus ofYale University inNew Haven.[136] Several days later, police arrested 45 protesters on the Yale campus.[137]
Protest against the war in Gaza at theWhite House, Washington, D.C., October 8, 2023
Jewish activists protested for aceasefire on October 16 at theWhite House, sayingKaddish, singing Jewish songs, and chanting "Not in our name". 49 were arrested: 16 for blocking entrances and 33 for crossing safety barriers.[140][141][6] On November 15, the headquarters of theDemocratic National Committee was evacuated by theU.S. Capitol Police during a pro-Palestine rally, organized, in part, byIfNotNow, who reported that "police are being extremely violent" at the rally. Six officers were injured.[142] On November 27, a group of more than a dozen state lawmakers and activists, including actress and former-gubernatorial candidateCynthia Nixon, launched ahunger strike at the White House calling for a permanent ceasefire.[143] On December 7, a group of doctors called for a ceasefire onCapitol Hill.[144] On December 11, a group of twenty Jewish senior citizens were arrested after chaining themselves to the White House fence in protest of the war.[145]
On January 13, 2024, thousands of Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest as part of a worldwide day of protests against the war.[151]
On June 8, 2024, protesters held a "red-line" banner as thousands of people participated in a rally for ceasefire at the White House.[152] The Biden administration slammed the "repugnant" rhetoric voiced at the rally, during which pro-Hamas and pro-Hezbollah demonstrators called for jihad and the killing of Zionists.[153]
On October 5, 2024, more than a thousand protesters gathered inBlack Lives Matter Plaza prior to the one year anniversary of October 7. During the protest, an attemptedself-immolation took place when a journalist shouting aboutmisinformation set their[d] arm on fire.[154][155]
Staffers
On November 8, more than 100 US congressional staffers staged awalk-out, demanding a ceasefire.[156] A group of 40White House interns sent a letter to President Biden saying they would "no longer remain silent" about thegenocide occurring in Gaza.[157] Josh Paul, a senior State Department official, resigned in protest of the US policy toward the war.[158] On December 13, more than 100 staffers from theDepartment of Homeland Security stated the department leadership had "turned a blind eye to the bombing of refugee camps, hospitals, ambulances, and civilians".[159] The same day, more than three dozen staffers in the Biden Administration held a rally outside the White House calling for a ceasefire.[160] On January 14, ahead of reports that federal employees were planning a walkout in opposition to U.S. government policy in Israel, Speaker of the HouseMike Johnson stated theHouse Oversight Committee would "ensure that each federal agency initiates appropriate disciplinary proceedings against any person who walks out on their job".[161]
On May 15,Lily Greenberg Call, a special assistant to the Chief of Staff with theInterior Department became the first Jewish and fifth overall staffer to resign in protest of US support for Israel. Call alleged that Biden was using Jewish people to justify US involvement in the conflict.[162]
Officials' homes
Protesters demonstrated outsideAntony Blinken's home accusing him of participating in genocide.[163] On December 12, hecklers interrupted a speech by vice-presidentKamala Harris, demanding she call for a ceasefire.[164] A protest was held atLloyd Austin's home on December 25.[165] Protesters again demonstrated outside Blinken's home, encouraging passing cars to honk their horns.[166] In late-January 2024, protesters began camping outside of Blinken's house in protest of the war.[167]
Government buildings
On October 18, about 300 protesters were arrested at a Jewish-led pro-ceasefire demonstration inside theCannon House Office Building.[3] On October 31, antiwar protesters interrupted aUS Senate hearing where Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requested billions of military aid for Israel.[168] On November 3, a pro-Palestine group reported that 52 activists had been arrested for engaging insit-ins in US Senate offices.[169] On December 11, 51 protesters calling for a ceasefire in the Senate building were arrested.[170] On December 19, protesters entered theUS Capitol Building to protest against the war.[171] On January 17, 150 members from Mennonites Action were arrested at a pro-ceasefire sit-in in the US Capitol.[172] On January 14, 2024, protesters organized byCode Pink threw baby dolls covered in fake blood at the White House as part of the "National March 4 Gaza".[173] In March 2024, protesters blockedPennsylvania Avenue in protest of Biden's2024 State of the Union Address, with one demonstrator stating, "No more genocide with our tax dollars".[174] On July 23, a day beforeBenjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to address ajoint session of Congress, the US Capitol Police announced that they had arrested about 200 protesters wearing red shirts that said "JEWS SAY STOP ARMING ISRAEL" in the Cannon House Office Building. Jewish Voice for Peace, who organized the sit-in, claimed that at least 400 were arrested.[175]
A vigil toAaron Bushnell held outside of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., February 2024
On February 25, 2024, Aaron Bushnell,[9] an active-duty U.S. Air Force officer, self-immolated outside of theIsraeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., protesting Israel's assault on Gaza during the war. Bushnell filmed the protest and livestreamed it onTwitch, and recorded as he walked up to the Israeli Embassy, saying "I am an active duty member of the United States Air Force, and I will no longer be complicit togenocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at their hands of their colonizers, it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal."[176][better source needed] When Bushnell arrived at the embassy gates, he set his phone down to film himself dousing his body in a clear liquid from a metal bottle. He then lit himself on fire while shouting "FreePalestine".[177][178] Multiple police officers responded to the scene and usedfire extinguishers on Bushnell. He was transported by theDC Fire and EMS to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.[179] A vigil was held on February 27 in front of the Israeli Embassy to memorialize Bushnell.[180]
Maine
OnBlack Friday 2023, the Maine Coalition for Palestine held a rally near a shopping mall inFreeport.[181]
On July 27, 2024, at least nine protesters were arrested during a christening event for the newArleigh Burke-class destroyer,USS Patrick Gallagher, for blocking the road outside theBath Iron Works. Two were charged with obstructing a public way and the others were charged with criminal trespass.[182] Police from Bath and Sagadahoc County arrested the group which had split off from a larger demonstration of about 75 people.[183]
Massachusetts
Pro-Israel rally inBoston, Massachusetts, October 9, 2023
