Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupt Nancy Pelosi's speech at Oxford Union
Around 250 students also gathered outside the Union, calling for an end to the war in Gaza.
Friday 26 April 2024
Friday, April 26, 2024
With eyes on US college campuses, students stress: ‘Gaza is why we’re here’
Students say growing protests on US university campuses are part of a ‘fight against genocide’ in the Gaza Strip.
And over the past weeks, they have spurred heated debates around freedom of speech, Palestinian solidarity activism in the US, and the use of force to disperse student protesters, among other issues.
But the students at the heart of the movement say the reason they began their demonstrations – the pressing need to end Israel’s deadly bombardment of Gaza – risks being lost amid a cacophony of voices and distractions.
“Gaza is why we’re here. Gaza is why we’re doing this,” said Rue, a student at The New School in New York City who asked to only be identified by her first name due to a fear of reprisals.
“The New School encampment is happening because we want to make sure that we are doing what we can to end this genocide,” Rue told Al Jazeera.
‘Bigger than us’
As uncertainty swirls around the future of the US university encampments amid threats they will be dismantled, the students say they remain committed to continuing their protests — and to keeping the focus on what’s happening in Gaza.
“Palestine is the centre, liberation is the centre of this conversation,” said Etta.
That was echoed by Rue, the student at The New School.
“I feel like there’s a moral imperative that everyone does everything that they can to the best of their abilities to protest and fight against and end this genocide,” Rue told Al Jazeera.
“We’re a part of something that is bigger than us,” she added.
“We are part of a global movement right now and we’re really inspired and strengthened by the incredible solidarity [we’re] seeing across the United States, across different college campuses, across the world.
Protests on Boston-area campuses persist as college administrators try to manage them
April 26, 2024
Students say growing protests on US university campuses are part of a ‘fight against genocide’ in the Gaza Strip.
Student demonstrators gather in a tent camp on the campus of Columbia University in New York City on April 24 [Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo]
By Jillian Kestler-D'Amours
Published On 26 Apr 2024
Global attention has turned to universities across the United States, where students have erected encampments to demand action to end Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
The growing protests have taken root on the campuses of some of the country’s top academic institutions, including Columbia and Harvard.
Published On 26 Apr 2024
Global attention has turned to universities across the United States, where students have erected encampments to demand action to end Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
The growing protests have taken root on the campuses of some of the country’s top academic institutions, including Columbia and Harvard.
And over the past weeks, they have spurred heated debates around freedom of speech, Palestinian solidarity activism in the US, and the use of force to disperse student protesters, among other issues.
But the students at the heart of the movement say the reason they began their demonstrations – the pressing need to end Israel’s deadly bombardment of Gaza – risks being lost amid a cacophony of voices and distractions.
“Gaza is why we’re here. Gaza is why we’re doing this,” said Rue, a student at The New School in New York City who asked to only be identified by her first name due to a fear of reprisals.
“The New School encampment is happening because we want to make sure that we are doing what we can to end this genocide,” Rue told Al Jazeera.
List of demands
Encampments have popped up at universities and colleges across the US this month, as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpassed the 34,300 mark, amid reports that mass graves were uncovered in the coastal enclave.
The students issued a list of demands to their respective universities, including divesting from any companies that may be profiting from the Gaza war or providing the Israeli military with weapons and other support.
They have also urged an end to reprisals against students who have spoken out in support of Palestinians and for administrators to pledge not to send police or other law enforcement agencies onto the campuses to break up their protests.
Images of throngs of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers marching onto the Columbia University campus to disperse a Gaza protest encampment earlier this week galvanised students in other parts of the US to set up their own protest sites, too.
Hundreds of students have been arrested across the country since the encampments began.
A first-year PhD student at New York University (NYU), who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity due to a fear of reprisals, said students are acting “on the ideals and the histories that [they’re] being taught”.
“As students who are being taught in class about colonialism, about Indigenous rights, about the effect of non-violent protest across history, it would be extremely hypocritical — or it would totally undermine the point of our education — if we didn’t act,” the 25-year-old said
“At the very least we can show that there was resistance” to what is happening in the Gaza Strip, the student added.
“The horrors in Gaza are really beyond imagining. These small acts of resistance, these are small sacrifices — [they] are nothing compared to what is happening on the ground in Palestine.”
‘Scholasticide’ in Gaza
Like other protesters across the US, many American students have said they felt an impetus to act given the US government’s long-standing support for Israel.
The US gives Israel $3.8bn in military assistance annually, and President Joe Biden has continued to provide staunch support to the country amid the Gaza war. On Wednesday, Biden signed into law a massive funding package that will provide an additional $17bn to Israel.
The Israeli military’s attacks on Palestinian students, teachers and academic institutions across Gaza during the war also have acted as a catalyst for the university protests, the students said.
Last week, a group of United Nations experts noted that 80 percent of schools in the Palestinian enclave have been damaged or destroyed since the war began in early October. Nearly 5,500 students have been killed, alongside 261 teachers and 95 university professors.
“It may be reasonable to ask if there is an intentional effort to comprehensively destroy the Palestinian education system, an action known as ‘scholasticide’,” the experts said in a statement on April 18.
“These attacks are not isolated incidents. They present a systematic pattern of violence aimed at dismantling the very foundation of Palestinian society.”
Encampments have popped up at universities and colleges across the US this month, as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpassed the 34,300 mark, amid reports that mass graves were uncovered in the coastal enclave.
The students issued a list of demands to their respective universities, including divesting from any companies that may be profiting from the Gaza war or providing the Israeli military with weapons and other support.
They have also urged an end to reprisals against students who have spoken out in support of Palestinians and for administrators to pledge not to send police or other law enforcement agencies onto the campuses to break up their protests.
Images of throngs of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers marching onto the Columbia University campus to disperse a Gaza protest encampment earlier this week galvanised students in other parts of the US to set up their own protest sites, too.
Hundreds of students have been arrested across the country since the encampments began.
A first-year PhD student at New York University (NYU), who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity due to a fear of reprisals, said students are acting “on the ideals and the histories that [they’re] being taught”.
“As students who are being taught in class about colonialism, about Indigenous rights, about the effect of non-violent protest across history, it would be extremely hypocritical — or it would totally undermine the point of our education — if we didn’t act,” the 25-year-old said
“At the very least we can show that there was resistance” to what is happening in the Gaza Strip, the student added.
“The horrors in Gaza are really beyond imagining. These small acts of resistance, these are small sacrifices — [they] are nothing compared to what is happening on the ground in Palestine.”
‘Scholasticide’ in Gaza
Like other protesters across the US, many American students have said they felt an impetus to act given the US government’s long-standing support for Israel.
The US gives Israel $3.8bn in military assistance annually, and President Joe Biden has continued to provide staunch support to the country amid the Gaza war. On Wednesday, Biden signed into law a massive funding package that will provide an additional $17bn to Israel.
The Israeli military’s attacks on Palestinian students, teachers and academic institutions across Gaza during the war also have acted as a catalyst for the university protests, the students said.
Last week, a group of United Nations experts noted that 80 percent of schools in the Palestinian enclave have been damaged or destroyed since the war began in early October. Nearly 5,500 students have been killed, alongside 261 teachers and 95 university professors.
“It may be reasonable to ask if there is an intentional effort to comprehensively destroy the Palestinian education system, an action known as ‘scholasticide’,” the experts said in a statement on April 18.
“These attacks are not isolated incidents. They present a systematic pattern of violence aimed at dismantling the very foundation of Palestinian society.”
Students protest on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, April 24 [Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP]
Etta, a senior at NYU who also asked to only be identified by her first name due to a fear of reprisals, told Al Jazeera that it was “appalling” to see her university fail to acknowledge the destruction of Palestinian academic institutions.
“As an institution that should have a function of education, of shaping minds, of academic freedom, they can’t even take the time to acknowledge, to mourn, to discuss the destruction of those institutions in Palestine,” Etta said.
