NEW YORK: After days of stalemate in talks seeking end of pro-Palestinian protest on campus, Columbia University on Monday began suspending protestors who refused to dismantle a tent encampment on its New York City campus.
University President Nemat Minouche Shafik said in a statement that days of negotiations between student organizers and academic leaders had failed to persuade demonstrators to remove the dozens of tents set up to express opposition to Israel‘s war in Gaza.
The crackdown at Columbia, which is at the center of Gaza-related protests causing turmoil on university campuses across the US in recent weeks, occurred when police at the University of Texas at Austin apprehended numerous students who were sprayed with pepper spray at a pro-Palestinian rally.
Columbia sent a letter on Monday morning to alert students that failure to leave the encampment by 2 pm (Eastern Time) and sign a form agreeing to follow university policies would result in suspension and make them unable to finish the semester successfully.
“We have begun suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus,” said Ben Chang, a university spokesperson, at a briefing on Monday evening.
“The encampment has created an unwelcoming environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty and a noisy distraction that interferes with the teaching, learning and preparing for final exams,” Chang said.
Earlier, Shafik said Columbia would not divest from finances in Israel, a key demand of the protesters. Instead, she offered to invest in health and education in Gaza and make Columbia’s direct investment holdings more transparent.
Protesters have vowed to keep their encampment on the Manhattan campus until Columbia meets three demands: divestment, transparency in university finances, and amnesty for students and faculty disciplined for their part in the protests.
“These repulsive scare tactics mean nothing compared to the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians. We will not move until Columbia meets our demands or we are moved by force,” leaders of the Columbia Student Apartheid Divest coalition said in a statement read at a news conference following the deadline.
Numerous students, faculty, and outside observers vehemently criticised Shafik for calling the New York City police two weeks ago to disband the encampment.
After more than 100 arrests were made, the students rebuilt the encampment on a lawn lined with hedges on the university grounds shortly after the police action on April 18.
Since that time, students at many campuses across the United States, from California to New England, have established similar encampments to express their frustration with the Israeli military action in Gaza and the perceived involvement of their schools in supporting it.
The rallies supporting Palestine have caused a heated discussion on campus about the boundary school authorities should set between freedom of speech and hateful language.
Students who are protesting against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, including Jewish peace activists, have mentioned that they are facing accusations of antisemitism simply for criticizing the Israeli government or showing support for Palestinian rights.
“The movement itself is not antisemitic,” said Nicholas Fink, a freshman history major at Columbia who has not participated in the protests.
(With Reuters input)
University President Nemat Minouche Shafik said in a statement that days of negotiations between student organizers and academic leaders had failed to persuade demonstrators to remove the dozens of tents set up to express opposition to Israel‘s war in Gaza.
The crackdown at Columbia, which is at the center of Gaza-related protests causing turmoil on university campuses across the US in recent weeks, occurred when police at the University of Texas at Austin apprehended numerous students who were sprayed with pepper spray at a pro-Palestinian rally.
Columbia sent a letter on Monday morning to alert students that failure to leave the encampment by 2 pm (Eastern Time) and sign a form agreeing to follow university policies would result in suspension and make them unable to finish the semester successfully.
“We have begun suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus,” said Ben Chang, a university spokesperson, at a briefing on Monday evening.
“The encampment has created an unwelcoming environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty and a noisy distraction that interferes with the teaching, learning and preparing for final exams,” Chang said.
Earlier, Shafik said Columbia would not divest from finances in Israel, a key demand of the protesters. Instead, she offered to invest in health and education in Gaza and make Columbia’s direct investment holdings more transparent.
Protesters have vowed to keep their encampment on the Manhattan campus until Columbia meets three demands: divestment, transparency in university finances, and amnesty for students and faculty disciplined for their part in the protests.
“These repulsive scare tactics mean nothing compared to the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians. We will not move until Columbia meets our demands or we are moved by force,” leaders of the Columbia Student Apartheid Divest coalition said in a statement read at a news conference following the deadline.
Numerous students, faculty, and outside observers vehemently criticised Shafik for calling the New York City police two weeks ago to disband the encampment.
After more than 100 arrests were made, the students rebuilt the encampment on a lawn lined with hedges on the university grounds shortly after the police action on April 18.
Since that time, students at many campuses across the United States, from California to New England, have established similar encampments to express their frustration with the Israeli military action in Gaza and the perceived involvement of their schools in supporting it.
The rallies supporting Palestine have caused a heated discussion on campus about the boundary school authorities should set between freedom of speech and hateful language.
Students who are protesting against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, including Jewish peace activists, have mentioned that they are facing accusations of antisemitism simply for criticizing the Israeli government or showing support for Palestinian rights.
“The movement itself is not antisemitic,” said Nicholas Fink, a freshman history major at Columbia who has not participated in the protests.
(With Reuters input)