TheStudents for Justice in Palestine organized a protest atHarvard University in October, several days after numerous students weredoxed for publicly supporting Palestine.[184][185] A pro-Palestiniandie-in took place atHarvard College on October 18. Aproctor in charge of overseeing freshmen was indefinitely relieved of his duties for participating.[186] On November 9, Harvard RabbiHirschy Zarchi spoke at a demonstration to pay tribute to the hostages held by Hamas, saying that anyone who justified the October 7 attack was "not just an animal. You're below an animal. You're a monster".[187] During a pro-ceasefire sit-in protest at theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst, 56 students and one university employee were arrested for trespassing.[188] Students staged another die-in at the UMass Amherst on December 6.[189] Anti-war student protesters atMIT were suspended for refusing to leave a campus building they were occupying.[190]
On Black Friday, protesters inSomerville targeted aPUMA store because the company provides equipment to the Israeli National Sports Teams.[191] OnThanksgiving, President Biden was heckled by pro-Palestine activists inNantucket chanting "Free Palestine".[192][193] On October 24, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in front ofWorcester City Hall.[194] On the same day, in Nantucket, protesters targeted a Christmas tree lighting attended by Biden andhis wife.[195] Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters rallied outside of a fundraiser for theBiden 2024 reelection campaign on December 5 inBoston. The demonstration was organized by theParty for Socialism and Liberation.[196][197]
New York
On November 9, 2023, 200 Cornell students staged asit-in to symbolize the lives lost on both sides of the war.[198] On December 1, 2023, students at Cornell protested outside the office of university presidentMartha Pollack, holding amock trial where they charged her with genocide against Palestinian civilians.[199] In March 2024, a group of 24 individuals, including two staff members, were arrested and charged with trespassing for staging a sit-in on the Cornell campus.[200][201]
New York City
General protests
Pro-Palestine march in New York City, October 23, 2023Stand with Palestine event, October 14, 2023
On October 8, 2023, one day afterHamas' attack on Israel, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied inTimes Square, waving Palestinian flags, chanting "Resistance is justified", "Globalize the Intifada", "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free", "By any means necessary", "Glory to our martyrs", and "Smash the settler Zionist state".[202][203][204] Dozens of pro-Israeli protesters also organised a counter-protest, singingHatikvah and chanting "Never again" and "The people of Israel live" in Hebrew.[204] Tensions were high between the 2 sides, with pro-Palestinian protesters chanting "700", referring to the confirmed number of Israeli fatalities in the attack at that moment, while the pro-Israeli protesters called them "terrorists" and "murderers".[204]
On October 14, thousands demonstrated against the bombing in Gaza.[205][206] A viral video from a pro-Israel protest showed several protesters explicitly calling forgenocide against Palestinians.[207] AtDag Hammarskjöld Plaza, about 200 rallied on October 18 to draw attention to hostages held by Hamas. Protesters included many family members of hostages and local Jewish leaders.[208] On November 6, around 500 protesters staged asit-in at theStatue of Liberty, calling for a ceasefire.[209]
Protesters gathered in front of theNew York Public Library on Thanksgiving Day. They clashed with police after being seen spray-paintinggraffiti on the building.[210] Pro-ceasefire protesters from Jewish Voice for Peace shut down theManhattan Bridge for hours on November 26.[211] Protesters demonstrated atRockefeller Plaza on December 25 to call for a ceasefire.[212] Also on Christmas Day, pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with the NYPD and several were arrested.[213] On December 28, a vigil for children killed in Gaza was held in Times Square.[214] A "Flood the Bronx for Gaza" march was held in the Bronx.[215] Protesters blocked several bridges entering Manhattan on January 8, as well as a tunnel-entrance for New Jersey-bound traffic.[216][217]
On October 24, a protest organized by the Bronx Anti-War Coalition took place outside of Rep.Ritchie Torres' office inFordham, Bronx. Nearby, more than 500 pro-Israel protesters, including a large number of students atSAR Academy, organized at nearby Seton Park to support the Congressman's position.[225]
On December 15, protesters gathered outside Chuck Schumer's office, chanting, "Schumer! Schumer! You can't hide. You're supporting genocide."[226] On February 7, 2024, Jewish protesters attempted to block Biden's presidential motorcade from attending a fundraiser with donors.[227] On February 15, protesters interruptedTom Suozzi's victory speech, chanting, "You can't hide! You're supporting genocide!"[228]
Anti-war student protesters atColumbia University reported experiencing targeted harassment.[233] Students walked out of a class taught byHillary Clinton in support of Palestine after her comments against a ceasefire.[234] Pro-Palestine protesters heckled Clinton on November 29 at Columbia University's International Affairs Building and accused her of supportinggenocide.[235]
In January 2024, students at a pro-Palestine demonstration at Columbia University were attacked withSkunk. One victim, who claimed that Palestinian friends recognized the odor as Skunk, described it as having the smell of "poop mixed with decaying animal".[236] Victims of the attack reported difficulty removing the odor from their clothes and other possessions, and that the effects of the spray including its odor, skin irritation, nausea, and dizziness continued days after the attack despite efforts to remove it.[237][238] In response, demonstrators organized a protest outside the university.[239] The incident was being investigated by the New York City Police Department as a potential hate crime.[240][needs update]Students for Justice in Palestine andJewish Voice for Peace published a report in which they stated the perpetrators were former IDF soldiers and current Columbia students.[241]
At a pro-Palestinian rally held by students of Columbia University, protesters chanted "there is only one solution,intifada revolution", "Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around" (a pro-Houthi slogan) and "NYPD,KKK,IDF, they're all the same".[242]
NYPD cleaning the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment", April 18, 2024
On April 17, thecampus occupation by student protestors at Columbia began, with protestors establishing the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment", which was dismantled by the NYPD but later set up again on another part of campus.[243]
Protests later spread to several other campuses, including Yale and NYU.[244][245]
On April 26, a Columbia student who had emerged as a leader of the protest movement was barred after declaring in a video that "Zionists don't deserve to live". Other protests groups condemned the comments, but theNew York Times said they raised the question of "How much of the movement in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza is tainted by antisemitism?"[246] The Columbia encampment and many other encampments at American university campuses were ultimately cleared by police.