“There’s a refusal to even acknowledge that this is going on when we’re all bearing witness [to it].”
Etta, a senior at NYU who also asked to only be identified by her first name due to a fear of reprisals, told Al Jazeera that it was “appalling” to see her university fail to acknowledge the destruction of Palestinian academic institutions.
“As an institution that should have a function of education, of shaping minds, of academic freedom, they can’t even take the time to acknowledge, to mourn, to discuss the destruction of those institutions in Palestine,” Etta said.
“There’s a refusal to even acknowledge that this is going on when we’re all bearing witness [to it].”
‘Bigger than us’
As uncertainty swirls around the future of the US university encampments amid threats they will be dismantled, the students say they remain committed to continuing their protests — and to keeping the focus on what’s happening in Gaza.
“Palestine is the centre, liberation is the centre of this conversation,” said Etta.
That was echoed by Rue, the student at The New School.
“I feel like there’s a moral imperative that everyone does everything that they can to the best of their abilities to protest and fight against and end this genocide,” Rue told Al Jazeera.
“We’re a part of something that is bigger than us,” she added.
“We are part of a global movement right now and we’re really inspired and strengthened by the incredible solidarity [we’re] seeing across the United States, across different college campuses, across the world.
Protests on Boston-area campuses persist as college administrators try to manage them
April 26, 2024
Students at Northeastern stood up an encampment in protest of the war in Gaza on Thursday. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Tent encampments on college campuses in Greater Boston persist as some schools attempt to have more control over the protests.
Encampments have gone up on multiple university campuses in the area, including Emerson College, Tufts University, MIT, Harvard University and Northeastern University. In recent days, college students across the country took part in similar demonstrations opposing the war in Gaza and calling for their institutions to divest from Israel.
WBUR is a nonprofit news organization. Our coverage relies on your financial support. If you value articles like the one you're reading right now, give today.
Emerson College, situated in downtown Boston, announced Thursday afternoon that demonstrations are banned in the Boylston Place alleyway through the weekend. (Emerson officials noted that their policy allows the college to determine the "time, place and manner" of demonstrations.)
Early Thursday morning, police had arrested 108 protesters in the alley and forcibly dismantled their encampment. The alley near Boston Common is partially owned by the college, but is a public right-of-way; Boston police said the protesters were in violation of city ordinances.
Tents went up on Northeastern's quad Thursday afternoon. Campus and city police quickly surrounded the protesters, but did not dismantle the encampment at that time.
A spokesperson for Northeastern said in a statement to WBUR that students demonstrating on the green are in violation of the school's code of conduct.
"Students currently demonstrating on Centennial Quad do not have authorization and are in violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Those who are not affiliated with Northeastern are trespassing. The university will take action accordingly," the statement read.
According to reporting from Northeastern's student newspaper, The Huntington News, one person was arrested at the school's protest around 1 p.m.
The Huntington reported that Berklee College of Music students marched in Northeastern's campus and joined the encampment Thursday evening.
With reporting by WBUR's Katie Cole
Tent encampments on college campuses in Greater Boston persist as some schools attempt to have more control over the protests.
Encampments have gone up on multiple university campuses in the area, including Emerson College, Tufts University, MIT, Harvard University and Northeastern University. In recent days, college students across the country took part in similar demonstrations opposing the war in Gaza and calling for their institutions to divest from Israel.
WBUR is a nonprofit news organization. Our coverage relies on your financial support. If you value articles like the one you're reading right now, give today.
Emerson College, situated in downtown Boston, announced Thursday afternoon that demonstrations are banned in the Boylston Place alleyway through the weekend. (Emerson officials noted that their policy allows the college to determine the "time, place and manner" of demonstrations.)
Early Thursday morning, police had arrested 108 protesters in the alley and forcibly dismantled their encampment. The alley near Boston Common is partially owned by the college, but is a public right-of-way; Boston police said the protesters were in violation of city ordinances.
Tents went up on Northeastern's quad Thursday afternoon. Campus and city police quickly surrounded the protesters, but did not dismantle the encampment at that time.
A spokesperson for Northeastern said in a statement to WBUR that students demonstrating on the green are in violation of the school's code of conduct.
"Students currently demonstrating on Centennial Quad do not have authorization and are in violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Those who are not affiliated with Northeastern are trespassing. The university will take action accordingly," the statement read.
According to reporting from Northeastern's student newspaper, The Huntington News, one person was arrested at the school's protest around 1 p.m.
The Huntington reported that Berklee College of Music students marched in Northeastern's campus and joined the encampment Thursday evening.
With reporting by WBUR's Katie Cole
Florida college students join national wave of pro-Palestinian rallies
DIVYA KUMAR
Higher education reporter for The Tampa Bay Times in partnership with Open Campus.
By Divya Kumar
April 26, 2024
Students demonstrating in support of Palestinians in Gaza gather on the Plaza of the Americas at the University of Florida on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Gainesville. Century Tower, a UF landmark, can be seen in the background. The protest was one of dozens around the nation this week that saw hundreds of students arrested. [ DIVYA KUMAR | Times ]
Students at some of Florida’s public universities have joined the wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations sweeping the nation this week, but their protests so far have been smaller, quieter and without the forceful police presence seen at many other campuses.
At the University of Florida, a protest that turned a portion of the Plaza of the Americas into a small, grassy “liberation zone” ended its second day late Thursday with no arrests, drawing about 100 students at its peak.
On Florida State University’s expansive Landis Green, students set up with posters and tents at 4 a.m. Thursday. By the afternoon, however, the tents came down while a group of about 30 student protesters remained.
Joelle Nuñez, president of the Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society group, said law enforcement told them to relocate. At one point during the protest, sprinklers went off on the group.
A rally is planned for Friday at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Mateo Herrera, president of UCF’s Young Democratic Socialist Association, said student activity in Florida is just beginning.
“We know the climate in Florida,” he said. “We know if we escalate more, we’ll face more repression than what is happening up north. …This experience shows how much universities care about their students and their priorities of who they get their money from.”
The Florida students, like their peers in other states, are demanding that their schools cut financial ties with corporations that support Israel and its war effort in Gaza, where more than 34,000 civilians have been killed and food is scarce, according to local health officials.
The UF protesters had several additional demands, including that the university sever partnerships with weapons, arms and artificial intelligence contractors involved in human rights violations and agree not to host speakers affiliated with the Israeli military or those who “spread misinformation about the history of Palestine.”
The students want to stop tuition dollars from indirectly financing the war, said Cameron Driggers, a UF freshman who called the protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza “the landmark social movement of our time.”
“I wouldn’t be comfortable doing nothing,” he said, noting that some of the protesters are Jewish students. “I want to be able to tell my kids and my family in the future that I tried to do my best to stop what I would call a genocide that’s happening right now in Palestine.”
Since last week, hundreds of protesters have been arrested at campuses including Columbia University in New York City, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, Emerson College in Boston and Emory University in Atlanta. The University of Southern California canceled its graduation, and Columbia temporarily moved classes online.
The New York Times reported that more than 400 people have been arrested in campus protests since April 17, and it published a map showing more than 60 protest sites across the nation. Many of them involve encampments with students staking out patches of campus ground in tents.
The demonstrations are happening just days before the end of the spring semester, with commencement celebrations scheduled for early May.
Gov. Ron DeSantis sought to set the tone for Florida schools with a post Thursday on the social media platform X.
His post said college leaders in the Northeast had been “weak” in their response to protesters he described as “mobs” that “harass Jewish students and faculty.”
“If you try that at a Florida university, you are going to be expelled,” the governor wrote.
Florida’s demonstrations are happening on campuses with some of largest populations of Jewish students in the nation. In Hillel International’s 2020 list of the “Top 60 Jewish schools,” the University of Florida is No. 1 with about 6,500 Jewish undergrads and nearly 3,000 Jewish grad students.
UCF was No. 3 and FSU, along with Florida International University, were in the top 20.
