United States - College students occupy Columbia University building during campus protests.
Pro-Palestinian protests at New York's prominent Columbia University, ongoing for close to two weeks, are on the brink of intensifying. On Tuesday night, demonstrators invaded a campus building in northern Manhattan. The targeted structure was Hamilton Hall, which was previously seized during an uprising against the Vietnam War in 1968. The White House issued a forthright condemnation.
Footage indicated masked persons demolishing windows with Palestinian scarves of black and white hues, blocking the entrance to the structure with chairs and tables. The student newspaper "Columbia Spectator" reported over 50 protesters within the premises, with more contesting outside. The authorities positioned police officers around the university premises in anticipation of injuries.
The two student organizations "Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine" and "Columbia University Apartheid Divest" declared their intentions to maintain possession of Hamilton Hall till their demands were met. "Squatting a building is but a minor risk in comparison to the constant resistance of Palestinians in Gaza," read a statement they released on the platform X, previously known as Twitter. Columbia University recommended that students and staff visit the campus merely in exceptional cases due to security concerns and limited accessibility.
Previously on Monday, the university had threatened to expel students unless they vacated a protest encampment located on campus by the afternoon. The protestors accused Israel of its conduct in the Gaza War and demanded sympathy with the Palestinians. They also urged Columbia University to cut ties with Israel. The institution repudiated this on Monday.
In response to the seizing of the building on Monday night, the US administration spoke: "This violent occupation of a building on campus is unquestionably the wrong path. This isn't an exemplary form of peaceful demonstration," National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby stated. "A fraction of students should not deter the education of the majority. Students who are spending money to attend college and seek an education should be able to do so unhindered and securely," he added. There's no place for hate speech or symbols of hatred in America."
Nearly two weeks ago, a NYPD session at Columbia University caused a stir that garnered condemnation, prompting demonstrations and the establishing of tent camps at numerous universities across the nation. The New York Times reported that over 800 people—including faculty—have been arrested nationwide, with some also slapped with charges of anti-Semitism and downplaying Hamas, a militant group aiming to destroy Israel.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog deemed the "appalling anti-Semitic acts" at Columbia University intolerably concerning. "The American academic world must recognize the threat," Hirzog penned on the platform X. He cited, "There exists an imminent and clear threat to academic freedom and to the safety of Jews on campus." Herzog requested steps to ward off anti-Semitism on college grounds.
Hamas and other Islamist organizations massacred over 1200 people and captured close to 250 hostages in the Gaza Strip on October 7 last year. Israel launched a ground assault and aerial attacks in response. The Hamas-managed health authority reported a toll of around 34,500 lives lost due to Israeli strikes since the onset of the war.
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Source: www.stern.de
