Emory University students in Decatur, Georgia, allege police used rubber bullets and tear gas during a recent campus protest. The rally supported Palestine and opposed a new police and fire training facility near Atlanta.
Student activists said, “We are students across multiple Atlanta universities and community members organizing against Cop City and the genocide of Palestinians at the hands of U.S. imperialism. We are demanding total institutional divestment from Israeli apartheid and Cop City at all Atlanta colleges and universities.”
Like many other universities, Emory University has become a hub for social justice organizations and action. On the campus lawns, students have protested against Cop City and expressed disapproval of the university’s connections to Israel. The latter is a contentious endeavor that has sparked debate over police accountability and militarization.
Emory students erected the Gaza Solidarity Encampment with many tents on campus. Complete institutional disavowal from Israeli apartheid and Cop City is one of their demands. The demonstrators claim that the university is mainly involved in both genocide and police militarization. International movements, particularly the liberation movement in Palestine, are linked to their battle.
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Videos of the police officers putting individuals under duress were circulated. In one video, many cops tasered a shackled person, keeping him down. Furthermore, Noelle McAfee, the university’s philosophy department chair, was seen being arrested in another video.
The Emory Wheel, the student publication of the institution, stated that police fired gas into the crowd. Additionally, the Atlanta Community Press Collective reported tear gas, rubber bullets, and shock guns were used on demonstrators.
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Online videos show students congregating calmly around the tent until police opened fire with rubber bullets and tear gas. The pictures are evocative of the ongoing battle in Gaza, where the actions of Israeli forces have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinian youngsters.
The argument about police methods has heated up in response to the use of force against nonviolent protestors. Kate Rosenblatt, a professor at Emory University, showed support by holding a sign that read, “Hands off our students!”
ALSO READ: Protests Rock New York as More Campuses Brace for More Unrest Over Gaza War
Furthermore, the faculty’s engagement highlights how serious the issue is and how academic circles need to discuss it. A similar situation occurred at Indiana University Bloomington. Students erected a tent camp just before police, using shields and batons, pushed through a crowd of demonstrators, making 33 arrests.
This event at Emory University highlights the complex balance between public safety, free speech, and police responsibility on college campuses. Nationwide, students seek safe spaces to share their views and call for justice and accountability.
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