The outbreak of nearly 400 protests is the most widespread since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. From the Ivy League to small universities, students set up encampments and held rallies and marches, many demanding that their schools divest from Israeli companies.
The Crowd Counting Consortium is a collaborative project collecting data on political crowds in the United States, including pro-Palestinian campus protests. In addition to a marked increase in the number of protests, the data also shows that estimated attendance at the largest demonstrations has increased, with some attracting thousands of people. The group recorded a police presence at about a third of the protests.
Protests on American campuses
in the last three weeks
*Events over several days are represented
with a circle for each day.
This chart represents the lower estimates for
crowd sizes.
Protests on American campuses
in the last three weeks
*Events over several days are represented by
a circle for each day.
This chart represents the lower estimates for
crowd sizes.
Protests on US campuses over the past three weeks
*Multi-day events are represented with a circle for each day.
This graph represents lower estimates of crowd sizes.
More than 1,200 people have been arrested during university protests over the past two weeks, according to a Washington Post media tally and police and university statements. The major escalation of student activism poses a challenge to schools as the school year begins.
washingtonpost
