What is the 'liberation zone'?
Students are camping out at colleges and universities across the country as a wave of protests over the Israel-Hamas war spreads across U.S. campuses.
But why use tents and sleeping bags as tools of protest? These students are staking their claim on campus spaces in "liberation zones" to demand school administrations "divest" from Israel over its military actions that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. They want more transparency in their schools' investments and for educational institutions to take money out of enterprises with links to Israel's war effort.
The stake-outs began last week at Columbia University, which lead to New York City police arresting more than 100 students. But more and more students across the country have copied the camp-outs, most recently at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. From coast-to-coast students are vacating their typical domains for the open air — and prompting further clashes with school administrations.