| In the US and France, 1968 was a year of iconic student protests. In light of this historic legacy, what is the 2024 wave of student protests, from Columbia University in New York to Sciences Po in Paris, telling us? In the US, for many Columbia students in 1968, the protest was motivated by anger over the Vietnam War and changes to the military draft that were chipping away at students’ deferments, particularly in graduate schools. History is not forgotten. Before students at Columbia University set up a pro-Palestinian protest encampment to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, some took an optional course called “Columbia 1968” about the historic protests that similarly galvanised campus activism. The 1968 Columbia protesters occupied multiple buildings on campus and held the acting dean hostage for a day before police violently ended the occupation a week later, arresting some 700 students. The 2024 protesters occupied on 17 April one lawn of the main Columbia campus, noting that school administrators recently designated it for protests, albeit only with previously granted permission. They demanded that Columbia divest from weapons manufacturers and other companies that support Israel’s government and military. On 19 April, the university tried to shut down campus demonstrations by force when Columbia President Minouche Shafik took the unusual move to initiate a crackdown, drawing the ire of many human rights groups, students, and faculty staff. More than 100 people were arrested, reminiscent of the events at the campus more than 50 years ago. The arrests at Columbia University triggered pro-Palestinian protests in college campuses across the US. Since then, hundreds of protesters from California and Texas to Atlanta and Boston have been arrested as they emulated the Columbia encampments. Across the US, student protesters are demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, the divestment of university assets in companies involved with the Israeli military, and an end to US military assistance to Israel. | 