In a startling turn of events, law enforcement personnel carried out a series of violent arrests at Emory University's campus in Decatur, Georgia. This crackdown, which involved the use of rubber bullets and tear gas, marks a significant escalation in recent campus protests. The demonstrations were organized by students in solidarity with Palestine and against the construction of Atlanta's Cop City, a police and fire department training center.

The protest began on Thursday, when Emory students established multiple tents on the campus lawns to voice their concerns about the university's ties to Israel and its support for Cop City. Their demands included total institutional divestment from Israeli apartheid and the termination of the project. Highlighting the global connection with movements against oppressive state practices, particularly the Palestinian struggle for liberation, the students rallied under signs reading "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" and "Divest from Death."

Videos posted online documented peaceful gatherings as student organizers addressed the crowd. One student passionately declared that Emory University would not succumb to attempts by those supporting the war machine to quell their activism. Furthermore, Kate Rosenblatt, a religion and Jewish studies professor at the university, was seen in photos and videos holding a sign that read "Hands off our students!"

However, tensions escalated when numerous Emory and Atlanta police officers, accompanied by Georgia State Patrol officers, arrived on campus. Disturbing videos captured the officers conducting forceful arrests and deploying tear gas into the crowd. In one video, multiple officers appeared to hold down a restrained individual while using a taser. Noelle McAfee, chair of the university's philosophy department, was also seen being arrested by an officer.

Eyewitness accounts and footage substantiated claims that students of color were disproportionately targeted during the arrests. Bella, a senior at Emory University, described how Black students were tased and tear-gassed. Bella herself experienced the effects of tear gas as she tried to leave the protest.

In response to the events, Emory University released a statement indicating that several dozen protesters had illegally entered their campus and set up tents. The university disavowed any affiliation with these individuals, referring to them as activists attempting to disrupt the university community. Emory emphasized their zero tolerance for vandalism and criminal activity on campus and stated that the Emory police department had ordered the group to leave and sought assistance from Atlanta Police and Georgia State Patrol.

Amidst this crackdown, the Guardian reported that several arrested individuals were students, including some from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Additionally, two students from Morehouse College in Atlanta were arrested during the protests. As tensions escalated, a gathering of approximately 150 students and faculty assembled at Convocation Hall, and Emory's president, Greg Fenves, reportedly left campus in a car according to Atlanta Community Press Collective.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, students at Princeton University established their own Gaza solidarity encampment. Though the university removed the tents in accordance with their policy against outdoor encampments, protesters still gathered on blankets and mats. Notably, some classes took place at the encampment, including Professor Max Weiss's last lecture of the semester.

As the situation evolved, Muslim students at Princeton held an afternoon prayer, with fellow protesters protecting their privacy and shielding them from the press. In response to potential defiance, W Rochelle Calhoun, Princeton's vice-president of campus affairs, issued a warning to students stating that they faced arrest and being barred from campus if they engaged in camping, occupation, or unlawful disruptive conduct.

The aftermath of these campus crackdowns leaves students concerned about their right to protest and the treatment of those advocating for Palestinian solidarity and against police militarization. With tensions persisting, it remains to be seen how these events will shape the dialogue on campus activism and institutional responses.