On Tuesday, administrators at Brown University in the United States reached an agreement with students protesting the Gaza war. Students agreed to dismantle campus encampments and the university administration said they would consider divesting funds from Israel.
College students throughout the U.S. have been staging campus protests about the conflict in Gaza. These demonstrations pose a challenge for college administrators as schools try to balance the right to free speech with the need to ensure students are protected from harassment and discrimination.
Brown University President Christina Paxson says students agreed to end their protest and dismantle encampments by 5 p.m. Tuesday. In exchange, five students will be invited to meet with five members of the Corporation of Brown University in May to make their case for Brown’s divestment from companies and organizations linked to the Israeli military. This agreement marks the first time that an elite U.S. university has made major concessions to students protesting the Gaza war.
Similar criticism has come from several civil society groups in Taiwan. In a press conference on Monday, groups expressed their concern that military components made in Taiwan may be used in the war and called on the government to stop Taiwanese companies from supplying Israeli arms manufacturers. They also urged legislators to withdraw from a bilateral congressional group and asked the government to redirect humanitarian aid from Israel to Palestine.