Institution protests
On November 10, protesters staged a sit-in atThe New York Times, saying the newspaper was complicit in "laundering genocide".[247] The CEO ofthe Legal Aid Society said a resolution by New York City public defenders to condemn the killing of Palestinian civilians was antisemitic.[248] On December 7,Doctors Without Borders held a vigil outsideUnited Nations headquarters in honor of the medical workers killed in Gaza.[249] Thousands of members of US labor unions gathered on December 22 in support of a ceasefire.[250] Rabbis for Ceasefire prayed for a ceasefire at the UN on January 9.[251] Protesters demonstrated outside ofMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for its collaborations with Israeli medical centers.[252] On February 11, protesters at theMuseum of Modern Art andBrooklyn Museum called on the institutions to cut ties with donors who had ties to Israel.[253] Protesters demonstrated againstAIPAC at the lobby's New York office on February 23.[254] On March 14, protesters blockedThe New York Times' distribution center.[255] In April, ads onMTA subways were replaced with pro-Palestinian messages.[256]
Event protests
On November 23, 2023, pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted theThanksgiving Day Parade. Wearing white jumpsuits covered with fake blood, some glued themselves to the parade route alongSixth Avenue near 45th street. Protesters were reported at two other locations.[257] Pro-Palestine demonstrators held a vigil and a rally outside theRockefeller Center during the annual lighting of theRockefeller Center Christmas tree.[258] Police clashed with protesters at Sixth Street and seven people were arrested.[259] On March 28, pro-Palestinian protests occurred outside a Biden fundraiser atRadio City Music Hall.[260]
New Jersey
On October 22, 2023, an "emergency rally for Gaza" was held inPaterson.[261] On October 28, aPrinceton University staff member assaulted a pro-Palestinian protester at an off-campus event calling for ceasefire in Gaza.[262]
On February 12, protesters organized by "American Muslims for Palestine" interrupted an event insideDrumthwacket, the Governor's Mansion in Trenton where Gov.Phil Murphy was hosting a celebration of the lunar new year. The group demanded that the New Jersey-Israeli State Commission be disbanded.[263]
On October 17, 2025, protestors with Jewish Voice for Peace occupied the lobby of a high rise where an office ofCory Booker is located, in protest of his votes in favor of military aid for Israel and against funding forUNRWA.[264]
Pennsylvania
On October 9, 2023, a pro-Israel demonstration was held outside the Kaiserman Jewish Community Center inWynnewood.[265]
On February 24, pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrations were held simultaneously inLower Merion. The two groups largely avoided one another, though they briefly exchanged chants.[266]
Most pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Philadelphia were organized or supported by thePhilly Palestine Coalition. The Coalition held its first pro-Palestinian rally since the start of the war on October 8.[265]
On October 12, pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied outsideWHYY's Old City studio in protest of local media's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.[268]
Multiple pro-Palestinian protests in late October were held outside the office of SenatorJohn Fetterman.[271]
On November 2, around 25 pro-Palestinian protestors were arrested after blocking the entrances to several Amtrak gates during a larger demonstration at30th Street Station.[272]
On November 9, pro-Palestinian protestors held adie-in atCity Hall.[273] Another demonstration was held outside City Hall on November 17.[274] Another was held on November 24.[275]
On December 3, pro-Palestinian protestors held a citywide demonstration with several stops, including Goldie, an Israeli restaurant owned byMichael Solomonov. Chants directed at the restaurant by protestors were condemned by politicians, including theBiden administration, GovernorJosh Shapiro, Senator John Fetterman, RepresentativeBrendan Boyle, State RepresentativeBen Waxman, and State SenatorNikil Saval. In their statements, politicians asserted that the restaurant was targeted for being Jewish-owned. The Philly Palestine Coalition denied this accusation, citing Solomonov's financial support for the Friends ofUnited Hatzalah, an emergency services organization partnered with theIsrael Defense Forces, Solomonov's Israeli government-appointed role as a "culinary ambassador", and allegations by former Goldie employees that they were fired for expressing pro-Palestinian beliefs.[276]
On December 10, a pro-Israel rally was held at Congregation Rodeph Shalom.[277]
On February 13, a large pro-Palestinian demonstration marched through Center City.[279]
On March 2, a pro-Palestinian protest, which began at City Hall, blocked the Benjamin Franklin Bridge for about 40 minutes. On March 3, a pro-Israel rally was held inRittenhouse Square.[280]
On March 9, a pro-Palestinian demonstration marched from Rittenhouse Square to the Spring Garden Street offices ofDay & Zimmermann, a defense contractor manufacturing weapons used in theIsraeli invasion of Gaza.[281]
On March 30, a protest was held in Center City with hundreds in attendance. 67 people were arrested for disorderly conduct after blocking I-676.[282]
On April 15, pro-Palestinian protestors engaged in a series ofTax Day actions intended to "block the flow of capital" and protest US taxpayer funding for Israel. Protestors slowed traffic and staged a car caravan funeral procession on I-95. They also blocked several highway ramps at Broad and Vine Streets and protested at City Hall, the IRS offices at 30th and Market Streets, and the Day & Zimmermann headquarters at 15th and Spring Garden Streets.[283]