Driggers said he believed student sentiment on Florida’s college campuses largely favored a ceasefire in the Middle East and support for Palestinians.
“But of course, we have to keep in mind that the consequences for our organizing is even more punished because you have people like Ron DeSantis, who have implemented various ways of cracking down,” he said. “We’ve heard elected leaders saying that we should be expelled and arrested just for exercising our freedom of speech, which I think is a little ironic. These people are typically your free speech absolutists, right?”
Through the day Thursday, the UF protesters sat on blankets, doing schoolwork and holding signs and flags. Campus police walked by telling them they couldn’t plant signs and flags into the ground. The group picked up the signs.
Police officers gather near the site of a pro-Palestinian protest on the University of Florida campus on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Gainesville. Officers took steps to ensure the protesters did not establish an encampment on the campus green known as Plaza of the Americas. [ DIVYA KUMAR | Times ]
A sign initially tied to the ground by rope was refashioned so it would not be considered a structure. Photos of Palestinians who have died in Gaza lined the parameter.
Some passersby expressed disapproval. One called them members of Hamas, a protester said. Some took photos and nodded in support. Most didn’t engage with the group.
Two Jewish students who walked by as many protesters left said they were upset by the demonstration.
Max Kilman, an Israeli-American student, called the group a “loud minority” and was troubled by chants calling for an intifada, referring to the Palestinian uprising against Israel.
“It’s pretty disturbing,” he said. “While I recognize that this is not nearly as bad as what has happened at certain places like Columbia … I think it should be known that this does not represent the sentiment or the spirit (of UF).”
Isaac Pines said he felt the protests further divided students.
“I think there is a middle ground to it, but the way that they’re approaching it makes it seem like it’s such a polarizing issue,” he said. “If you were really trying to make progress here, you’d want to work with pro-Israel students on campus.”
In a statement, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said, “The University of Florida will always protect speech and uphold the law. Peaceful protests are constitutionally protected.”
She said “camping, putting up structures, disrupting academic activity, or threatening others on university property is strictly prohibited” and that officials “clearly communicated this” to the students. She said anyone who breaks the law will receive “an immediate trespassing order from (campus police) and an interim suspension from Student Life.”
Some protesters expressed frustration that a few of the regulations seemed open to interpretation. Sleeping and anything deemed to be a structure were prohibited, but occupying spaces while awake was not.
Shortly after 8 p.m., campus police handed out notices of what was and wasn’t allowed.
In Tallahassee, Nuñez, the student protest leader at FSU, said the group was trying to avoid arrests but expected to be on campus as long as they could be. They planned to pack up late Thursday night and return Friday.
He said they wanted to place more emphasis on their message.
“I want people to focus not just on the repression, but why these students are out there in the first place,” Nuñez said. “This wouldn’t be happening if these institutions weren’t supporting Israel.”
Amy Farnum-Patronis, a spokesperson for FSU, said the group was not affiliated with the university and was asked to leave because of the school’s regulations against camping.
“No criminal activity or conduct has been observed, but law enforcement is on scene and actively monitoring the situation,” she said. “As an educational institution, Florida State University welcomes free inquiry, diverse thought and rigorous debate. However, these expressions must comply with university regulation and the law.”
Times Staff Writer Romy Ellenbogen contributed to this report.
Students demonstrating in support of Palestinians in Gaza gather on the Plaza of the Americas at the University of Florida on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Gainesville. Century Tower, a UF landmark, can be seen in the background. The protest was one of dozens around the nation this week that saw hundreds of students arrested. [ DIVYA KUMAR | Times ]Students at some of Florida’s public universities have joined the wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations sweeping the nation this week, but their protests so far have been smaller, quieter and without the forceful police presence seen at many other campuses.
At the University of Florida, a protest that turned a portion of the Plaza of the Americas into a small, grassy “liberation zone” ended its second day late Thursday with no arrests, drawing about 100 students at its peak.
On Florida State University’s expansive Landis Green, students set up with posters and tents at 4 a.m. Thursday. By the afternoon, however, the tents came down while a group of about 30 student protesters remained.
Joelle Nuñez, president of the Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society group, said law enforcement told them to relocate. At one point during the protest, sprinklers went off on the group.
A rally is planned for Friday at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Mateo Herrera, president of UCF’s Young Democratic Socialist Association, said student activity in Florida is just beginning.
“We know the climate in Florida,” he said. “We know if we escalate more, we’ll face more repression than what is happening up north. …This experience shows how much universities care about their students and their priorities of who they get their money from.”
The Florida students, like their peers in other states, are demanding that their schools cut financial ties with corporations that support Israel and its war effort in Gaza, where more than 34,000 civilians have been killed and food is scarce, according to local health officials.
The UF protesters had several additional demands, including that the university sever partnerships with weapons, arms and artificial intelligence contractors involved in human rights violations and agree not to host speakers affiliated with the Israeli military or those who “spread misinformation about the history of Palestine.”
The students want to stop tuition dollars from indirectly financing the war, said Cameron Driggers, a UF freshman who called the protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza “the landmark social movement of our time.”
“I wouldn’t be comfortable doing nothing,” he said, noting that some of the protesters are Jewish students. “I want to be able to tell my kids and my family in the future that I tried to do my best to stop what I would call a genocide that’s happening right now in Palestine.”
Since last week, hundreds of protesters have been arrested at campuses including Columbia University in New York City, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, Emerson College in Boston and Emory University in Atlanta. The University of Southern California canceled its graduation, and Columbia temporarily moved classes online.
The New York Times reported that more than 400 people have been arrested in campus protests since April 17, and it published a map showing more than 60 protest sites across the nation. Many of them involve encampments with students staking out patches of campus ground in tents.
The demonstrations are happening just days before the end of the spring semester, with commencement celebrations scheduled for early May.
Gov. Ron DeSantis sought to set the tone for Florida schools with a post Thursday on the social media platform X.
His post said college leaders in the Northeast had been “weak” in their response to protesters he described as “mobs” that “harass Jewish students and faculty.”
“If you try that at a Florida university, you are going to be expelled,” the governor wrote.
Florida’s demonstrations are happening on campuses with some of largest populations of Jewish students in the nation. In Hillel International’s 2020 list of the “Top 60 Jewish schools,” the University of Florida is No. 1 with about 6,500 Jewish undergrads and nearly 3,000 Jewish grad students.
UCF was No. 3 and FSU, along with Florida International University, were in the top 20.
Driggers said he believed student sentiment on Florida’s college campuses largely favored a ceasefire in the Middle East and support for Palestinians.
“But of course, we have to keep in mind that the consequences for our organizing is even more punished because you have people like Ron DeSantis, who have implemented various ways of cracking down,” he said. “We’ve heard elected leaders saying that we should be expelled and arrested just for exercising our freedom of speech, which I think is a little ironic. These people are typically your free speech absolutists, right?”
Through the day Thursday, the UF protesters sat on blankets, doing schoolwork and holding signs and flags. Campus police walked by telling them they couldn’t plant signs and flags into the ground. The group picked up the signs.
Police officers gather near the site of a pro-Palestinian protest on the University of Florida campus on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Gainesville. Officers took steps to ensure the protesters did not establish an encampment on the campus green known as Plaza of the Americas. [ DIVYA KUMAR | Times ]A sign initially tied to the ground by rope was refashioned so it would not be considered a structure. Photos of Palestinians who have died in Gaza lined the parameter.
Some passersby expressed disapproval. One called them members of Hamas, a protester said. Some took photos and nodded in support. Most didn’t engage with the group.
Two Jewish students who walked by as many protesters left said they were upset by the demonstration.
Max Kilman, an Israeli-American student, called the group a “loud minority” and was troubled by chants calling for an intifada, referring to the Palestinian uprising against Israel.
“It’s pretty disturbing,” he said. “While I recognize that this is not nearly as bad as what has happened at certain places like Columbia … I think it should be known that this does not represent the sentiment or the spirit (of UF).”
