Finance
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday urged Indian students enrolled in US colleges and universities to abide by local laws and regulations with regard to the ongoing protests that have swept across American institutions for higher education against Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
There have been no reports of Indian students participating in these rallies, and the ministry has stated that no student or family has approached Indian missions for assistance.
“We expect all our citizens at home and abroad to respect local laws and regulations,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a news briefing in New Delhi in response to a question about protests at Columbia University.
“So far no Indian students or their families have contacted us for any assistance in regard to disciplinary action which has been taken for their participation in the protest,” he added.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday urged Indian students enrolled in US colleges and universities to abide by local laws and regulations with regard to the ongoing protests that have swept across American institutions for higher education against Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
There have been no reports of Indian students participating in these rallies, and the ministry has stated that no student or family has approached Indian missions for assistance.
Hundreds of thousands of Indian students are pursuing graduate and undergraduate degrees at colleges and universities in the US. Many of them want to work after graduation and settle here. They are unlikely to participate in protests or actions that pit them against the law, as this could threaten their future.
Protests against Israel’s ongoing assault in Gaza have extended across US colleges and institutions, with students demanding an end to US backing for Israel and, in the instance of Columbia University, terminating links with firms and other entities who invest in Israel.
These protests have turned violent in many instances with students taking over parts of the university building as they did in Columbia. Police have arrested scores of students and are breaking up their encampments, as their tents pitched around the campuses are being called.
“Disclose, divest. We will not slow, we will not rest” is what protestors at Columbia University have been heard chanting. They want the university to divest in Israel and cut ties with companies that invest in Israel or have supported its war effort.
President Joe Biden addressed the violence in a speech from the White House saying that the freedom to protest must be accompanied by respect for the law. “Violent protest is not protected, peaceful protest is,” he said.
“It’s against the law if violence occurs. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations. None of this is a peaceful protest. Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Dissent is essential to democracy. But dissent must never lead to disorder, or to denying the rights of others so students can finish the semester and their college education,” the US President said.
The US President also appealed for an end to anti-semitism and Islamophobia or discrimination against supporters of Palestine.
“There should be no place on any campus, no place in America, for anti-Semitism, or threats of violence against Jewish students. There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind, whether it’s anti-semitism, Islamophobia, or discrimination against Arab-Americans or Palestinian Americans. It’s simply wrong. There’s no place for racism in America. It’s all wrong,” he said.
College officials and law enforcement agencies have blamed some of the violence on outsiders who joined student protesters. New York police found “professional agitators” among protestors at Columbia.
Source:IANS
