Comment on Gen Z students lead pro-Palestine demonstrations while their Boomer professors see parallels to past protest eras

Student protesters, like their predecessors, are being met with a heavy police presence.Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images // Howard Ruffner/Getty ImagesStudents and their professors are asking universities to divest from Israel.At Indiana University, protesters say they've been met with a militarized response from police.Professors say the current protests share stark differences and chilling similarities to past ones.On April 25, a day after Indiana University made a controversial change to its protest policies, students built an encampment on the school's Dunn Meadow.The meadow had been designated a free speech lawn since 1969, when the school experienced increased student protests over tuition hikes, anti-Black racism, and the Vietnam War.Multiple generations of activists are now gathered on that same ground to protest Israel's war on Gaza — though the police presence was much different than what protesters before had known or experienced, per people who spoke to Business Insider.The decision made on April 24 required that the "temporary or permanent installation of structures in Dunn Meadow (including, but not limited to posters, tents, etc.) at any time must be approved in advance by the university and, if approved, adhere to the guidelines provided by the university," according to a statement from Indiana University President Pamela Whitten.The university enforced its policy against the encampments by calling police to arrest demonstrators who did not comply with the rule against "unapproved temporary or permanent structures," it said in a press release.A statement from Whitten shared with Business Insider said the policy change was made to "balance free speech and safety in the context of similar protests occurring nationally."The change resulted in what Barbara Dennis, a 64-year-old professor at Indiana University's School of Education and self-described "longtime peace activist," called a "militarized" police response.A Palestinian flag waves over the Indiana University Liberated Zone.Isabella Volmert/AP PhotoShe joined the campus protests on April 25 alongside her husband, an IU staff member.