Isaac Pines said he felt the protests further divided students.
“I think there is a middle ground to it, but the way that they’re approaching it makes it seem like it’s such a polarizing issue,” he said. “If you were really trying to make progress here, you’d want to work with pro-Israel students on campus.”
In a statement, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said, “The University of Florida will always protect speech and uphold the law. Peaceful protests are constitutionally protected.”
She said “camping, putting up structures, disrupting academic activity, or threatening others on university property is strictly prohibited” and that officials “clearly communicated this” to the students. She said anyone who breaks the law will receive “an immediate trespassing order from (campus police) and an interim suspension from Student Life.”
Some protesters expressed frustration that a few of the regulations seemed open to interpretation. Sleeping and anything deemed to be a structure were prohibited, but occupying spaces while awake was not.
Shortly after 8 p.m., campus police handed out notices of what was and wasn’t allowed.
In Tallahassee, Nuñez, the student protest leader at FSU, said the group was trying to avoid arrests but expected to be on campus as long as they could be. They planned to pack up late Thursday night and return Friday.
He said they wanted to place more emphasis on their message.
“I want people to focus not just on the repression, but why these students are out there in the first place,” Nuñez said. “This wouldn’t be happening if these institutions weren’t supporting Israel.”
Amy Farnum-Patronis, a spokesperson for FSU, said the group was not affiliated with the university and was asked to leave because of the school’s regulations against camping.
“No criminal activity or conduct has been observed, but law enforcement is on scene and actively monitoring the situation,” she said. “As an educational institution, Florida State University welcomes free inquiry, diverse thought and rigorous debate. However, these expressions must comply with university regulation and the law.”
Times Staff Writer Romy Ellenbogen contributed to this report.
DIVYA KUMAR
Higher education reporter for The Tampa Bay Times in partnership with Open Campus.
UK
‘Conspiracy’ school teaching pupils ‘we’ll be eating bugs after the Great Reset’
Gergana Krasteva
To education officials who might come asking questions, it presents as a support for home schooling parents.
It is understood that parents pay £30 a day for tuition.
Ms Ratcliffe helps them to remove their children from mainstream state education and then encourages them to lie to local authorities by claiming that they are now home educated, the newspaper warned.
The school operates four days a week from 10am to 3.30pm. Not all the children go every day, but most go at least three days a week.
One of the incidents that The Times detailed during the investigation is how one of the teachers allegedly tried to dupe the students – but some of them did not buy it.
During one of the lessons, a teacher told the children that human energy is linked to the subconscious and that when we lie our energy stops flowing.
To demonstrate this, she asked the reporter working undercover as a teacher to say ‘I am Tom; while she applied downward force on his hand.
His arm dropped an inch. But then sheasked him to say ‘I am Maggie’, pressing down again.
This time though, she pushed much harder and his arm dropped much lower. But the students were not fooled.
In response to the Times findings, Ofsted has started an urgent investigation into Universallkidz.
Metro.co.uk has contacted the institution for a comment.
‘Conspiracy’ school teaching pupils ‘we’ll be eating bugs after the Great Reset’
Gergana Krasteva
Published Apr 26, 2024,
METRO UK
Universallkidz has been described as a ‘conspiracy theory’ school
Dinosaurs never existed; viruses are not real; vapour from planes in the sky causes dementia and crystals could cure serious illness – these are just some of the conspiracy theories staff at a school in Manchester allegedly believe.
Universallkidz was set up in October 2020 to ‘de-indoctrinate’ children from ‘the lies’ that they are taught by ‘the system’.
Ladan Ratcliffe, who worked as a teacher in Greater Manchester for more than 20 years, got the idea during an anti-lockdown rally.
Her team – made up of other former teachers and even a cryptocurrency trader – are now teaching pupils, aged between eight and 14, about homeopathy and moon cycles.
An undercover investigation by The Times shows what Universallkidz considers curriculum.
Classes were held in a tumble-down Victorian mansion, which had until recently been a nightclub.
In the hallway, leaflets were left lying around that stated that Covid-19 vaccines, climate science and 5G were all means by which the government is trying to subjugate the population.
The leaflets concluded: ‘Resist! Defy! Do not comply!’
Another conspiracy theory being embraced by staff – perhaps the most concerning of all – is that the government is in a league with organisations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) and wealthy businessmen, who are covertly working to depopulate and enslave the world.
It is a conspiracy known as the ‘great reset theory’, which gained great popularity during the pandemic.
One teacher allegedly told children that they would one day be eating cockroaches if ‘Klaus [Schwab, head of the WEF] and [Bill] Gates have their way’.
It is reported that Universallkidz goes to great lengths to conceal its activities. On its website, it describes itself as a provider of ‘holistic alternative education’ that seeks to raise ‘autonomous’ and ‘sovereign’ young people.
Dinosaurs never existed; viruses are not real; vapour from planes in the sky causes dementia and crystals could cure serious illness – these are just some of the conspiracy theories staff at a school in Manchester allegedly believe.
Universallkidz was set up in October 2020 to ‘de-indoctrinate’ children from ‘the lies’ that they are taught by ‘the system’.
Ladan Ratcliffe, who worked as a teacher in Greater Manchester for more than 20 years, got the idea during an anti-lockdown rally.
Her team – made up of other former teachers and even a cryptocurrency trader – are now teaching pupils, aged between eight and 14, about homeopathy and moon cycles.
An undercover investigation by The Times shows what Universallkidz considers curriculum.
Classes were held in a tumble-down Victorian mansion, which had until recently been a nightclub.
In the hallway, leaflets were left lying around that stated that Covid-19 vaccines, climate science and 5G were all means by which the government is trying to subjugate the population.
The leaflets concluded: ‘Resist! Defy! Do not comply!’
Another conspiracy theory being embraced by staff – perhaps the most concerning of all – is that the government is in a league with organisations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) and wealthy businessmen, who are covertly working to depopulate and enslave the world.
It is a conspiracy known as the ‘great reset theory’, which gained great popularity during the pandemic.
One teacher allegedly told children that they would one day be eating cockroaches if ‘Klaus [Schwab, head of the WEF] and [Bill] Gates have their way’.
It is reported that Universallkidz goes to great lengths to conceal its activities. On its website, it describes itself as a provider of ‘holistic alternative education’ that seeks to raise ‘autonomous’ and ‘sovereign’ young people.
To education officials who might come asking questions, it presents as a support for home schooling parents.
It is understood that parents pay £30 a day for tuition.
Ms Ratcliffe helps them to remove their children from mainstream state education and then encourages them to lie to local authorities by claiming that they are now home educated, the newspaper warned.
The school operates four days a week from 10am to 3.30pm. Not all the children go every day, but most go at least three days a week.
One of the incidents that The Times detailed during the investigation is how one of the teachers allegedly tried to dupe the students – but some of them did not buy it.
During one of the lessons, a teacher told the children that human energy is linked to the subconscious and that when we lie our energy stops flowing.
To demonstrate this, she asked the reporter working undercover as a teacher to say ‘I am Tom; while she applied downward force on his hand.
His arm dropped an inch. But then sheasked him to say ‘I am Maggie’, pressing down again.
This time though, she pushed much harder and his arm dropped much lower. But the students were not fooled.
In response to the Times findings, Ofsted has started an urgent investigation into Universallkidz.
Metro.co.uk has contacted the institution for a comment.
CCTV OVERKILL
UK Secondary schools told to turn off CCTV in toiletsAshlea Tracey,
BBC Isle of Man
BBC
Some cameras in two schools have now been switched off
Two secondary schools have been told to turn surveillance cameras that had been operating inside toilets for 18 months off by the Isle of Man's information commissioner.
Ballakermeen and Castle Rushen High Schools were sent enforcement notices on 18 March stating they had failed to comply with data protection legislation prior to putting the CCTV in place.
