U.S. COPS BRUTALISE PROFESSOR

Who should be arrested? The party committing massacres or the party protesting said massacres? For US universities, it’s the latter. 

In this 25 April video, an Atlanta police officer threw to the ground and handcuffed Emory University economics professor Caroline Fohlin after twisting her arm. This CNN video shows, just prior to her arrest, @carolinefohlin had raised questions about how Georgia state troopers had arrested a student.

US universities have called on police and the National Guard (civilians who serve in the military) to arrest students amid a wave of campus occupations (or encampments), most notably at Columbia University in New York.

Students demand universities divest from their investments related to the Israeli occupation. US university endowments were valued at $839 billion in fiscal year 2023. Universities invest these endowments in financial securities, real estate and in other ways. Endowments fund student scholarships and operating expenses. Emory University has the 13th highest endowment at $10.24 billion. No information is available on how much Emory has invested in Israeli companies. However, Harvard has invested $194 million in companies connected to Israeli settlements in Palestine, according to the Islamic Circle of North America.

Universities have said they are trying to clamp down on anti-semitism despite many Jewish students participating in these sit-ins in solidarity with Palestine. Images of the police presence and arrests have gone viral online. Interestingly, US police forces have benefited from Israeli training, highlighting how the struggles in the US and Palestine are connected.