Student protesters at Columbia University, the epicenter of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have erupted at universities across the United States, have been suspended after defying an ultimatum asking them to leave the area.
Authorities at the prestigious New York University demanded that the protesters’ encampment be evacuated by 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, or face disciplinary action for the students.
Hours later, Ben Chang, Columbia’s vice president for communications, said the university had “begun suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to keep our campus safe.”
Chang said students were told they would be “suspended, ineligible to complete the semester or graduate, and would be barred from all academic, residential and recreational spaces.”
Student protesters at Columbia University, the epicenter of pro-Palestinian protests that have erupted at universities across the United States, were suspended after , defying an ultimatum asking them to leave the area.
Columbia University officials said negotiations failed with student protesters and issued an ultimatum demanding they dismantle their encampment.
Students gather to march and rally in support of an on-campus protest encampment in support of the Palestinians, despite a 2 p.m. deadline for disbandment set by university officials.
But the students involved in the encampment were not happy to comply with the university’s request.
“These fearful and disgusting tactics mean nothing compared to the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians,” said a statement read by a student at a press conference after deadline.
“We will not move until Columbia responds to our demands or … is forcibly moved,” said the student, who did not want to give his name.
Protests against the war in Gaza, with its heavy death toll among Palestinian civilians, have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance the right to free expression with complaints that the rallies have turned to anti-Semitism and hatred.
Images of police in riot gear summoned to various colleges to break up rallies have been viewed around the world, reminiscent of the protest movement that erupted during the Vietnam War.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik said in a statement Monday announcing the breakdown of the talks that “many of our Jewish students, as well as other students, have found the atmosphere intolerable in recent weeks.”
“Many have left campus, and it’s a tragedy.”
“Anti-Semitic comments and actions are unacceptable and calls for violence are simply abhorrent,” she said.
Pro-Palestinian protesters marched at 2 p.m. as the deadline to evacuate the camp passed.
The students involved in the encampment were not happy to comply with the university’s request to leave the area and now face suspension.
Students received a suspension warning if they failed to meet the deadline.
Columbia students were the first at an elite university to set up an encampment, demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the war between Israel and Hamas
A protester waves the Israeli flag in front of the encampment established in support of Palestinians in Gaza
A protester carries university disciplinary notice overlaid with support for Palestinians in Gaza at Columbia University
Protest organizers deny accusations of anti-Semitism, arguing that their actions target the Israeli government and its continuation of the conflict in Gaza.
They also insist that some incidents were organized by non-student agitators.
As the school year draws to a close, administrators are also emphasizing the need to maintain order on campus for exams.
“The rights of one group to express their views cannot come at the expense of another group’s right to speak, teach and learn,” Shafik said.
One graduate student protester, who asked to be identified only as “Z,” said: “It’s exam week, everyone is still working on their exams, I still have exams to do.” »
“But at the end of the day, school is temporary,” the protester said.
A student protester flies a kite inside the protest encampment on the campus of Columbia University.
Omer Lubaton Granot and his son pose for a graduation photo with Israeli flags in front of the encampment established in support of Palestinians in Gaza
Protesters at Columbia University picket around encampment
President Joe Biden’s White House has also tried to defend the right to protest while condemning reported acts of anti-Semitism.
“We understand that this is a painful moment that Americans are facing and that freedom of expression must be within the law,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.
However, Biden’s Republican opponents have seized on the issue, calling the protests anti-Semitic and threatening to withdraw federal funding if they are not stopped.
“What continues to happen at Columbia is a complete disgrace. The campus is overrun with anti-Semitic students and professors,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on X on Monday, reiterating his call for Shafik’s resignation.
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