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Student-led protests on college campuses over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have led to increased tensions with administrators and arrests.
Protests supporting the Palestinian people in the Gaza region of Israel during the nation’s conflict with the Hamas terror organization on college campuses such as Columbia University in New York City have become highly intense within the last few days. The school is the home of the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” erected last week by student protesters. The protests have riled up those for the Palestinians and those supporting Israel, leading Columbia President Dr. Minouche Shafik to initiate hybrid classes for the rest of the semester, which began Monday (April 22).
“Over the past days, there have been too many examples of intimidating and harassing behavior on our campus,” she wrote in a statement, calling for a “reset” due to the Passover holiday and citing the concerns of Jewish students who said that they were being intimidated by the pro-Palestinian protesters and were hit with antisemitic threats. “Antisemitic language, like any other language that is used to hurt and frighten people, is unacceptable and appropriate action will be taken,” Shafik continued. The Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine group issued their statement, saying that they “firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry” and their criticisms are of Israel’s government.
Tensions at the encampment hit a fever pitch over the weekend as the New York Police Department arrested close to 100 protesters at the encampment, with dozens of students at Columbia and Barnard being suspended and barred from school housing including Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Barnard has since offered an olive branch to those suspended, offering to lift them for students, acknowledging many had “not previously engaged in misconduct.” Republican federal lawmakers and Jewish groups, however, are in opposition to these moves and are calling for stricter punishment and protection of Jewish students.
The spirit of the protests has spread to other colleges – New York University and Yale University also saw encampments go up in solidarity with those at Columbia and Barnard. To date, there are encampments of protesters supporting the Palestinian people at 15 university campuses nationwide. Faculty members at New York University and Yale were arrested after police said they denied requests to leave. There is also a growing shift in public opinion, as polls are showing most Americans disapprove of Israel’s handling of the war that began after Oct. 7, 2023.
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Protesters angry over the war in Gaza shut down the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco as part of a day of action worldwide.
On Monday (April 15), the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, became the scene of a major protest by those opposed to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Protesters accessed the bridge from the southbound side at 7:30 a.m. local time, blocking the travel lanes on the bridge by chaining themselves to each other, using tubes in what’s referred to as a “sleeping dragon” method. Some protesters held up a banner that read, “Stop the world for Gaza” in capital letters.
The morning commute was brought to a standstill, with law enforcement clearing the protesters and reopening the bridge at 12:15 p.m. Before it was cleared up, traffic was backed up into Marin County on the southbound 101 highway. The California Highway Patrol told members of the press that 26 of the protesters present were arrested for multiple charges, including unlawful assembly, false imprisonment, refusal to comply with a lawful order, resisting arrest and conspiracy.
Some drivers caught up in the traffic jam caused by the protest boiled over into frustration, with one confrontation being caught on camera. “We’re just trying to get home or work, everyone’s just mad,” said one driver, Aung Zin. “I think this is the only way people will listen but at the same time, I wish there was a resolution around it.” Another driver spoke about their frustration as the protests blocked them from arriving for a medical procedure. “I’m headed to the city for stem cell replacement. They’re frozen I have to get there before they thaw. I’m feeling frustrated, I support the right for people to protest but if It causes thousands of people disturbance, it isn’t the right way to go about it,” said Rachel McKim.
The protest was part of A15, a day of action initiating a worldwide economic blockade to display solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza who have suffered over 30,000 lives lost and to call for the end of aid to Israel by the United States. It was set for Monday to coincide with it being the final day for U.S. citizens to submit their taxes. Other protests occurred on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, as well as at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
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Chef José Andrés announced that members of his nonprofit World Central Kitchen were killed in Gaza by Israeli forces.
On Monday evening (April 1), the celebrity chef and esteemed humanitarian José Andrés announced that several members of his World Central Kitchen were killed in the Gaza Strip in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Today, @WCK lost several of our brothers and sisters in an IDF air strike in Gaza,” he wrote, using the abbreviation for the Israeli Defense Forces. “I am heartbroken and grieving for their families and friends and our whole WCK family. These are people…angels…I served alongside in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas, Indonesia. They are not faceless…they are not nameless.” The incident places more pressure on Israel, which has been accused of overly aggressive actions since its conflict with Hamas began on October 7, 2023.
In his post, Andrés concluded: “The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon.” According to reports, the World Central Kitchen said that its seven workers and a Palestinian driver were traveling in a “deconflicted zone” in two armored cars bearing its logo. The vehicles were hit after leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in the central area of the region. The nationalities of those killed also included a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, an Australian, and citizens of Poland and Canada. They had already arranged for travel with the Israeli military forces in the area before setting out.
The World Central Kitchen, which the 57-year-old chef founded in 2010, deploys in areas devastated by social and environmental disasters with members cooking and delivering meals to those in need. On Tuesday (April 2), it announced that it would pause aid operations in the area. “This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,” the organization’s CEO, Erin Gore, said in a statement. “This is unforgivable.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the incident in a video statement on Tuesday, saying in Hebrew “This happens in war,” before adding that the government is investigating and “will do everything so that thing does not happen again.”