On April 25, after a march from Center City toWest Philadelphia, which passed through the campuses ofTemple University andDrexel University, pro-Palestinian protestors set up an encampment on the campus of theUniversity of Pennsylvania.[284] In the following days, the encampment grew in defiance of orders from the university administration to disband. Protestors vowed not to comply with ID checks by Penn police. A letter circulated by Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine in support of the encampment collected more than 1,200 signatures.[284]
Six people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian4th of July demonstration at City Hall, after protestors burned flags and scuffled with police.[285]
Several hundred protestors gathered at City Hall on the night of the2024 presidential debate to protest the pro-Israel positions of bothDonald Trump andKamala Harris. Marching down Market Street, the protest made it to 4th Street before being hemmed in by riot police. Organizers told marchers to disperse, but a smaller number stayed behind and clashed with police.[286]
Rhode Island
On November 9, 20 Jewish students were arrested atBrown University for occupyingUniversity Hall and demanding a ceasefire anddivestment resolution.[287] Charges against the Jewish students were dropped after aPalestinian-American Brown University student wasshot and wounded in Burlington, Vermont.[288] At a vigil for the injured student, protesters chanted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” at presidentChristina Paxson, leading her to leave the podium.[289] On December 6, 41 protesters at Brown were charged with trespassing at University Hall for another sit-in protest to raise awareness about the same shooting in Burlington over Thanksgiving Break. On December 19, the university announced they would not be dropping the charges against the 41.[290] In February 2024, students at Brown announced they would be going on ahunger strike to protest their university's complicity in the war.[291]
Vermont
InBurlington, Vermont, large rallies were held in support of Israel and Palestine in October 2023. The Vermont chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Vermonters for Justice in Palestine held a pro-Palestinian rally. GovernorPhil Scott, mayorMiro Weinberger and city council president Karen Paul attended a pro-Israel rally on Church Street organized by a coalition of local Jewish leaders.[292]
On November 9, protestors disrupted a fundraising event forBecca Balint, demanding that she call for a ceasefire.[293]
In Atlanta, protesters gathered along the presidentialmotorcade route toRosalynn Carter's funeral on November 28, calling on Biden to end all aid to Israel.[299][300] A woman at the Israeli consulate in Atlantaself-immolated in protest of the war and was described to be in a "critical condition" on December 1.[301]
In late April 2024, at a protest atEmory University inAtlanta, philosophy professor Noëlle McAfee and economics professorCaroline Fohlin were arrested by police, according to CNN; after Fohlin questioned the police's use of force against people she identified as students, she was taken down to the ground by police and handcuffed.[302]
In June, 28 Pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in Atlanta where the first 2024 presidential debate was being held between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.[303]
Clashes between supporters of Israel and Palestine were reported at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in front of the Wilson Library on October 12.[306] On Black Friday inRaleigh, North Carolina, people inside Crabtree Valley Mall made a false report to 911 that shots had been fired at a pro-Palestine protest. A large police response broke up the protest.[307]
South Carolina
On January 8, 2024, Biden was heckled with chants of "ceasefire now" during a campaign speech atEmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church inSouth Carolina. Biden responded, "And I've been quietly working, I've been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza using all that I can to do that. I understand the passion."[308][309][310]
Tennessee
On March 26, students atVanderbilt University staged a sit-in at Chancellor Daniel Diermeier's office at Kirkland Hall after the school removed an amendment to prevent student government funds from funding Israel-supporting businesses. The amendment had garnered well over the required 600 student signatures. About 30 students partook in the protest and were forcibly removed the next day, 3 were arrested, including a reporter,[311] and multiple faced suspensions and imminent evictions from student housing.[312]
On November 12, thousands protested Texas's support of Israel in front of theState Capitol in Austin.[313]
Protest against theSXSW festival in Austin, Texas, March 14, 2024
More than 80 musicians decided to boycott the 2024SXSW music festival because of the event's partnership with the US military and major defense contractors.[314][315] The festival terminated its partnership with theUS Army and the defense contractorRTX Corporation for its 2025 festival.[316]
On April 5, protesters gathered aroundHarris County Jail in Houston to demand the release of protesters arrested during a separateAl Quds Day demonstration.[317]
West
Pro-Israel protest inSalt Lake City, Utah, October 11, 2023
Alaska
On February 24, about 150 protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, including indigenous elders andJuneau Assembly members Christine Woll and Paul Kelly, rallied at Marine Park inJuneau.[318]
On May 6, theAnchorage Assembly passed a resolution (8–4) calling for "a lasting peace in the Israeli-Hamas conflict".[319]
On May 18, about 100 protesters carrying signs calling for a ceasefire gathered for a rally outside of theAlaska State Capitol in Juneau.[320] GovernorMike Dunleavy had recently proposed a bill that would criminalize unpermitted street protests.[321]
Arizona
At theUniversity of Arizona, a rally protesting against the bombing of Gaza was cancelled due to safety fears after university presidentRobert C. Robbins criticized its organizing group and urged them to conduct their protest "peacefully, safely, and civilly".[322] In March 2024, a young woman was dragged out of an event by security after interruptingJill Biden by stating, "Jill, when are you and the president going to call for a ceasefire in Gaza?"[323]
