‘Students are hurting’: how can we heal the political rift at US universities?

As divisions over the Israel-Hamas war deepen, some say it's time to saturate campus with conversation'

Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, a campus bridge at the University of Indiana-Bloomington has become a de facto protest site. On 21 October, a student painted Free Palestine. Educate yourself. End the Occupation" on one side of the structure. Less than a day later, someone else painted over the original message with stars of David, a smiley face and the words from Hamas". After this, other students painted prayers for peace in Hebrew and a message to support survivors". Then a fourth group painted over these words with the phrases pray 4 peace", free us" and stop the genocide".

What began as a genuinely felt act of civil disobedience - a way for some students to be heard when they felt no one was listening - devolved into a passive-aggressive symbol of pent-up frustration.