Peace and Protest on American Campuses

During the spring semester of 2024, protests raged across many American campuses over the Israel-Hamas war and other volatile issues. In some cases, these demonstrations devolved into hate-filled rhetoric, physical encampments, mass arrests, and destruction of property. The turmoil led to questions about the future of protest on campus, and whether reasonable limits can be devised to prevent interference with the educational and research processes that are the central purpose of universities.

On international, legal, environmental, and social topics, grassroots movements and advocacy groups have long driven social change in America, often beginning with campus protests. But in an era of deep divisions in the country’s politics, can the right to protest be preserved without indulging hate speech and compromising public safety?

Recorded September 4, 2024.