Internet divided as Donald Trump asks to 'STOP' anti-Israel protests in US colleges amid mass detention of students

WASHINGTON, DC: Former POTUS Donald Trump voiced his opinion on Monday, April 29, about the ongoing antisemitic die-ins that are churning the country's higher educational institutions.

The nationwide protests due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war prompted hundreds of demonstrations as of now but it showed no apparent signs of cooling down over the weekend.

Although the business mogul and supposed 2024 Republican presidential nominee did not have to be present for his ongoing hush-money trial on Monday, the 77-year-old instead opted to spend his leisure on Truth Social while addressing his legal snags.

Donald Trump protests against anti-Israel demonstrations in the country

The former head of the state also included a post about the students who are protesting against the long-ongoing Middle-Eastern conflict which has claimed several lives of people from Israel and Palestine.

"Stop the protests now!!!" Trump said in an all-caps post on his Truth Social handle, as per Fox News.

Tensions escalated at US universities after the October 7 Hamas attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed in Israel, and the retaliatory Israeli military assault that has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, BBC reports.

Since then the number of students and antisemitic agitators detained at the nationwide demonstrations has reached a staggering number of 900 after New York police removed an anti-Israel protest encampment at Columbia University on April 18.

Background of the nationwide protests

The protests are mainly concerned with the rising death toll in Gaza due to the humanitarian crisis and amid Israel’s effort to eradicate Hamas. The anti-Israel groups are calling on their respective colleges and universities to end any investments in companies that support Israel's military and their actions in Gaza.

Students have remained on campus despite several schools demanding they cease their encampments. About 275 people were arrested on Saturday, April 27, at Indiana University at Bloomington, Arizona State University, and others.

Police in riot gear arrested around 102 students at an encampment on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston on the same day.

Police also removed masked protesters on Saturday and arrested more than 100 people at Washington University in St Louis, including students and university employees.

The protests have also spread to Canada, with a pro-Palestinian camp of about 20 tents now installed on the grounds of Montreal's McGill University.

Reasons behind the recent surge in antisemitic protests in the US

The nationwide campus protests have escalated ever since students at Columbia University, widely perceived as the backbone of the current protests, formed an encampment by pitching tents at the heart of campus. They have vowed to stay put until the university divests from Israel.

Donald Trump recently took a shot at Joe Biden

Trump's recent remarks on Monday morning came amid other posts about "Crooked Joe Biden," who he called the "worst president in the history of the United States."

He also addressed the various lawsuits Biden is facing, which the Republican candidate described as "election interference."

Internet reacts to Donald Trump's recent remarks about the ongoing college protests 

Several netizens supported the former president after he spoke against the anti-Israel demonstrations going on in various US universities and colleges. One user tweeted, "Classic Trump, stirring the pot in just four words," while another said, "Love President Trump."

"Arrests aren’t enough, there should be serious punishment but instead it is just like the border, catch and release," one opined and another penned, "Do what University of Florida is doing. Listing all things not allowed. Break those rules youre suspended for 3 years." 

Some users, however, thrashed Trump, with one tweeting, "Trump would do like Portland, send in unmarked militia to beat on the people, he will not tolerate any demonstrations especially in Liberal colleges." Another mocked, "4 are all he knows...."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.