A Department of Education, Sport and Culture (Desc) spokesman said cameras had not been "pointing at the actual toilets" and confirmed both schools were complying with the instruction.
Desc Minister Daphne Caine previously raised concerns about the cost of repairing damage being done to toilet facilities in the island's secondary schools.
As personal data was being processed through the surveillance systems "inside the toilets" a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) should have been conducted, the commissioner found.
The schools had also failed to "provide any transparency information" as the system had not been signposted on their respective websites.
In a statement, the Desc said both schools had worked with the department to "promptly complete and return all necessary documentation" once the matter had been raised.
The CCTV had been installed to "improve site security and also to serve as a deterrent against vandalism and inappropriate behaviour", it said.
"A proportion of the cameras have been switched off and will not be back in use until approval has been received," it added.
'Vandalism'
In a recent evidence session with the Social Affairs and Policy Review Committee, Ms Caine said one school had confirmed they were spending between £600 and £1,000 a week on repairs after equipment was smashed, doors broken, toilets were blocked and graffiti was left behind.
She said the "serious amounts of vandalism" were costing the schools money she would "rather that money was being spent on education and other support".
In early March, head teacher of Ballakermeen Graeme Corrin defended the school's decision to restrict toilet breaks during lessons as "too many students" were "missing large chunks of learning".
Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@bbc.co.uk
More on this story
Two secondary schools have been told to turn surveillance cameras that had been operating inside toilets for 18 months off by the Isle of Man's information commissioner.
Ballakermeen and Castle Rushen High Schools were sent enforcement notices on 18 March stating they had failed to comply with data protection legislation prior to putting the CCTV in place.
A Department of Education, Sport and Culture (Desc) spokesman said cameras had not been "pointing at the actual toilets" and confirmed both schools were complying with the instruction.
Desc Minister Daphne Caine previously raised concerns about the cost of repairing damage being done to toilet facilities in the island's secondary schools.
As personal data was being processed through the surveillance systems "inside the toilets" a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) should have been conducted, the commissioner found.
The schools had also failed to "provide any transparency information" as the system had not been signposted on their respective websites.
In a statement, the Desc said both schools had worked with the department to "promptly complete and return all necessary documentation" once the matter had been raised.
The CCTV had been installed to "improve site security and also to serve as a deterrent against vandalism and inappropriate behaviour", it said.
"A proportion of the cameras have been switched off and will not be back in use until approval has been received," it added.
'Vandalism'
In a recent evidence session with the Social Affairs and Policy Review Committee, Ms Caine said one school had confirmed they were spending between £600 and £1,000 a week on repairs after equipment was smashed, doors broken, toilets were blocked and graffiti was left behind.
She said the "serious amounts of vandalism" were costing the schools money she would "rather that money was being spent on education and other support".
In early March, head teacher of Ballakermeen Graeme Corrin defended the school's decision to restrict toilet breaks during lessons as "too many students" were "missing large chunks of learning".
Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@bbc.co.uk
UK
Undocumented steelworks unearthed at Sheffield Castle site
By Alex Moss,
By Alex Moss,
BBC News
Wessex ArchaeologyThe crucible furnace was uncovered during the first few weeks of a 10-week dig by archaeologists at the site
Archaeologists have uncovered new evidence of Sheffield's industrial heritage during recent excavations at the site of the city's castle.
Undocumented remnants of a 19th Century steelworks were found during work in the area once home to Sheffield Castle.
Experts at Wessex Archaeology said the findings highlighted the role steel had played in the city's development.
The team is carrying out a 10-week dig at the site as part of the council's plans to redevelop the Castlegate area.
Their work has revealed the remains of the steelworks' crucible furnace, which is not recorded on contemporary maps.
Archaeologists have uncovered new evidence of Sheffield's industrial heritage during recent excavations at the site of the city's castle.
Undocumented remnants of a 19th Century steelworks were found during work in the area once home to Sheffield Castle.
Experts at Wessex Archaeology said the findings highlighted the role steel had played in the city's development.
The team is carrying out a 10-week dig at the site as part of the council's plans to redevelop the Castlegate area.
Their work has revealed the remains of the steelworks' crucible furnace, which is not recorded on contemporary maps.
Wessex Archaeology
Wessex ArchaeologyThe furnace cellar was reached via a set of curving stairs also unearthed during the dig
As well as helping the archaeologists to better understand the layout and workings of the furnace - which would have been used to refine blister steel into higher quality crucible steel - the team said they had uncovered several clues about the people who operated it, and the working conditions at the steelworks.
With temperatures reaching 1200C, the firing process was "unpleasant and challenging", say experts.
The team said they had found the letter 'H' scratched into the brickwork on the walls of the crucible cellar and posited whether it was "the initial of someone who toiled in the cellar day in and day out".
As well as helping the archaeologists to better understand the layout and workings of the furnace - which would have been used to refine blister steel into higher quality crucible steel - the team said they had uncovered several clues about the people who operated it, and the working conditions at the steelworks.
With temperatures reaching 1200C, the firing process was "unpleasant and challenging", say experts.
The team said they had found the letter 'H' scratched into the brickwork on the walls of the crucible cellar and posited whether it was "the initial of someone who toiled in the cellar day in and day out".
Wessex ArchaeologyThe initial H carved into the brickwork may be a reference to someone who worked in the cellar
Wessex ArchaeologyArchaeologists believe a concealed hole in the brickwork was used as a secret hiding place
The archaeologists also uncovered a hole in the wall which had been dug out and then concealed with another brick.
They said they believed this to be "someone's secret hiding place".
Ashley Tuck, the archaeologist leading the dig, said: "These remnants of Sheffield's industrial past not only remind us of the role steel working played in the growth and identity of this city, but also encourage us to consider the people behind it - who would, by modern standards at least, have worked in an unpleasant and challenging environment."
The archaeologists also uncovered a hole in the wall which had been dug out and then concealed with another brick.
They said they believed this to be "someone's secret hiding place".
Ashley Tuck, the archaeologist leading the dig, said: "These remnants of Sheffield's industrial past not only remind us of the role steel working played in the growth and identity of this city, but also encourage us to consider the people behind it - who would, by modern standards at least, have worked in an unpleasant and challenging environment."
Picture sheffieldSheffield Castle once dominated the city, but was demolished during the Civil War
Castlegate is the oldest part of Sheffield and has been inhabited since at least the 11th Century.
Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned for 14 years at the castle and at Manor Lodge in the 1500s, under the care of the Earl of Shrewsbury.
The castle complex was destroyed in 1648 during the English Civil War. The remains were covered by Castle Market in the 1960s, with the only visible evidence of the original castle found in basements of the complex.
The indoor market was demolished in 2015, allowing excavation work to begin.
Members of the public have been joining in with the current dig with further opportunities for people to get involved in May.
Castlegate is the oldest part of Sheffield and has been inhabited since at least the 11th Century.
Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned for 14 years at the castle and at Manor Lodge in the 1500s, under the care of the Earl of Shrewsbury.
The castle complex was destroyed in 1648 during the English Civil War. The remains were covered by Castle Market in the 1960s, with the only visible evidence of the original castle found in basements of the complex.
The indoor market was demolished in 2015, allowing excavation work to begin.
Members of the public have been joining in with the current dig with further opportunities for people to get involved in May.
Unique ‘Excalibur’ Sword Found Upright in Ground Unearthed in Spain Holds Islamic Origins
Researchers have finally unraveled the mysteries of the historical sword discovered in Spain 30 years ago, which they named ‘Excalibur’ because of its location, which evokes similarities with the legendary sword of King Arthur.
The iron sword was first discovered stuck in the ground upright in 1994 at an archaeological site in Valencia’s old town, a city on the eastern coast of Spain. This location, which is north of the old Roman Forum, has seen the rise and fall of many cultures over Valencia’s turbulent history.
For the past 30 years, the sword’s origin and age have remained a point of confusion — until now.
