Page 18 - Protest

Pro-Palestine protesters rally in rain in DC to mark painful past, present

Hundreds of protesters rallied within sight of the US Capitol, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and voicing criticism of the Israeli and American governments as they marked a painful present the war in Gaza and past the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from what is now Israel when the state was created in 1948. About 400 demonstrators braved steady rains to rally on the National Mall on the 76th anniversary of what is called the Nakba, the Arabic word for catastrophe. In January, thousands of pro-Palestinian activists had gathered in the nation's capital in one of the larger protests in recent memory. There were calls in support of Palestinian rights and an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. No peace on stolen land and End the killings, stop the crime/Israel out of Palestine, echoed through the crowd. Protesters also focused their anger on President Joe Biden, whom they accuse of feigning concern over the death toll in Gaza. Biden ..

France declares emergency in New Caledonia amid violent protests

The violence, the worst in decades, is the latest flash point in long-running tensions over Paris' role in the archipelago

Pro-Palestinian protests dwindle to subtle acts at US college graduations

A tiny contingent of Duke University graduates opposed pro-Israel comedian Jerry Seinfeld speaking at their commencement in North Carolina on Sunday, with about 30 of the 7,000 students leaving their seats and chanting free Palestine amid a mix of boos and cheers. Some waved the red, green, black, and white Palestinian flag. Seinfeld, whose namesake sitcom was one of the most popular in US television history, was there to receive an honorary doctorate from the university. The stand-up turned actor, who stars in the new Netflix movie Unfrosted, has publicly supported Israel since it invaded Gaza to dismantle Hamas after the organisation attacked the country and killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7. The ensuing war has killed nearly 35,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Students at campuses across the US responded this spring by setting up encampments and ..

New video claims 70 women in Sandeshkhali received money to protest

In a purported video that surfaced from Sandeshkhali, a local BJP leader was heard saying that over 70 women had received Rs 2,000 each for taking part in protests against local TMC satrap Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides who were accused of sexual assault and land grab. In the video, lasting over 45 minutes, a man resembling Sandeshkhali mandal president Gangadhar Kayal told this to the questioner. It was Kayal who had earlier said in another purported clip, the first in a series in the past week, that the rape allegations were staged. PTI did not independently verify the authenticity of the videos. In the latest tape that surfaced on Saturday night, Kayal was heard saying that 70 women got Rs 2,000 each for taking part in protests against Sheikh who was arrested and later suspended by the police. "We will need Rs 2.5 lakh in cash for 50 booths where 30 per cent of protesters would be women. We have to keep the SC, ST and OBC people here in good humour by paying them satisfactorily.

Columbia University cancels commencement ceremony amid ongoing protests

Columbia University is cancelling its large university-wide commencement ceremony amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests but will hold smaller school-based ceremonies this week and next, the university announced Monday. Based on feedback from our students, we have decided to focus attention on our Class Days and school-level graduation ceremonies, where students are honoured individually alongside their peers, and to forego the university-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15, Columbia officials said in a statement. The protests stem from the conflict that started Oct 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. Israeli strikes have devastated the enclave and displaced most of its ...

US univs take steps to prevent protest disruptions of graduation ceremonies

With student protests over the Israel-Hamas war disrupting campuses nationwide, several major universities are intent on ensuring that commencement ceremonies joyous milestones for graduates, their families and friends go off without a hitch this weekend. It won't be easy. Colleges are hiring extra security, screening attendees at venues and emphasising that significant disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters won't be tolerated. At the same time, they're pledging to honour free-speech rights by designating protest zones. Milestone is a perfect word, said Ken Burdick of Tampa, Florida, describing his daughter's graduation Saturday at the University of Michigan. He hopes the big day goes untarnished. People can exercise their First Amendment rights without disrupting or creating fear, Burdick said of protesters. Here's how some schools are planning to balance things: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN More than 8,000 graduates and 63,000 spectators are expected for Saturday's festivities

Order must prevail, says Biden on violence in student protests over Gaza

The demonstrations have posed a threat to Biden's reelection bid, and the president faced mounting pressure to personally address them before his unscheduled remarks on Thursday

Joe Biden keeps quiet as Gaza protesters, police clash on college campuses

President Joe Biden is staying mum about student protests and police crackdowns as Republicans try to turn campus unrest over the war in Gaza into a campaign cudgel against Democrats. Tension at colleges and universities has been building for days as some demonstrators refuse to remove encampments and administrators turn to law enforcement to clear them by force, leading to clashes that have seized attention from politicians and the media. But Biden's last public comment came more than a week ago, when he condemned antisemitic protests and those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians. The White House, which has been peppered with questions by reporters, has gone only slightly further than the president. On Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is monitoring the situation closely", and she said some demonstrations had stepped over a line that separated free speech from unlawful behaviour. Forcibly taking over a building," such as what happened

Donald Trump praises New York police raid on Columbia university protesters

Trump comments addressed the spread of student protests against the war in Gaza across the US in recent days, seeking to capitalise on concern over campus unrest

NYPD raids Columbia University, dozens arrested: All you need to know

The protests at Columbia University began on April 18 as part of a broader wave of demonstrations on college campuses across the US against Israel's war on Gaza

Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after Columbia University calls police

Officers took protesters into custody late Tuesday after Columbia University called in police to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on the New York campus. The scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, massed at the Ivy League university's entrance. Officers breached Hamilton Hall, an administration building on campus, to clear out the structure. The demonstrators had occupied Hamilton Hall more than 12 hours earlier, spreading their reach from an encampment elsewhere on the grounds that's been there for nearly two weeks. Shortly before officers entered the campus, the New York Police Department received a notice from Columbia authorising officers to take action, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorised to discuss details of the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The NYPD's move came hours after the department's brass said officers wouldn't enter Columbia's ..

