How Israel-Hamas War Tests Campus Tolerance of Speech

A conflict has been waged for years on US college campuses over how to balance the right to free speech with the need to provide a space where students feel safe. The latest tension is over the Israel-Hamas war.

Pro-Palestinian sit-ins and encampments have sprung up on at least 100 campuses around the country, protesting Israel’s overwhelming military response to the surprise Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that left 1,200 people dead in Israel. Some of the protests have featured antisemitic and intimidating chants and posters, and students have reported a burst of antisemitic acts on campus.