Pro-Palestinian protest in Los Angeles against the war in Gaza and Hollywood's role indehumanizing Muslims, November 2023
On October 9, thousands of demonstrators expressed solidarity with Israel onSanta Monica Boulevard inBeverly Hills.[328][329] AUCLA student demonstrating support for Palestine was reportedly threatened with a knife.[330] On October 14, thousands protested against the bombings in Gaza inDowntown Los Angeles.[331] On October 21, thousands of demonstrators protested Israeli airstrikes, denouncing Netanyahu as a "war criminal".[332] On October 29, a pro-Israeli rally was held onSanta Monica Beach.[333] On November 4, hundreds of demonstrators marched to the Israeli Consulate inWest Los Angeles, calling for an immediate ceasefire.[334] InThousand Oaks, a69-year-old Jewish man named Paul Kessler died after sustaining head injuries following an altercation during dueling protests on November 4.[335] On November 16, suspect Loay Alnaji was arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter and battery with a preliminary hearing set for December 4.[336]
Protesters splashed red paint on theRaytheon headquarters entrance sign inEl Segundo.[337][338] On Black Friday, hundreds gathered atPan Pacific Park in theFairfax District to attend a protest organized byA.N.S.W.E.R. to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.[339] On December 7, the UCLA chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace held a "Chanukah for Peace" event.[340]
Over a thousand pro-Palestine protesters assembled outside Biden's December 8 campaign fundraiser event.[341]LAPD used the term "first amendment events"[342] in regard to the protest, but declared the demonstration "unlawful" at 5:45 PM.[343] On December 14, 75 Jewish protesters were arrested for blocking the110 Freeway.[344]
On January 1, 2024, about 50 protesters calling for a ceasefire and "justice for Palestine" stopped theRose Parade in Pasadena for 10 minutes.[345][346]Khalid Abdalla wore a white armband and a dove pin to the81st Golden Globe Awards to call for a ceasefire.[347] Hundreds protested outside theGrammy Awards calling a ceasefire, while singerAnnie Lennox called for a ceasefire on stage.[348]
On February 12, hundreds protested the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza in a "Hands off Rafah" protest outside theWilshire Federal Building inWestwood.[349]
On March 10, about a thousand people blocked streets at theDolby Theatre, delaying attendees' arrival at the96th Academy Awards. The largest groups organizing the protest belonged to "Film Workers for Palestine" and "SAG-AFTRA Members for Ceasefire".[350][351] Celebrities at the event, including Oscar nominees and winners, wore Palestinian flag pins and red buttons distributed by an advocacy group calledArtists4Ceasefire.[352]
On April 10, a student led group calledPomona Divest from Apartheid atPomona College occupied an administration building.[353]
On May 27, pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles.[354]
On June 23, pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to block people from entering the main entrance of the Adas Torah synagogue, which was hosting a seminar about real estate in Israel and the West Bank.[355] The demonstration deteriorated into violent clashes between the anti-Israel participants and pro-Israel counter-protesters. President Biden tweeted "I'm appalled by the scenes outside of Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles. Intimidating Jewish congregants is dangerous, unconscionable, antisemitic, and un-American."[356][357]
On October 5, hundreds protested inPershing Square as the anniversary of October 7 approached.[358][359]
San Diego
On October 15, hundreds demonstrated for Gaza outside theSan Diego County Administration Building.[360] On October 21, hundreds of protesters organized by San Diego Coalition for Palestine shut down streets downtown.[361] On November 9, hundreds protested outside the headquarters of defense contractorNorthrup Grumman demanding a ceasefire. Later that same day, medical students, staff and other workers atUC San Diego School of Medicine staged a solidaritywalkout to protest thepublic health crisis in Gaza.[362] Both of these protests were part of the international "Shut it Down for Palestine" event.[363] On Black Friday, marchers participated in adie-in at a mall inEscondido.[364] On December 2, around 125 pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a tree-lighting ceremony inBalboa Park.[365] On December 23, protesters calling for a ceasefire marched through Balboa Park for two and half hours.[366] On April 24, 2024, dozens of Jewish and Palestinian American protesters rallied in Balboa Park and then delivered letters calling for a ceasefire torepresentativeSara Jacobs' home nearby.[367] On October 4, about one thousand protesters marched in a pro-Palestinian rally in downtown.[368]
On October 16, District AttorneyBrooke Jenkins posted and then deleted a post onX where she called the demonstration of anti-war protesters a "pro-Hamas rally".[369] During theAPEC conference, protesters demonstrated outside a fundraiser attended byJoe Biden andKamala Harris, demanding an immediate ceasefire.[370] Dozens ofCode Pink anti-war protesters gathered outside ofNancy Pelosi's home on December 3, calling for a ceasefire.[371] 700 staffers at mostly progressive Jewish organizations published an open-letter to Biden, calling for a ceasefire.[372]
On January 29, 2024, Nancy Pelosi was filmed telling a protester to "Go back to China" after they asked her to a call for a ceasefire.[373] On February 23, protesters marched inside theFairmont Hotel, where Joe Biden was staying during a fundraising trip, chanting, "Biden, Biden you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide".[374] Protesters also demonstrated outside his fundraising event.[375] On May 20, about 30 protesters demonstrated outside aHarvard Club of San Francisco event that Nancy Pelosi was speaking at. One was arrested for disrupting the speech inside.[376]
