A Jewish student was stabbed in the eye by a Palestinian flag during a protest at Yale University. The incident comes amid a sharp increase in pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli protests across the country, including at different college campuses and shutting down important parts of the American travel system.
Student Sahar Tartak and a friend were surrounded by a group of pro-Palestinian protesters.
“They made a human blockade in front of us and blockaded us whenever we tried to exercise our freedom of movement around the protest,” she said.
The protesters started chanting slogans at them while one of them hit Tartak in the eye with a Palestinian flag. When she tried to follow the protester she was blocked by other demonstrators, some of whom laughed at her.
This is Yale. The mob surrounds a visibly Jewish young man and prevents him from walking freely on campus.
But tell me more about how this is a "peaceful protest" against war. pic.twitter.com/iaYqHHvCWU
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) April 22, 2024
Large protests have broken out in a number of colleges across the country, including the high-profile demonstrations at Columbia University. Some students attempted to occupy part of campus before being arrested for trespassing. More than 100 students were cuffed, including the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
Furthermore, students have set up a tent city outside some of the academic halls.
During the protests, some of the students chanted for Jews to leave, including one that called for the Jewish students to go back to Poland. In a well-publicized photo, one demonstrator held a sign near pro-Israel protesters calling for Hamas to attack them.
There have been a series of antisemitic threats and comments during the protest and Jewish students were advised to attend class remotely amid the commotion.
Last week saw a series of protests that targeted American transportation. This included protesters shutting down both the Brooklyn and Golden Gate Bridges. Furthermore, other protesters blocked an entrance into Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, one of the busiest in the country.
In another protest, residents created a convoy in Dearborn, Michigan, blocking much of the traffic in the heavily Muslim American city. Several demonstrators were arrested and several vehicles were impounded.