The culture of Palestine is celebrated in “Deira,” a new song and video from artists Saint Levant and MC Abdul released in the wake of Levant’s recent signing to Universal Arabic Music (UAM).
Levant is a singer, rapper and songwriter of Palestinian, Algerian, French and Serbian descent. MC Abdul is a 15-year-old rapper from Gaza whose 2021 viral hit, “Palestine,” brought him global prominence.
Done in the traditional Shaabi Arab musical style native to Algiers, “Deira” — which translates to “the Kasbah or “the old city” — is an homage to Levant’s lineage, with the video highlighting daily life, food, fashion, sports and more in the Middle East through a dreamy and nostalgic lens.
“Deira is the name of the hotel that my father Rashid, an architect, built with my mother in 2000 when they moved to Gaza,” Levant says in a statement. “He built this hotel with mud because it was impossible to import cement at the time. Located on the beach, this hotel was one of the most beautiful in Gaza, made up of 22 rooms. It was a true architectural marvel. On July 16, 2014, four children playing ball out front of the hotel were killed by Israeli rocket fire and most recently the hotel was totally destroyed by bombing three months ago.”
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MC Abdul — who left Gaza for the United States a month before the war started — delivers a verse acknowledging the current conflict with the lyrics, “Big dreams, heavy nights/praying that my family can stay alive/imagine trying to fly with no wings/but I promise you the caged bird sings.”
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Levant’s catalog includes a host of singles and two EPs, including 2023’s From Gaza, With Love. Based in Los Angeles, the artist recently signed to Universal Arabic Music (UAM) via a partnership with Republic Records and UMG launched by The Weeknd’s manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby in 2021.
The Middle East has recently become a growth area for the music industry, with major labels like Universal setting up imprints and local offices there. Spotify launched in the Arab world in 2018, while Abu Dhabi-based streaming company Anghami received a $5 million investment from the venture capital arm of the Saudi Arabia media company SRMG last August. (SRMG is also behind the recently launched Billboard Arabia.) San Francisco-based distribution company EMPIRE has an operation covering the Middle East/North Africa, bringing on Spotify’s Suhel Nafar to oversee it in 2021.
The 2022 IFPI report notes that the Middle East and North African (MENA) region posted the world’s third-highest growth rate in 2022, seeing revenues from recorded music climb by 23.8%. Streaming accounted for the majority of the market, with those revenues making up a 95.5% share.
But the war in Gaza has disrupted that opportunity for many Palestinian acts, and increased attention around the conflict has not brought any significant streaming gains to Palestinian artists. MC Abdul’s global streaming numbers did, however, see a spike last fall in the weeks following the start of the war.
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Tiffany Haddish went over to Israel to learn about what’s happening in Israel and Gaza and got emotional responding to the backlash over a social media post she made.
On Wednesday (February 21), comedienne and actress Tiffany Haddish addressed her trip to Israel, which she chronicled in a social media post earning her swift backlash over her demeanor. When asked by TMZ’s Harvey Levin about why she would make that trip, Haddish responded: “I can’t believe everything that I read. I want to go see for myself. I want to talk to the people that’s here, that actually had family members that were hostages taken out of their own homes.”
Haddish went on to say that she intended to also go to Gaza, which has seen over 30,000 Palestinians killed during bombings and military actions by the Israeli Defense Forces in their retaliation campaign against the Hamas militant group’s assault on October 7th, 2023, that claimed 1,200 lives. “I care about both sides, I care about humanity,” the Girls Trip actress continued: “I know there’s a lot of the religious stuff going on, control of the land… It’s about human beings. Human beings, man.”
Haddish has some kinship with the Jewish people of Israel, having had her ancestry confirmed five years ago after DNA testing. The now-deleted Instagram video showed the 44-year-old on the plane flight with a drink in hand, joking around. The responses to it were swift and furious, with one commenter named Catrina writing “Sippin on a mimosa on your way to go see a genocide is INSANE.” Some applauded Haddish and wished her a safe journey. The video was then deleted, and she reportedly lost over 14,000 followers.
Levin asked Haddish about the responses to that video. “That’s what I’m trying to tell y’all. I’m doing this by myself. I don’t have a whole family of men, or a man supporting me. I’m doing it on my own,” she said, choking up. “I’m learning on my own.” She added, “The average female wouldn’t have the courage to go see for themselves. There’s a lot of scary a— b———s out here, and y’all can be scared. But I’m gonna go ahead and follow my instincts.” She also referenced Mo’Nique, who had recently called her out in her Club Shay Shay podcast interview. The latest post on her Instagram account, a repost from a group called Louder Creators, appears to be taking shots at her critics of the trip.
