Why some college students are protesting in Minnesota

Pro-Palestinian college protests have been breaking out in the Twin Cities and around the country. As of Wednesday, there were protest encampments at the University of Minnesota and Hamline University in St. Paul.

Here’s what to know about the recent wave of student-led protests.

College students are demonstrating around the country and in Minnesota in support of the Palestinians caught in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Many students have called on their universities to divest from or cease all financial ties with Israel or Israel-linked companies.

Students at the U have also asked for a ban of specific companies including Lockheed Martin and Honeywell from campus activities, a boycott on Israeli universities and for amnesty for students and other university employees engaging in pro-Palestinian activities.

U Interim President Jeff Ettinger met with student protest leaders Wednesday morning. The meeting, originally scheduled for a half-hour, ran for nearly two.

Buildings along Northrop Mall at the U closed Monday and will remain closed through at least Wednesday. That includes Coffman Union, the Weisman Art Museum, Hasselmo Hall, Ford Hall, Vincent Murphy Hall, Tate Lab, Morrill Hall, Northrop auditorium, Johnston Hall, the Walter Library, Smith Hall and Kolthoff Hall.

The labor unions that represent the U’s graduate assistants and teamsters in a letter urged university officials to “re-open Coffman Memorial Union, academic workplaces” and other buildings closed by the campus protests. Union leaders say graduate assistants were locked out of their labs and offices and dining employees have gone without pay because their shifts were cut due to the lockdown. They demanded the university adopt “reduced operations protocol,” which would allow non-essential employees to collect pay if they’re required to stay home.

Protests around the country and especially at New York colleges have grown tense, with hundreds arrested in recent days at Columbia University and City College of New York. Last week, some universities advised Jewish students to celebrate Passover elsewhere.

Northwestern University leadership and student protesters reached an agreement late Monday that curbed campus disruptions in exchange for a new advisory committee on university investments.

Dozens were arrested at Columbia on Tuesday night as New York police cleared a building the university said was “vandalized and blockaded” during a 20-hour takeover, the New York Times reported.

Minnesota college protests have for the most part stayed calm. Last week, nine were arrested and charged with trespassing at the U.

Divestment is the opposite of investment. Student protesters are calling for their universities to cease any investment from Israel-linked companies.

The corporate board at Brown University agreed to hold a vote on divestment, and in response protesters agreed to cease demonstrations.

Protesters who are arrested should seek to de-escalate the situation. Stay calm. Don’t resist, obstruct officers or lie. Bystanders and onlookers who happen upon a demonstration should be aware that the mood of protests can often shift quickly.