New York, 30 April 2024,(GNP): Columbia University, the focal point of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have disrupted college campuses nationwide, has initiated suspensions for student protesters who refused to comply with an ultimatum to disperse.
In the early hours of Tuesday, demonstrators took over a campus building, barricading themselves indoors, while additional individuals formed a human chain outside, as depicted in a video shared on social media.
“Columbia community members took back Hamilton Hall just after midnight,” said the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) in a statement.
“Taking over a building is small a risk compared to the daily resistance of Palestinians in Gaza,” it said, adding the building had been renamed Hind’s Hall in honour of a six-year-old girl killed during the war in Gaza.
Protesters indicated their intention to occupy the hall until the university agreed to the three demands put forth by the CUAD: divestment, financial transparency, and amnesty.
Columbia initiated the suspension of students after nearly two weeks of protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza, which have reverberated through higher education institutions nationwide. This action followed the initial arrest of around 100 protesters at Columbia on April 18.
Dismantling encampment
In the most recent enforcement measure, officials at the New York university asked the protest camp to be disbanded by 2:00 pm (1800 GMT). It also issued warning of disciplinary consequences for students who failed to comply.
“These repulsive scare tactics mean nothing compared to the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians,” said a statement, read out by a student at a press conference after the deadline, referring to the death toll in Gaza.
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“We will not move until Columbia meets our demands or… are moved by force,” said the student, who would not give his name.
A few hours later, Columbia University’s vice-president of communications Ben Chang said the university had “begun suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus.”
He said students had been warned they would be “placed on suspension, ineligible to complete the semester or graduate, and will be restricted from all academic, residential, and recreational spaces.”
At the University of Texas at Austin, law enforcement clashed with protesters on Monday, employing pepper spray and making arrests as they dismantled an encampment. These actions contributed to the tally of over 350 individuals detained across the country over the weekend.
“No encampments will be allowed,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on social media. “Instead, arrests are being made.”
Paul Quinzi, from the Austin Lawyers Guild, informed AFP news agency that they estimated “at least 80 arrests, and they are still ongoing.”
At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, local television footage depicted police pushing and shoving protesters. Students reported that police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse them.
In a statement on the social media platform X, VCU mentioned that they had repeatedly given opportunities to the protesters, many of whom were not students, to leave. Those who did not comply were arrested for trespassing.