Australian PM describes domestic violence as a 'national crisis'

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday described domestic violence as a national crisis after thousands rallied around the country against violence toward women. Thousands protested in cities around Australia on Sunday to draw attention to the deaths of 27 women so far this year allegedly caused by acts of gender-based violence in a population of 27 million. Albanese said on Monday the rallies were a call to action for all levels of Australian government to do more to prevent gender-based violence. "Quite clearly, we need to do more. It's not enough to just have empathy, Albanese told Nine Network television. "The fact that... a woman dies every four days on average at the hand of a partner is just a national crisis, he added. There were 17 rallies held across Australia over the weekend, with an estimated 15,000 people demonstrating in the city of Melbourne. Albanese said he will host a meeting or Australian state and territory leaders on Wednesday to discuss a ...

Indian-origin student arrested in US for joining pro-Palestinian protests

Achinthya Sivalingan, hailing from Tamil Nadu, was arrested after demonstrators erected tents in the Princeton University courtyard early Thursday morning

Student protests erupt at US campuses as Israel's war in Gaza continues

Pro-Israel groups allege Jewish students faced anti-Semitism, prompting Palestine supporters to deny claim

Delhi BJP stages protest, seeks Kejriwal's resignation after ED's action

Delhi BJP leaders and workers on Sunday staged a protest at Connaught Place in central Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate. The protesters used a purported replica model of the Delhi chief minister's newly renovated official bungalow calling it 'Sheeshmahal' and alleging irregularities in its construction. A selfie point with the name 'SharabSeSheeshmahal' was also set up at the protest venue with liquor bottle-shaped cutouts of AAP leaders accused in the alleged excise policy scam. Senior Delhi BJP leaders, including state president Virendra Sachdeva, and the party's Lok Sabha election candidates, MLAs and councillors participated in the protest. They raised slogans against Kejriwal and demanded his resignation over his arrest due to alleged corruption and scams in the AAP-led Delhi government. The Delhi chief minister was arrested by the ED on March 21 in a case linked to the Delhi excise policy-linked

Top AAP leaders hold collective fast to protest against Kejriwal's arrest

Top leaders of Aam Aadmi Party gathered at Jantar Mantar here on Sunday for a day-long fast to protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and the party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal. Similar protests were being held in other states as well as by Indians abroad, including at Harvard Square in Boston, the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, in New York Times Square and Toronto, London and Melbourne among others, party leaders said. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in AAP-ruled Punjab joined a collective fast at freedom fighter Bhagat Singh's village Khatkar Kalan, they said. Many senior AAP leaders, including Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, Deputy Speaker Rakhi Bila, ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai and Imran Hussain attended the day-long 'Samuhik Upwas' at Jantar Mantar in the national capital from 11 am. The AAP's Delhi unit convener Gopal Rai appealed to people to join the fast to protest against Kejriwal's arrest. He alleged tha

Israelis rally in anti-govt protest since Gaza war, urge hostages' release

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered outside the parliament building in Jerusalem on Sunday in the largest anti-government demonstration since the country went to war in October. They urged the government to reach a deal to free dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and to hold early elections. Nearly six months of war have renewed divisions in Israeli society. The Hamas militant group killed some 1,200 people during its cross-border attack on October 7, and took 250 others hostage. Roughly half the hostages were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November, but repeated attempts by international mediators to broker another cease-fire deal have failed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas and bring all the hostages home. But those goals have been elusive. While Hamas has suffered heavy losses, it remains intact, and hostages' families believe time is running out. After six months, it seems like the government understands that Bibi Netanyahu is an ..

Highlights: Corrupt person, howsoever big, will face action, says PM Modi

LIVE updates: Opposition protests against CM Kejriwal's arrest, BJP unveils lineup of leaders for Tripura LS polls, and more. Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

PM violating Constitution, resorting to confrontational federalism: Cong

As INDIA bloc leaders gathered for a show of unity at the Ramlila ground here, the Congress on Sunday accused the Modi government of violating the Constitution by resorting to "confrontational federalism". The Congress also accused the prime minister of resorting to fiscal centralisation, obstruction of state programs, destabilising state governments, misusing governors and subverting the rights of States. In a statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said as the INDIA Janbandhan's rally at Ramlila Maidan gets underway, it is necessary to recall how the PM is "violating", in letter and spirit, Article 1 of the Constitution of India that states "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." He said the prime minister started off his innings in May 2014 talking big about cooperative federalism. "Instead, what he has delivered is confrontational federalism. Cooperative federalism is based on consensus, for which the PM has demonstrated a singular unwillingness and ...

Oppn leaders, Kejriwal's wife at Ramlila Maidan for Loktantra Bachao rally

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita will attend the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday and read out a message from her husband who is in the Enforcement Directorate custody in connection with an excise policy-linked case, AAP sources said. Top INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav are set to attend the rally being held in the backdrop of Arvind Kejriwal's arrest just before the Lok Sabha polls. "Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita will participate in the INDIA bloc's maha rally at Ramlila Maidan. She will read out her husband's message from ED custody. It will be his message for the country," a party source said. The 'Save Democracy' rally -- will also be attended by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.