On April 5, 2024, a rally organized by a group called "Vigil4Gaza" protested outside of thePalo Alto City Hall.[392] On April 17, nine Google employees were arrested on charges of trespassing after staging a sit-in at the company's Sunnyvale campus in protest against Project Nimbus.[393] On June 3, seventy people were arrested for occupying theIsraeli consulate in San Francisco.[394]
On November 3, 2023, 200 protesters at thePort of Oakland chained themselves to the US military supply shipMVCape Orlando to prevent its departure to Israel.[395][396] Anti-war protesters chained themselves together, blocking all traffic on theSan Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.[397][398] On December 6, hundreds of protesters laid children's shoes outside of theGolden Gate Bridge to symbolize children killed during the conflict. Afterwards,interfaith groups marched from both ends meeting in the middle to call for a ceasefire. One protester was arrested for climbing a flagpole and putting up a Palestine flag.[399][400][401] Protesters demonstrating against the plannedRafah offensive blocked the Golden Gate Bridge on February 16, 2024.[402][403] On February 21, protesters blockedHighway 101 to demand Biden to stop arming Israel and enact an immediate ceasefire.[404] In March 2024, a group of activists built a sign inSouth San Francisco visible from airplanes taking off fromSan Francisco International Airport (SFO) calling for an end of military aid to Israel.[405] Protesters at SFO shut down multiple security gates and roadways leading to the airport, holding banners that read "Stop Arming Israel".[406] On March 31, protesters chained themselves to theUSNSHarvey Milk at Pier 32 in San Francisco.[407]
Colorado
In May 2025, a pro-Palestinian protest was held inDenver against CongressmanJason Crow for repeatedly accepting campaign donations from executives ofPalantir Technologies, which provides intelligence and surveillance services to theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza war.[408]
Idaho
InBoise, protesters set up an encampment in front of theIdaho State Capitol in early May 2024. The encampment was removed by police several days later.[409] On July 11, the director of the Idaho Department of Administration sued to repeal a 2014injunction allowing "symbolic tents" at the Idaho Capitol Annex. Protesters organized by Boise to Palestine, Friends of Idaho, BSU Students for Palestine and the People’s University were named in the suit.[410]
Montana
InMissoula, pro-Palestine protesters denouncedneo-Nazis who had tried to join their demonstration at theMissoula County Courthouse and had called for Jews to be "stopped". Analysts said these actions were part of attempts of neo-Nazis and other far right groups to hijack pro-Palestine and anti-Israel events to promote anti-semitic and anti-immigrant ideals.[411]
Oregon
On October 29, activists inPortland protested against the war, asking US SenatorJeff Merkley to call for a ceasefire.[412] Pro-Palestine students protested atPortland State University on November 8, calling for the university to cut ties withBoeing, which sells weapons to Israel.[413] On November 17, Portland's chapter of theParty for Socialism and Liberation organized a protest that blocked the entrance to a Boeing manufacturing plant.[414]
On May 2, a group calling itself "Rachel Corrie's Ghost Brigade" reported that it had cut through a fence at a Portland police facility and burned 17 police cars.Rachel Corrie was an American activist who died in 2003 while protesting the IDF's destruction of Palestinian houses in Gaza; she was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer and died.[415]
Washington
On October 29, hundreds demonstrated inSeattle'sPioneer Square to support Israel's war on Hamas.[416] On November 3,Jewish Voice for Peace activists in Seattle demonstrated outside theHenry M. Jackson Federal Building, demanding US SenatorPatty Murray to call for a ceasefire.[417] On November 6, an estimated 300 people blocked the entrance of thePort of Tacoma to prevent longshoremen from loading suspected military equipment and weapons onto the MVCape Orlando.[418][419] On November 11, a protest organized by theSamidoun blocked streets nearWestlake Center in Seattle.[420] On November 19, hundreds called for a ceasefire at theSpace Needle. The rally was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace.[421][422]
On December 7,University of Washington police in Seattle detained 36 people for occupying an administration building with demands that the school stop funding Israel and Boeing.[423][424] Protesters blocked and closed a highway on January 7, 2024.[425] On March 13, protesters demonstrated outside the Aerospace and Defense Summit to oppose Boeing's military ties with Israel.[426]
Territories
On January 27, 2024, protesters gathered outside the offices of DelegateJames Moylan inHagåtña, Guam, calling for a ceasefire.[427]
In Puerto Rico, several dozen protesters gathered to protest against Vice PresidentKamala Harris during her visit toSan Juan on March 22, 2024.[428]
In the United States Virgin Islands, a protest march was held onSaint Croix on November 4, 2023.[429]
On November 6,Brandeis University became the first private university in the United States to ban its student chapter ofStudents for Justice in Palestine, saying that the leading factor in their decision was "the SJP’s support of militant group Hamas". A student spokesperson for the SJP chapter disputed this claim, calling it "unsubstantiated" and saying "we have not received any evidence that can lead to the suppression of our right to free speech."The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said that "None of the chants or slogans cited byPresident Liebowitz come close to meeting the legal criteria for incitement or harassment," and that "Brandeis is punishing its students for nothing more than protected political advocacy."[430] On November 10,Columbia University suspended its campus chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine andJewish Voice for Peace for repeated violations of campus event policies, thus barring them from hosting events on campus.[431] Columbia's decision was criticized byNaomi Klein andNoura Erakat.[432] AfterHarvard University presidentClaudine Gay condemned the slogan "from the river to the sea", more than 100 faculty signed an open letter criticizing her censure.[433][434] On December 14,Rutgers University became the first public university to suspend its campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine in response to complaints of disruptive behavior and vandalism.[435] Donors to top universities in the United States withdrew millions of dollars indonations in light of the universities' responses to Hamas' offensive.[436]
TheIsraeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on November 25 it was forming a task force to combat "those generating antisemitism on campuses" in the United States.[443] In February 2024, the ACLU signed a letter to US Secretary of EducationMiguel Cardona calling on him to reject redefining antisemitism to include political criticism of the government of the state of Israel, saying it would lead toFirst Amendment violations.[444]
After Bret Gustafson, aWashu professor, posted online in support of a protest outside of the home of the president ofAIPAC, the university stated that Gustafson's views do not reflect the university's, and that they would not tolerate "discrimination, harassment or threatening behavior".[445] Jairo Fúnez-Flores, a professor atTexas Tech University, was suspended for his social media posts related to the conflict.[446]Michel DeGraff, a professor of linguistics at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology was issued formal reprimands and denied a pay raise after he proposed to teach a course on language used to describe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[447]Maura Finkelstein atMuhlenberg College was fired for reposting a post byRemi Kanazi on Instagram.[448]
Elizabeth Magill, the president of theUniversity of Pennsylvania, resigned on December 9 following congressional testimony in which she asserted that the question of whether calls for an "intifada" or uses of the phrase "from the river to the sea" violate the university's code of conduct is a "context-dependent decision".[449][450] In January 2024,Indiana University fired Abdulkader Sinno, a tenured political science professor, in response to political pressure from the state's Republican legislators.[451] Students atNorthwestern University faced criminal charges for publishing a pro-Palestinian parody newspaper under a law originally used to combat theKu Klux Klan.[452] The New York chapter of the ACLU told Columbia University that the university must reinstate its chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine or face a legal challenge for First Amendment violations.[453] On March 12, theNew York Civil Liberties Union andPalestine Legal sued Columbia University for banning the groups.[454]
Students in the United States have reported fears of losing future job opportunities for engaging in protests against military action in Gaza.[455][456] By April 2024, hundreds of students had been arrested, suspended, put on probation, and expelled, including 50 students who had been arrested at Barnard.[457] In June 2024, legislators in Pennsylvania introduced a bill that would block state funding for any college or university that divests from "commercial financial activity in Israel", unless it were for poor investment performance.[458] In October 2024, theACLU,Amnesty International, andHuman Rights Watch wrote a joint statement warning that law enforcement on 20 U.S. college campuses had used potentially excessive force against pro-Palestinian protestors, in violation of international law.[459]
In October 2025,Kent Syverud, the chancellor ofSyracuse University, stated that the protests on campus seemed to have been encouraged byIran. He emphasized that, although there was an initially welcoming atmosphere for both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activities during the early months of October 2023, a noticeable shift occurred later. Syverud expressed his belief that Iran played a significant role in fostering the demonstrations, pointing out that there was little to no involvement from the university's own students in the protests.[460]
Doxxing
TheIsrael on Campus Coalition reportedly engaged in covert espionage against pro-Palestinian student organizations.[461]Accuracy in Media sentdoxxing trucks toYale and Columbia, displaying the names and faces of students under a banner labeling them "leading antisemites" on campus.[462][463]Canary Mission published the identities and images of Harvard students involved in the issue of an open letter, published on October 7, that held "the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence".[464][465]
Firings
Susan Sarandon was dropped in November 2023 byUnited Talent Agency in response to comments she made at a pro-Palestinian rally she attended that month; Sarandon later apologized for the phrasing of her remarks.[258][466] AGoogle employee was fired for "interfering with an official company-sponsored event" after he interruptedBarak Regev by stating, "I refuse to build technology that empowers genocide."[467] In May 2024, a nurse atNYU Langone Health was fired for calling the war a genocide.[468] In October 2024,Microsoft employees were fired after organizing a vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza.[469]
Political
Pro-Palestinian protest in Columbus, Ohio, December 22, 2023
Nancy Pelosi drew condemnation after suggesting that some anti-war protesters were being funded byVladimir Putin and should be investigated by the FBI.[470]Abdullah Hammoud, the Democratic mayor ofDearborn, Michigan (a city with one of the largestArab American communities), wrote: "So, based on Nancy Pelosi’s remarks, 76% of Democrats / 49% of Republicans / 61% of Americans are potentially paid operatives of Russia who are pushing Putin’s message of calling for a ceasefire?"[471]
