APro-Palestinian protests swept college campuses across the United States, and student journalists from New York to Texas documented the reality inside the camps. They stepped forward to capture quiet moments, celebratory elements, tense scenes and violent police arrests.
We asked nine photographers—who have been covering demonstrations at Columbia University, Berkeley, the University of Texas, and more—to tell the stories behind their most powerful images.
lily spedlozzi George Washington University
As part of the George Washington University encampment was cordoned off with barricades, protesters outside used chalk to write phrases such as “GW is complicit in genocide,” “Shame on you GW,” or “Power to the people.” Protesters then broke through the barricades. I’m so happy I took this photo. I want to add background: Palestinian flag, students, chalk. I love the overhead shots and shadows The GWU encampment protests have been peaceful, with GW police and DC Metro police present, but no activity.
Christian Hasa | Lantern, Ohio State University
This photo was taken at the South Oval across the street from Ohio Union University. I wanted to film footage of how the police made the arrest so people could see what was happening at the scene. My adrenaline was pumping because I was so close to where the police and groups of protesters met. The threat of my own arrest was ever-present. In this photo, a student is arrested after being taken to the ground and pulled from a line of protesters. I love the movement captured in this photo. I couldn’t help but put myself in her shoes and think about the anger and fear she must have felt.
Krishnadev | washington square news, New York University
The photo was taken on the evening of April 25, just before more than 100 students formed a picket line outside Gould Plaza, two days after 120 protesters, including students and teachers, were arrested at the site. I saw police violently charging at protesters in riot gear and tying them up with zip ties; they even pepper-sprayed one of our photographers. After the arrest, police built a wall of metal panels and plastic barriers. Some wrote letters and attached flyers urging students to come to Columbia University to support the camp there. The person pictured looking at the blackboard is a campus safety officer. Campus security officers have been guarding the protests 24/7 for the past week, and in my experience, they are respectful of the demonstrations and making sure the protesters are protected from outside influence. Originally, I planned to take a photo of the board with “WALL OF SHAME” written on it. As I took the photo, a campus safety officer began reviewing the message. I think the juxtaposition between him and the message is very powerful. I feel a little bad for the officer, he looks a little depressed in the photo. I’ve seen many campus safety officials look conflicted. I am also reminded of the violations of student trust that occur on campus.
Anita Liu | “California Daily”, University of California, Berkeley
This photo was taken from the balcony of the Martin Luther King Student Union building directly across from the camp. This is a common location for protest photos to be taken to show a wider perspective. There were approximately 150 tents at the time and there was no police activity. The steps, named after a leader of the free speech movement, made the camp an important site for political activity.
When I took this photo, I knew I was documenting an important moment in campus history. I couldn’t help but think of the parallels between the Free Palestine camps and the apartheid demonstrations on South African campuses in the 1980s.
Charlotte Keane | Texas Daily, University of Texas at Austin
After protests and police interactions became busier, many students began running away.
After police began using force to disperse the crowd, another photographer and I ran into the building. We knew we had to do more than just hide, so we started looking for classrooms with windows. We heard a commotion coming from the ground floor exit. Then we saw this scene.
I was frightened. I almost didn’t take it. People in our building weren’t sure if the police would force their way in.
I like symmetry. I think the contrast of light and the repeating squares outside the window is pleasing to the eye – almost like the calm before the storm. To me, silence means anticipation.
Marco Postigo Storey | Columbia University
On a warm afternoon, different groups at Columbia University’s Gaza Solidarity Camp were performing dance performances inside the camp. I decided to lie down on the grass in the center of the circle and put my feet in the foreground while others moved around in the background. It was a warm day with good light.
I love when everything in a frame is in the right place at the right time, and the three-dimensionality of the photo makes it even better. Like a completed puzzle. I got a lot of dirt on my clothes when I took this photo, but it was worth it.
Manu Sirivelu | Texas Daily, University of Texas in austin
In this photo, University of Texas Police (UTPD) officers pin a protester to a concrete sidewalk and tie them up with zip ties. At regular intervals, law enforcement officers would swoop in and surround the protesters 360 degrees. Nearby crowds and the media often fail to see the full scope of the force used and how protesters are detained. I wanted to represent the feeling of being imprisoned and suffocated that the students experienced, so I tried to depict the police officer’s legs as a fence that had surrounded the students.
I was right next to the student in this photo at the time of the arrest, and a UTPD officer pushed me down while trying to make room. As I sat up to take this photo, I was lying on the ground with a wall of police between me and the student, no more than five feet away from her.
When I caught her eyes and realized we were close enough to make eye contact, I was pushed to the ground in shock. I felt the need to take a photo that reflected both her and my own feelings.
This shows how unnecessary the force used in these arrests was. Our cameras take on the responsibility of documenting events – allowing viewers to see and, most importantly, put themselves in our perspective and create the space for empathy that photos like this provide.
Jason Alpert-Visnia | washington square news, New York University
In this photo, students are eating donated and purchased food. They gathered supplies in the center of the field, and students would sit by the tent and eat. I wanted to show the stillness between moments of action that are everywhere. Photographed from above, campus protests expand in scale. This was taken while I was overlooking the camp from the third floor of NYU’s Paulson Center. As a student, I have the advantage of being able to enter buildings and work from angles that are inaccessible to non-students.
Top image:
Lorrian Willett | Texas Daily, University of Texas at Austin
I wanted to tell the story of students being arrested. When I took this photo, I was standing in front of state troopers as they surrounded the van they were placing arrestees into. After watching my shoot, I was really moved to see the faces of people my age being put behind bars. In this photo, I like to place the arrested protester between the state trooper helmets.
