Disruptions of Pro-Israel Campus Events in the United States

Beginning around 2011, campus professionals began to notice a trend among Israel’s detractors as they began to roil student life by introducing anti-Semitic BDS resolutions at student government meetings. Two-thirds have consistently failed, and no university among those whose students approved a boycott have implemented one. To the contrary, university presidents have condemned these one-sided attacks on Israel and many expanded ties with Israeli institutions.

Never consequential to begin with, as the failures mounted in student governments, the BDS movement began to change tactics and increasingly attempt to disrupt pro-Israel campus events. As in the case of BDS resolutions, however, this approach has been seen on a miniscule percentage of the more than 4,000 four-year colleges in America. Other than annoyances, and an interference in the freedom to speak and listen that are hallmarks of campus life, they have not made an impact on the widespread support for Israel on and off campus.

Shouting down speakers is not new, and the graph below shows that it happens rarely, especially when you consider the number of events held across the country at public and private universities.

Source: Israel on Campus Coalition.