Civil rights groups American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and Palestine Legal described the response to criticism of Israel in the United States as "McCarthyite".[476]
Legislation
SenatorsThom Tillis andMarsha Blackburn introduced the Safe and Open Streets Act to make it a federal crime to block a public road or highway, as a way to criminalize pro-Palestinian protests.[477]
The "Antisemitism Awareness Act", spearheaded by the Republicans but also backed by many Democrats, passed theUnited States House of Representatives in a 320–91 vote on May 1, 2024, and proceeded to the Senate.[478][479] The bill is intended to add theInternational Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's approvedworking definition of antisemitism totitle VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits "exclusion from participation in, denial of benefits of, and discrimination under federally assisted programs on ground of race, color, or national origin".[480] Democratic RepresentativeSara Jacobs, who is Jewish, said she opposed the bill because "it fails to effectively address the very real rise of antisemitism, all while defunding colleges and universities across the country and punishing many, if not all, of the non-violent protestors speaking out against the Israeli military’s conduct."[481]
The proposed legislation would broaden the legal definition of antisemitism to include anti-Zionism, criticism of the policies of the state of Israel, and concerns about Palestinian human rights, by categorizing all of that as hate speech, and it has been criticized[according to whom?] for conflating "Judaism with Zionism in assuming that all Jews are Zionists" and automatic citizens of Israel rather than the U.S., thereby severely undermining genuine safety for Jewish citizens. It faces strong opposition from several Democratic lawmakers, Jewish organizations, and free speech advocates, including more than 800 Jewish U.S. academics, who signed a letter calling on Biden not to sign the bill.[citation needed]
Pro-Israel protest in Washington, D.C. in October 2024
Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the centrist pro-Israel groupJ Street, said that his organization opposes the bill because it is an "unserious" effort led by Republicans "to continually force votes that divide the Democratic caucus on an issue that shouldn't be turned into a political football".[citation needed]
The ACLU sees the bill as an attack onFirst Amendment rights and argues that its "overbroad" definition of antisemitism "could result in colleges and universities suppressing a wide variety of speech critical of Israel or in support of Palestinian rights in an effort to avoid investigations by the Department [of Education] and the potential loss of funding".[citation needed]
Organizations like theAnti-Defamation League andConference of Presidents have praised the bill, and it is based on definitions by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance that have been criticized by 100 Israeli and international civil society organizations that wrote to theUnited Nations Secretary GeneralAntonio Guterres in 2023 urging the UN not to adopt the definitions.[482][483][484][485]
In 2024,Nassau County, New York passed a face mask ban, resulting in the arrest of a 26-year-old protester in September 2024.[486]
Investigations
On January 24, 2024,Palestine Legal stated it had received reports of activists who had written social media posts "criticizing Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza" being visited by theFBI.[487] In March 2024, faculty at theUniversity of Pennsylvania sued the school to prevent it from sending documents related to pro-Palestinian protests on campus to Congress, stating they opposed the "new form ofMcCarthyism, in which accusations of anti-Semitism are substituted for insinuations of Communist leanings which were the tool of oppression in the 1950s".[488]
Lawsuits
In May 2024, nine Israelis sued American pro-Palestinian advocacy organizations in federal court in Virginia for spreading "propaganda" in the United States.[489] A lawyer forAmerican Muslims for Palestine stated, "It is absolutely a threat to free speech, and it's a threat to free speech on any front."[490]
^Range is based on the following two polls:YouGov, 47% of Americans opposed the campus protests and 28% supported them;[53]Data for Progress poll in collaboration withZeteo, 40% approved, while 42% disapproved of the protests.[54]
^According to the citedWaPo source, this protester is said to go by they/them pronouns.
^abCohen-Joppa, Jack (June 26, 2024).""Thousands arrested for CeaseFire Now""(PDF).The Nuclear Resistor: A Chronicle of Hope" (203):5–15.Archived(PDF) from the original on September 28, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 23, 2024.
^abLerer, Lisa (March 28, 2024)."4 Presidents, 2 Events and a Preview of Campaign Clashes to Come".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. RetrievedMarch 30, 2024.Nearly all Democratic Party officials, politicians and strategists stand behind his effort. Yet, he has faced sustained opposition from a vocal minority of progressives who have protested the war in Gaza, through protest votes and event disruptions.
McGrew, Sarah (November 14, 2023)."200 Milwaukeeans join 'March for Israel' in Washington D.C."TMJ4 News.Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. RetrievedNovember 16, 2023.100,000 people from around the country gathered for the march. Together they are asking for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza and are asking Congress to act to stop the increase in anti-Semitism since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. "We're joining tens of thousands of others in the Jewish community and our allies. We stand in solidarity with Israel," Rosenzweig said.
Sforza, Lauren (November 14, 2023)."Here's what we know about DC's March for Israel rally".The Hill.Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. RetrievedNovember 16, 2023.Multiple news outlets have reported that organizers said there could be as many as 100,000 people in attendance for the rally.
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