Valencia’s archaeology department decided to catalog and review the artifacts in its collection ahead of its 75th anniversary, the City Council of Valencia said in an April 22 news release. One of those artifacts was the Excalibur sword.
Since its unearthing, the sword’s true age has eluded scholars. However, recent efforts by the Archaeology Service (SIAM) of the Valencia City Council have shed light on its origins, reports Horta Noticias. Through meticulous dating techniques, they have determined that the sword hails from the 10th century, firmly establishing its antiquity at over a millennium old.
The iron sword was first discovered stuck in the ground upright in 1994 at an archaeological site in Valencia’s old town, a city on the eastern coast of Spain. This location, which is north of the old Roman Forum, has seen the rise and fall of many cultures over Valencia’s turbulent history.
For the past 30 years, the sword’s origin and age have remained a point of confusion — until now.
Valencia’s archaeology department decided to catalog and review the artifacts in its collection ahead of its 75th anniversary, the City Council of Valencia said in an April 22 news release. One of those artifacts was the Excalibur sword.
Since its unearthing, the sword’s true age has eluded scholars. However, recent efforts by the Archaeology Service (SIAM) of the Valencia City Council have shed light on its origins, reports Horta Noticias. Through meticulous dating techniques, they have determined that the sword hails from the 10th century, firmly establishing its antiquity at over a millennium old.
A close-up shot of the hilt Warrior Sword from Valencia.
Photo: SERVICI D’ARQUEOLOGIA DE L’AJUNTAMENT DE VALÈNCIA SIAM
SIAM’s analysis indicates that this sword represents the first discovery of its kind from the Islamic era in Valencia. Swords from this period are generally scarce in Spain, particularly in Valencia, where the soil’s composition poses challenges to preservation efforts.
Archeologist José Miguel Osuna, who led the research project on “Excalibur” earlier this year, found that the 18 inch-blade was from the Islamic period because of its hilt, decorated with bronze plates and notches for handling. The sword’s curved metal tip caused confusion among researchers, who thought it might have belonged to the Visigoths, but Osuna later disproved this idea.
The sword’s size and the fact that it doesn’t have a hand guard suggest that a mounted warrior may have used it in the Andalusian caliphal era. Municipal technicians are clear that its origins are in the Islamic era of Balansiya, even though it may display evolutionary traits from Visigothic models. Only one comparable specimen has surfaced thus far, unearthed amidst the excavations of Medina Azahara, the illustrious caliphal city commissioned by Abderramán III in Córdoba. The Islamic period in Spain began in A.D. 711 and ended in A.D. 1492.
“Thanks to the archaeology scholarship convened by the Valencia City Council, the archaeologist José Miguel Osuna is carrying out a detailed study of analysis of metallic objects that go from Roman times to the late medieval period and where a new and exceptional find has come to light, which we have called the Excalibur de Roc Chabàs to be very similar to the legendary sword of King Arthur.” José Luis Moreno, Valencia councilor for cultural action, heritage, and cultural resources, said in a press release.
City council cultural representative José Luis Moreno noted in the release that the sword was just one of many artifacts — from the Roman era to the late medieval period — being studied in the city’s archeological collection for the department’s 75th anniversary.
Valencia City Council
SIAM’s analysis indicates that this sword represents the first discovery of its kind from the Islamic era in Valencia. Swords from this period are generally scarce in Spain, particularly in Valencia, where the soil’s composition poses challenges to preservation efforts.
Archeologist José Miguel Osuna, who led the research project on “Excalibur” earlier this year, found that the 18 inch-blade was from the Islamic period because of its hilt, decorated with bronze plates and notches for handling. The sword’s curved metal tip caused confusion among researchers, who thought it might have belonged to the Visigoths, but Osuna later disproved this idea.
An expert is measuring the Islamic-era sword discovered in Valencia in 1994, known as Excalibur, has been dated back to the 10th century.
Photo: SERVICI D’ARQUEOLOGIA DE L’AJUNTAMENT DE VALÈNCIA SIAM
The sword’s size and the fact that it doesn’t have a hand guard suggest that a mounted warrior may have used it in the Andalusian caliphal era. Municipal technicians are clear that its origins are in the Islamic era of Balansiya, even though it may display evolutionary traits from Visigothic models. Only one comparable specimen has surfaced thus far, unearthed amidst the excavations of Medina Azahara, the illustrious caliphal city commissioned by Abderramán III in Córdoba. The Islamic period in Spain began in A.D. 711 and ended in A.D. 1492.
“Thanks to the archaeology scholarship convened by the Valencia City Council, the archaeologist José Miguel Osuna is carrying out a detailed study of analysis of metallic objects that go from Roman times to the late medieval period and where a new and exceptional find has come to light, which we have called the Excalibur de Roc Chabàs to be very similar to the legendary sword of King Arthur.” José Luis Moreno, Valencia councilor for cultural action, heritage, and cultural resources, said in a press release.
City council cultural representative José Luis Moreno noted in the release that the sword was just one of many artifacts — from the Roman era to the late medieval period — being studied in the city’s archeological collection for the department’s 75th anniversary.
Valencia City Council
Pederson: Syria Treated by Many as a Space for Settling Scores
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen (Reuters/File)
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen (Reuters/File)
Washington: Ali Barada
07:57-26 April 2024 AD ـ 17 Shawwal 1445 AH
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said on Thursday that Syria has become a "sort of free-for-all space for settling scores," warning that each month, trends are moving further in the wrong direction.
In a briefing to the Security Council, the UN envoy noted that this last month, the grim specter of regional conflict loomed over Syria once again after the April 1 strikes on Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus, Iran’s 13 April strikes on Israel, attacks in Iran, Iraq and Syria, and others on US bases in northeast Syria.
“I remain extremely alarmed at this dangerous and escalatory spiral. I have long warned that Syria is treated by many as a sort of free-for-all space for settling scores,” Pedersen told the Security Council.
Also, the UN envoy said he is not only worried about these regional spillover effects and the grave dangers of miscalculation and escalation. “I am also deeply worried about the conflict in Syria itself, which continues to blight the lives of the long-suffering Syrian people,” he said. “Any temptation to ignore or merely contain the Syrian conflict itself would be a mistake.”
Pedersen then spoke about the situation in the northwest of Syria, where Security Council-listed terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched multiple crossline attacks.
In the northeast, he said there were reports of Turkish drone-strikes, exchanges of fire between armed opposition groups and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), alongside a growing insurgency by some tribal elements against the SDF.
Pedersen then said that in the southwest, security incidents remain at elevated levels with reports of open clashes between former armed opposition groups and Syrian government forces, as well as incidents related to criminal activities on the border.
“We need regional de-escalation, starting with an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza,” he said, adding that all players must work towards a nationwide ceasefire in Syria too.
Tackling the humanitarian situation, Pedersen said, “it is as bleak as ever.”
As for the economic situation, the UN envoy said it remains perilous. “The WFP says that the cost of a food basket doubled within a year, while the cost of living increased by 104%. The Syrian pound has reached around 15,000 per US dollar on the parallel market,” he noted.
Pedersen stressed the need to move forward on the safe, calm and neutral environment that is necessary for a political process to unfold, and also for safe, dignified and voluntary returns.
He then noted that “a mix of de-escalation, containment and humanitarian assistance – brokered through partial arrangements and piecemeal formats – is what we are seeing in practice.”
Without this the situation would be even worse, Pedersen stressed.
'Syria remains alarmingly exposed to be a battlefield for other hostilities in the Middle East,' says Ahmet Yildiz at Security Council
01:12 - 26/04/2024 Friday
AA
Türkiye delivered a stern warning Thursday against the persistent threat posed by the PKK/YPG terrorist organization in Syria.
Saying that “the PKK/YPG/SDF terrorist organization continues its efforts to advance a separatist and disruptive agenda in northeast Syria," Ahmet Yildiz, Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN, emphasized at a UN Security Council session that the terror group represents the "biggest threat to Syria's territorial integrity and political unity."
