A preliminary Amnesty International USA analysis of photos, videos and social media posts shows that at least 20 colleges and universities have used excessive police force against pro-Palestinian protesters, including 17 that have used chemical irritants and 11 that have used kinetic impact projectiles, better known as rubber and plastic bullets. The analysis also found at least 10 institutions where protesters were injured during police raids.
The data point was shared in an open letter to college and university leaders signed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch. In the letter, the three organizations called on administrators to respect students’ right to protest and cautioned against the use of force to dispel demonstrations.
“Universities have the responsibility to protect both physical safety and free expression on campus, and that responsibility may in very limited circumstances entail calling on police. University administrators and police officers must ensure that coercive police power is used only as a last resort, after all other efforts have been exhausted, or the perverse effect will be to suppress protest and exacerbate safety risks,” the letter read.
“And universities should be even-handed and viewpoint-neutral in all their actions regarding campus protests, including in the deployment of police. Police should not be summoned simply to disperse protesters whose presence has become undesirable to university administrators. Police presence may both increase tensions and seriously undermine the potential for any resolution grounded in respect for human rights.”
