The Student Intifada Spreads--A Conversation with Activists from Columbia U, LSE, and Queen's University, Belfast

As protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, ethnic cleansing on the West Bank, and apartheid repression within ’48 harden into a proliferation of encampments on US university campuses, still more have popped up across the globe—in Asia, Europe, Mexico, and elsewhere.

These encampments have been met with brutal repression as many universities have called in riot police and even the military. Today we are joined by activists from the US, the UK, and Northern Ireland to discuss this historic formation. On the program is a faculty member from Columbia University; a lecturer, organizer, and PhD student from the London School of Economics, plus a masters’ student and undergraduate; and two undergraduates from Queen’s University, Belfast, who helped push through a divestment agreement.

Even as some universities have started graduation ceremonies, these rituals have also been stages for protest and resistance, and these protests show no sign of lessening over the summer—it’s rather the opposite. The next academic year will certainly see an acceleration and expansion of what has started this Spring.

Sarah Ali is President of the Palestine Society at the London School of Economics, as well as a third-year Social Anthropology student.

Ethan Chua is a Chinese-Filipino spoken word poet, comic book writer, community organizer, historian, and scholar-activist. Their poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and published in The Journal, while their translations are forthcoming in AGNI and can be found in Alchemy and Asymptote. Their first chapbook, “Sky Ladders,” won the Frost Place / Bull City Press 2022 chapbook contest. Their graphic novel, Doorkeeper, is available in Philippine bookstores. Some of their scholarly work can be found in Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, and their words have been featured on the Washington Post.

Joseph A. Howley is Associate Professor of Classics at Columbia University where he also teaches in Columbia's Core Curriculum. His research focuses on the intellectual and social history of the Roman Empire. He has spent the last year organizing with other faculty in defense of student protestors, on behalf of Palestine, and against the weaponization of antisemitism.

Jack McGinn is a researcher, editor, designer and PhD student, based at the London School of Economics. His doctoral project focuses on the experience of the revolutions of 2011, particularly in the SWANA region, and in London he is an anti-borders and anti-imperialist activist, focusing on solidarity with Palestine. He is an organiser with London for a Free Palestine and the LSE UCU branch. He tweets at @jack_mcginn

Salim is Co-Chair of the Decolonise, Demilitarise, Democratise Campaign at Queen's University, Belfast. Studying International Relations and Conflict. 

Eli is Secretary of the decolonise campaign, and QSU Education officer 2024-25.