In a resolute declaration, Yildiz reiterated Türkiye's firm position, saying "the PKK/YPG and its separatist terrorist agenda have no place in Syria's future."
He further condemned the terror group's exploitation of civilian facilities and its oppressive practices against the local population.
Underscoring the urgent need for concerted international efforts to address the multifaceted crisis gripping Syria, Yildiz said, "We cannot lose sight of the precarious situation in Syria in the 14th year of the conflict."
He noted the interconnected deterioration in security, economic and humanitarian dimensions, compounded by recent dangerous escalations in the region.
"Syria remains alarmingly exposed to be a battlefield for other hostilities in the Middle East," he added.
Urging all relevant parties to refrain from actions that could exacerbate tensions, Yildiz also stressed the need to revitalize the political process in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, calling for national reconciliation to address the root causes of the conflict.
He expressed support for the Constitutional Committee as a crucial platform for negotiations between the Bashar Al-Assad regime and opposition, urging its prompt convening without delays over venue issues.
He also reiterated Türkiye's support for UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen's efforts towards a political solution.
"Given the necessity to coordinate a humanitarian response to a staggering level of needs as well as according to the situation on the ground, it is important to preserve the ‘Whole of Syria' approach," he said.
Following Yildiz's speech, Syria's representative at the UN, Qusay al-Dahhak, criticized Türkiye and the Turkish envoy for referring to the Syrian government as a "regime."
In response, Yildiz reminded that Türkiye is not the reason for this conflict to start.
Noting the necessity of moving ahead with the political process, he urged the representative of Syria to also "focus on the way forward."
07:57-26 April 2024 AD ـ 17 Shawwal 1445 AH
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said on Thursday that Syria has become a "sort of free-for-all space for settling scores," warning that each month, trends are moving further in the wrong direction.
In a briefing to the Security Council, the UN envoy noted that this last month, the grim specter of regional conflict loomed over Syria once again after the April 1 strikes on Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus, Iran’s 13 April strikes on Israel, attacks in Iran, Iraq and Syria, and others on US bases in northeast Syria.
“I remain extremely alarmed at this dangerous and escalatory spiral. I have long warned that Syria is treated by many as a sort of free-for-all space for settling scores,” Pedersen told the Security Council.
Also, the UN envoy said he is not only worried about these regional spillover effects and the grave dangers of miscalculation and escalation. “I am also deeply worried about the conflict in Syria itself, which continues to blight the lives of the long-suffering Syrian people,” he said. “Any temptation to ignore or merely contain the Syrian conflict itself would be a mistake.”
Pedersen then spoke about the situation in the northwest of Syria, where Security Council-listed terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched multiple crossline attacks.
In the northeast, he said there were reports of Turkish drone-strikes, exchanges of fire between armed opposition groups and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), alongside a growing insurgency by some tribal elements against the SDF.
Pedersen then said that in the southwest, security incidents remain at elevated levels with reports of open clashes between former armed opposition groups and Syrian government forces, as well as incidents related to criminal activities on the border.
“We need regional de-escalation, starting with an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza,” he said, adding that all players must work towards a nationwide ceasefire in Syria too.
Tackling the humanitarian situation, Pedersen said, “it is as bleak as ever.”
As for the economic situation, the UN envoy said it remains perilous. “The WFP says that the cost of a food basket doubled within a year, while the cost of living increased by 104%. The Syrian pound has reached around 15,000 per US dollar on the parallel market,” he noted.
Pedersen stressed the need to move forward on the safe, calm and neutral environment that is necessary for a political process to unfold, and also for safe, dignified and voluntary returns.
He then noted that “a mix of de-escalation, containment and humanitarian assistance – brokered through partial arrangements and piecemeal formats – is what we are seeing in practice.”
Without this the situation would be even worse, Pedersen stressed.
TURKEY INVADED SYRIAN KURDISTAN
PKK/YPG has no place in Syria's future, says Türkiye's representative at UN
PKK/YPG has no place in Syria's future, says Türkiye's representative at UN
'Syria remains alarmingly exposed to be a battlefield for other hostilities in the Middle East,' says Ahmet Yildiz at Security Council
01:12 - 26/04/2024 Friday
AA
Türkiye delivered a stern warning Thursday against the persistent threat posed by the PKK/YPG terrorist organization in Syria.
Saying that “the PKK/YPG/SDF terrorist organization continues its efforts to advance a separatist and disruptive agenda in northeast Syria," Ahmet Yildiz, Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN, emphasized at a UN Security Council session that the terror group represents the "biggest threat to Syria's territorial integrity and political unity."
In a resolute declaration, Yildiz reiterated Türkiye's firm position, saying "the PKK/YPG and its separatist terrorist agenda have no place in Syria's future."
He further condemned the terror group's exploitation of civilian facilities and its oppressive practices against the local population.
Underscoring the urgent need for concerted international efforts to address the multifaceted crisis gripping Syria, Yildiz said, "We cannot lose sight of the precarious situation in Syria in the 14th year of the conflict."
He noted the interconnected deterioration in security, economic and humanitarian dimensions, compounded by recent dangerous escalations in the region.
"Syria remains alarmingly exposed to be a battlefield for other hostilities in the Middle East," he added.
Urging all relevant parties to refrain from actions that could exacerbate tensions, Yildiz also stressed the need to revitalize the political process in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, calling for national reconciliation to address the root causes of the conflict.
He expressed support for the Constitutional Committee as a crucial platform for negotiations between the Bashar Al-Assad regime and opposition, urging its prompt convening without delays over venue issues.
He also reiterated Türkiye's support for UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen's efforts towards a political solution.
"Given the necessity to coordinate a humanitarian response to a staggering level of needs as well as according to the situation on the ground, it is important to preserve the ‘Whole of Syria' approach," he said.
Following Yildiz's speech, Syria's representative at the UN, Qusay al-Dahhak, criticized Türkiye and the Turkish envoy for referring to the Syrian government as a "regime."
In response, Yildiz reminded that Türkiye is not the reason for this conflict to start.
Noting the necessity of moving ahead with the political process, he urged the representative of Syria to also "focus on the way forward."
Trump II and US Nuclear Assurances to NATO
Policy Options Instead of Alarmism
SWP 25.04.2024,
7 Pages
doi:10.18449/2024C17
doi:10.18449/2024C17
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PDF | 195 KB
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While a second Trump Presidency would be challenging for transatlantic ties, US nuclear assurances to its NATO allies in Europe would likely be the last casualty – not the first – of a fraying relationship. There is an intrinsic incompatibility between the United States completely abandoning its role as global actor, which would be the prerequisite for the withdrawal of such assurances, and Trump’s domestic interests. It cannot be denied that the worst-case scenario – namely, the end of extended nuclear deterrence – is possible and requires careful contingency planning on the part of the allies; but it is highly unlikely and should not distract from addressing the more probable outcome. Even in the best-case scenario of a Trump II administration resembling his first term, US nuclear assurances are likely to become less credible. To allay concerns, German and European policymakers should work with their US counterparts before and after the November 2024 election to strengthen transatlantic diplomatic coordination, conventional deterrence and defence, as well as nuclear options.
As Donald Trump told his supporters recently, if re-elected he would encourage the Russians to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member that did not comply with defence spending guidelines. The former US president may win the November 2024 election – a prospect that has triggered frantic waves of media commentary and policy proposals throughout Europe. Some politicians and analysts fear that Trump would take the United States out of NATO – something he had threatened repeatedly during his first term – thereby destroying the institutional basis for nuclear assurance. Others suggest that he would refrain from giving US forces the order to defend an ally under attack and would refuse to use nuclear weapons in an escalating regional conflict with Russia. Still others contend that American extended deterrence, both conventional and nuclear, is on the verge of collapse not least because of public statements like the one quoted above. And many point out that such reckless rhetoric emboldens adversaries and makes allies anxious.
