A Columbia University student who said she participated in a pro-Palestinian protest at NYU told an interviewer she didn’t know exactly what they were protesting.
The two New York-based schools have made headlines for their continued protests over the past week, with both schools now hosting multiple encampments on campus.
In an interview published by former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the student was asked why she was there.
“I think the goal is to show our support for Palestine and demand that NYU stop… Honestly, I don’t know everything NYU is doing… I really don’t know.”
She then asks a friend, wearing a mask, what the protest is about and the friend also seems to ignore her.
A Columbia University student who said she joined a pro-Palestinian protest at NYU told an interviewer she didn’t know exactly what they were protesting.
“I wish I was more educated,” admits the second protester.
The camera then cuts back to the first protester, who said NYU students needed help due to an increased police presence.
“I heard there were a lot of cops, some said it was getting dangerous,” the protester said.
The video has been viewed over a million times and reposted by over 10,000 people on social media platform X.
NYU and Columbia students have called for an end to the war on Gaza, but also for their specific institutions to divest from Israeli companies and military contractors.
Columbia students are also protesting the school’s attempt to open a campus in Tel Aviv, according to Teen Vogue.
Protesters are also hoping for a permanent ceasefire while pushing Israel to limit casualties with more than 34,000 Palestinians dead.
More than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters camped at Columbia were arrested Thursday, and dozens more were arrested on other campuses. Many now face charges of trespassing or disorderly conduct.
In an interview published by former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the student was asked why she was there and she wasn’t sure of the exact cause.
She then asks a friend, wearing a mask, what the protest is about and the friend also seems to ignore her.
A New York University student holds a sign for Gaza during a rally in Washington Square Park to protest yesterday’s arrests at the Gaza solidarity encampment.
The protesters demanded that their universities condemn the Israeli attack on Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack and divest from companies that do business with Israel.
Some people have reported anti-Semitic chants and messages on and around Columbia’s campus, and similar concerns have been reported at other universities. Some Jewish students say they don’t feel safe on campus.
The White House, in a message Sunday to mark Passover, denounced what it called an “alarming surge” in anti-Semitism, saying such anti-Semitism “has absolutely no place on college campuses, nor nowhere else in our country.
Four Jewish Democratic members of Congress visited Columbia’s locked campus Monday with members of the school’s Jewish Law Students Association.
They condemned that the situation escalated to the point that Jewish students did not feel safe and that the university canceled in-person classes on Monday.
Columbia said it will use hybrid remote and in-person learning through the end of the spring quarter.
A Columbia University spokesperson denounced “false and unsubstantiated” claims that the Ivy League institution called in the National Guard to pro-Palestinian encampments on campus.
This comes as protesters say school officials have threatened to call the National Guard to the campus, which has been besieged by demonstrations since last Wednesday.
The protesters demanded that their universities condemn the Israeli attack on Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack and divest from companies that do business with Israel.
A group of NYU students, faculty and supporters hold signs to liberate Palestine during a rally in Washington Square Park.
NYU’s Stern School of Business closed after anti-Israel protests
Ben Chang, the school’s vice president of communications, told reporters Wednesday of rumors that they contacted the National Guard: “Let me be clear: This is false and a baseless claim.”
The university reaffirmed to protesters last night that they would continue conversations for the next 48 hours after the group ignored a midnight deadline to leave the West Lawns.
He, however, said that the protests, as things stand, constitute a violation of university rules and that only people with university ID cards will now be allowed on campus.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik met with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Congress Tuesday afternoon.
Johnson plunged into hostile scenes at Columbia University as the Republican faced a mass of anti-Israel protesters on Wednesday.
He brushed off the students’ boos and jeers and instead condemned the demonstration, the latest in the “virus of anti-Semitism.”
Johnson called the Columbia mobs “lawless agitators and radicals” and questioned their ability to become “leaders of America” – while praising Jewish students who remain committed to their education.
“We will not remain silent while Jewish students are expected to run for their lives,” Johnson warned.
The crowd shouted and jeered in an attempt to shake him off, but Johnson was unfazed.
A spokesperson confirmed that Columbia University President Minouche Shafik met with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Congress on Tuesday afternoon.
“Enjoy your freedom of expression!” “” he replied as he left before throwing a final slap: “Stop wasting your parents’ money.”
The Louisiana lawmaker arrived on the New York campus Wednesday afternoon, hours after calling on Columbia’s president to resign during a morning radio show.
“What we are seeing on these college campuses across the country is disgusting and unacceptable,” Johnson told The Hugh Hewitt Show.
“Every leader in this country, every politician, every citizen of good conscience needs to speak up and say that this is not who we are in America and we need to be held accountable.”
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