Major US college campuses were shaken by / wracked by uprisings organised by pro-Palestinian students, denouncing the genocide taking place in Gaza. It is worth pinpointing that the use of the term “genocide” is highly significant. Some argue that this term shouldn’t be uttered at all to describe the situation in the Israel-Hamas war. In the case of the UCLA, ire-stricken students blame the Israeli Prime Minister for turning a blind eye on the violation and disruption of human rights. 

At first, the uprisings were peaceful. They consisted of sit-ins, placards carried aloft, and slogans. However, tensions quickly escalated. The law enforcement personnel, the LAPD, in riot gear, cracked down on this social unrest. The intervention of the LAPD should have alleviated the tensions, but it didn't go to plan. Indeed, the skirmishes got fierier and fierier. All the more so because they sparked / elicited a blunt outcry from pro-Israeli students, thence facing pro-Palestinian students. The police resorted to unlethal weapons such as tear gas, smoke grenade, barricades Protesters resorted to DIY armors, flimsy barricades and handmade weapons. A staggering number of arrets was observed from coast to coast. 

This turmoil forced the faculty to give hybrid lectures. It is disruptive for graduating students. For the US President Joe Biden, such actions should be condemned as they impeded graduations and lectures, something the faculty have been complaining about. Students involved in those disruptive actions should be thrown out from the University.

This conflict has become an election issue. It could easily sway the choice of many youngsters in November 2024.