The dire predictions have reinforced calls for European alternatives or complements to US extended nuclear deterrence. Essentially, the importance of nuclear deterrence for European security is not in question: most analysts agree that without Western conventional and nuclear deterrence, Russia’s ambitious and risk-prone leadership would likely attempt to leverage its military power in order to expand its influence across Europe. Some contend that given the prospect of a second Trump Presidency, either one or both of the European nuclear powers – France and the United Kingdom – should take over US commitments. Others suggest that a pan-European nuclear arsenal should be developed or that other major European nations should acquire nuclear weapons. For their part, the more moderate voices propose that Paris and London should supplement Washington’s nuclear assurances with their own commitments.
But at the same time, many note – correctly – that a rapid alternative to US nuclear assurances is not feasible owing to technical, legal, political and strategic factors. Moreover, there would be few additional nuclear-related steps that France or the United Kingdom could take to underpin US commitments.
Although risks loom large and unpredictability is Trump’s trademark, a systematic analysis not only indicates that the worst-case scenario of nuclear assurances being abandoned is unlikely; it also highlights which outcomes would be more probable during a potential Trump second term and which timely policy options could mitigate many of the concerns related to the diminished credibility of extended nuclear deterrence.
EPUB | 635 KB
MOBI | 925 KB
While a second Trump Presidency would be challenging for transatlantic ties, US nuclear assurances to its NATO allies in Europe would likely be the last casualty – not the first – of a fraying relationship. There is an intrinsic incompatibility between the United States completely abandoning its role as global actor, which would be the prerequisite for the withdrawal of such assurances, and Trump’s domestic interests. It cannot be denied that the worst-case scenario – namely, the end of extended nuclear deterrence – is possible and requires careful contingency planning on the part of the allies; but it is highly unlikely and should not distract from addressing the more probable outcome. Even in the best-case scenario of a Trump II administration resembling his first term, US nuclear assurances are likely to become less credible. To allay concerns, German and European policymakers should work with their US counterparts before and after the November 2024 election to strengthen transatlantic diplomatic coordination, conventional deterrence and defence, as well as nuclear options.
As Donald Trump told his supporters recently, if re-elected he would encourage the Russians to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member that did not comply with defence spending guidelines. The former US president may win the November 2024 election – a prospect that has triggered frantic waves of media commentary and policy proposals throughout Europe. Some politicians and analysts fear that Trump would take the United States out of NATO – something he had threatened repeatedly during his first term – thereby destroying the institutional basis for nuclear assurance. Others suggest that he would refrain from giving US forces the order to defend an ally under attack and would refuse to use nuclear weapons in an escalating regional conflict with Russia. Still others contend that American extended deterrence, both conventional and nuclear, is on the verge of collapse not least because of public statements like the one quoted above. And many point out that such reckless rhetoric emboldens adversaries and makes allies anxious.
The dire predictions have reinforced calls for European alternatives or complements to US extended nuclear deterrence. Essentially, the importance of nuclear deterrence for European security is not in question: most analysts agree that without Western conventional and nuclear deterrence, Russia’s ambitious and risk-prone leadership would likely attempt to leverage its military power in order to expand its influence across Europe. Some contend that given the prospect of a second Trump Presidency, either one or both of the European nuclear powers – France and the United Kingdom – should take over US commitments. Others suggest that a pan-European nuclear arsenal should be developed or that other major European nations should acquire nuclear weapons. For their part, the more moderate voices propose that Paris and London should supplement Washington’s nuclear assurances with their own commitments.
But at the same time, many note – correctly – that a rapid alternative to US nuclear assurances is not feasible owing to technical, legal, political and strategic factors. Moreover, there would be few additional nuclear-related steps that France or the United Kingdom could take to underpin US commitments.
Although risks loom large and unpredictability is Trump’s trademark, a systematic analysis not only indicates that the worst-case scenario of nuclear assurances being abandoned is unlikely; it also highlights which outcomes would be more probable during a potential Trump second term and which timely policy options could mitigate many of the concerns related to the diminished credibility of extended nuclear deterrence.
US Nuclear Weapons in Europe Violate Treaty Law
APRIL 26, 2024
Image bu Maria Oswalt.
The US Air Force practice of deploying nuclear weapons on military bases in other countries — and training foreign pilots to attack third countries with H-bombs — is called ‘nuclear sharing’ or ‘forward basing.’ The system has been repeatedly condemned in recent years by lawyer’s groups, international law experts, UN delegates, civil society, and foreign affairs offices from around the world.
The US currently stations around 100 of its B61 thermonuclear gravity bombs in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Holland and Turkey. It may soon station more in England. All six plus the US have ratified the 1970 Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). International criticism was directed at Russia when it moved some of its H-bombs into Belarus in 2023. Little attention has been paid to the clear and authoritative condemnation of the transfer of US to Europe that has only increased in recent years.
Critiques of US nukes stationed in Europe are based on the nonproliferation treaty’s first two articles. The Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, explained the violation in a July 25, 2023 working paper, submitted to the UN’s 11th Review Conference for NPT:
“The incompatibility of nuclear sharing with the NPT is based on a straightforward application of NPT Articles I and II. Article I requires NPT nuclear-armed states ‘not to transfer to any recipient whatsoever nuclear weapons … or control over such weapons directly, or indirectly.’ It further requires the nuclear-armed states ‘not in any way to assist, encourage, or induce any non-nuclear-weapon State to … acquire nuclear weapons or control over such weapons.’ (emphasis added) Article II imposes the corollary obligation on NPT non-nuclear weapon states not to be the recipient of any such transfer or assistance.
“These provisions should be read in light of NPT Review Conference commitments made subsequent to the 1995 decision to indefinitely extend the NPT. … The 2000 Final Document, ‘reaffirms that the strict observance of the provisions of the Treaty remains central to achieving the shared objectives of preventing, under any circumstances, the further proliferation of nuclear weapons and preserving the Treaty’s vital contribution to peace and security.”
The International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (German section) in an April 5, 2023 submission to the UN Human Rights Council said: “…the components of technical nuclear sharing together with Germany’s participation in operational planning in NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group under Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, constitute a violation of the spirit and purpose of the NPT.”
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), in an August 2, 2023 statement to the United Nations in Geneva, said nuclear sharing: “[R]uns counter to the fundamental tenets of the treaty and is a threat to the entire regime.”
In its July 28, 2023 edition, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ article on nuclear sharing, by Moritz Kütt, Pavel Podvig, Zia Mian, reported: “The NPT prohibits both the acquisition of nuclear weapons by non-weapon states and the transfer of nuclear weapons to such countries by the five nuclear weapon states who are parties (Russia, China, the US, the UK, and France).” (emphasis added)
China explicitly condemned U.S. nuclear sharing on August 2, 2022, when the head of its United Nations delegation, Fu Cong, addressing the United Nations NPT Review Conference, said: “The so-called nuclear sharing arrangements run counter to the provisions of the NPT and increase the risks of nuclear proliferation and nuclear conflicts. The United States should withdraw all its nuclear weapons from Europe and refrain from deploying nuclear weapons in any other region.”
Indonesia, speaking on behalf of all 120 countries of the Non-Aligned Movement at the August 2022 NPT Review Conference, said: “… nuclear weapon-sharing by States Parties constitutes a clear violation of non-proliferation obligations undertaken by those Nuclear Weapon States under Article I and by those Non-Nuclear Weapon States under Article II.”
The US H-bombs’ threatening nearness to Russian territory did not deter President Putin’s military incursion into Ukraine. The invasion has proved that nuclear deterrence is a fraud, that the weapons are useless and can be eliminated, and that nuclear de-escalation in Europe can be accomplished simultaneously with the US coming into compliance with the NPT. Only weapons profiteering and imperial military hubris keeps it from happening. ###
PS. The attached image is a photo of the official patch, complete with a US B61 H-bomb, of the USAF 701st Munitions Support Squadron (MUNNS) stationed at Belgium’s Kleine Brogel Air Base.
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