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Cardi B
If you’re a political hopeful or veteran hoping for a Cardi B endorsement, it’s not coming. The Bronx rapper is washing her hands of politics.
The “Bodak Yellow” rapper is fed up with the current political system and expressed her frustrations during an Instagram Live session.
Cardi B, who has always been quite vocal about politics and what is happening in the country and globally, was BIG MAD about NYC Mayor Eric Adam’s proposed budget cuts.
Mayor Mixxy’s 5% budget cuts will affect a bunch of NYC departments to help compensate for the billions of dollars that the city has to spend to take care of asylum seekers who have come to the city.
The New York Post reports that Adams plans to cut $32 million from the sanitation department, $74 million from the FDNY, and $547 million from the Department of Education.
Adams will also be getting rid of a bunch of street garbage cans in the outer boroughs, and 34 popular cultural institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History will see their budgets cut by $6 million, according to the New York Post.
Mayor Adams Reasoning For The Severe Cuts
Regardless of there being a legitimate reason for the severe cuts, the Grammy Award-winning artist is not here for them, claiming things like the city will be “drowning in rats” (that’s been a problem forever) due to cuts to sanitation and crime will “go through the roof” because of the cuts coming to the NYPD.
“In New York, there is a $120m budget cut that’s going to affect schools, public libraries, and the police department. And a $5m budget cut in sanitation … We are gonna be drowning in … rats,” Cardi B said during the live session.
Mayor Adams might be on the side of Cardi B, who warned that more cuts would be necessary without additional federal funding to help manage the influx of migrants in NYC.
Per The Guardian:
Migrant costs are going up, tax revenue growth is slowing, and [Covid-19] stimulus funding is drying up,” Adams said in a statement.
“No city should be left to handle a national humanitarian crisis largely on its own, and without the significant and timely support we need from Washington, today’s budget will be only the beginning.
Cardi B Is No Longer Endorsing Presidents
The Biden Administration has not agreed to Mayor Adam’s pleas for funding amid the growing criticism for the continued funding to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion and Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas, something Bardi touched on in her passionate IG Live along with announcing she is no longer endorsing presidents.
“I’m endorsing no presidents no more,” Cardi B said. “Joe Biden is talking about, ‘Yeah, we can fund two wars,’… talking about, ‘Yeah, we got it, we’re the greatest nation.’ No … we’re not. We don’t got it, and we’re going through some shit right now. So say it!”
She continued, “We are really, really, really f**ked right now. No, we cannot fund these … wars.”
Someone asked if the country is going “broke,” she replied, “Yes, it is. We ain’t got McDonald’s money.” Despite her claims, the country has seen some solid economic numbers. You can read about that here.
Further condemning Biden’s alleged terrible handling of the economy and foreign policy, she said, “Feed that … to somebody else, twinkle, but don’t feed it to me.” She then promised to ” get to the bottom of it.”
We will await those findings.
X Users React
Elon Musk’s sorry platform X has been a hotbed for discourse since Israel began bombing Gaza in retaliation to Hamas’ brutal attack on October 7.
Many have called on political leaders, mainly Democrats, including President Joe Biden, to call for a ceasefire in protests across the globe.
Recently, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been the target of many protests, and other Democrats. Still, some are pointing out the fact that the House of Representatives is currently under Republican control and are wondering why that energy isn’t being applied to the GOP and its batsh*t crazy members.
Many responded to Cardi B’s video by pointing out that she was aiming her valid criticisms in the wrong direction and that the Biden/Harris administration has nothing to do with New York City’s budget.
One thing is for sure: the upcoming presidential election will be a hot mess. We hope Cardi B and others understand that there is a lot on the line with a GOP hell-bent on “Making America White oops Great Again.”
Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: Prince Williams / Getty
2. Political Cardi is a hit with fans
6. Of course, you should not be shocked the MAGA folks will use this to their advantage.
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Drake was the target of criticism from the likes of DJ Vlad and others for not speaking up about the Israel-Gaza conflict due to his Jewish heritage. The Canadian superstar joined with a number of other celebrities in signing a letter addressed to President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire in the war-torn region.
Via a dedicated website, Artists4Ceasefire hosts a letter addressed to President Biden that calls to end the conflict that continues to see massive casualties on both sides. With much of the world learning of the conflict by way of varying sources, a clear picture of what is occurring between Israel and Palestine has been hard to completely clarify. There have been accounts from the ground from activists using what means they can to inform the public.
From Artists4Ceasefire:
We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Israel and Palestine.
We ask that, as President of the United States, you and the US Congress call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
We urge your administration, Congress, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.
We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering and we are adding our voices to those from the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative. To echo UNICEF, “Compassion — and international law — must prevail.”
Among the dozens of stars to sign the letter, including Drake, other names present are Miguel, Diplo, Run The Jewels (El-P and Killer Mike), Vic Mensa, Jennifer Lopez, Mahershala Ali, Snoh Aalegra, and more.
Read the entire letter here.
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Photo: Getty
