Study finds 99% of pro-Palestine protests at US universities are peaceful

Data from ACLED, leading source of real-time data on political violence and protest activity across the globe, belies claims of Biden and Trump that Student Spring movement — campus protests against Israel's war on Gaza — is violent.


Police have arrested around 200 protesters from the anti-war encampment at UCLA, with the campus police restricting access to the area, and police helicopters hovering overhead./ Photo: Reuters


A new report has found that 99 percent of pro-Palestine protests at US colleges have been peaceful, despite remarks from President Joe Biden characterising such demonstrations as violent and ex-American leader Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans supporting police crackdown on students and scholars.

"While some notable violent clashes have recently taken place, such as on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, where demonstrators and counter-demonstrators fought at a student encampment overnight on 30 April, the overwhelming majority of student protests since October — 99% — have remained peaceful," data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data [ACLED] revealed.

ACLED report showed that student-led pro-Palestine demonstrations in the US — dubbed "Student Spring" — have almost tripled from April 1 to 26, surpassing the total for the entire month of March 2024.

"The arrest of more than 100 students at Columbia University in New York around 18 April heralded a new wave of campus demonstrations," said ACLED, a credible source of real-time data on political violence and protest activity around the world.




A graduate student from the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University who chose to remain anonymous because of the fear of sanctions told TRT World that anti-war protests on the campus were characterised by peaceful demonstrations. "We received support from the faculty during these moments, which shows the sense of solidarity and encouragement within the academic community that includes students and staff at GWU".

The burgeoning wave of student protests against Israel's brutal war in Gaza sweeping across top university campuses throughout the US stands as an echo of the anti-Vietnam War movement that indelibly shaped the spirited and often polarising discourse in the nation during the latter half of 1960s and early 1970s.

The ongoing demonstrations not only reflect the deep-seated discontent surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict in the US civil society and youth, but also serve as a potent precursor to the collective efforts that ultimately brought an end to the Vietnam War.


Columbia University has announced that all classes at its main campus will be hybrid until the end of the spring semester.

Divestment from entities supporting Israel

ACLED data is a trusted resource for development, humanitarian, and policy organisations worldwide, including the UN and is used by governments globally, including the US, UK, Canada, Europe, Australia.

Since April 18, over 2,300 students and faculty have been arrested on college and university grounds amidst a surge of pro-Palestine protests sweeping across the US.

While protesters' demands vary, a common theme has emerged: urging colleges and universities to divest from entities supporting Israel because of Tel Aviv's role in the widespread killing and mayhem in Gaza, which some experts believe has already assumed genocidal proportions.

Students strike first victories

The wave of student protests has extended beyond the US, reaching other countries as well including France, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Australia and many Middle East countries.

Protesters in some universities struck initial victories and ceased their demonstrations after school leaders struck deals with them, fending off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies.

The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes and 2,400-plus arrests on 46 campuses across the nation since April 17.

Deals included commitments by universities to review their investments in Israel or hear calls to stop doing business with the longtime US ally. Many protester demands have zeroed in on links to the Israeli military as the Israeli war grinds on in besieged Gaza.