Pro-Palestinian activism reached new heights in some of the most reputed institutions in the world. Students from all walks of life, averse to genocide and the demonic, sustained, and apathetic killing of innocent women and children living under occupation, are seen tussling with university administrations and pro-status quo protestors to keep Palestine alive in the collective conscience. Yet activism anchored on principles, rationality, morality and adherence to international law is being muzzled out both systematically and deliberately. This is both criminal and abhorrent. 

Take the University of Columbia in New York as an example. Columbia is known for its dedication to academic excellence, freedom of thought, protests and agitation. The ripple effects of defiant pro-Palestinian students on the varsity’s campus is also palpable with similar protests taking place across the United States. The protestors demand an end to unfettered military aid to a genocidal regime, divestment from an apartheid government in "Israel" and suspension of ties with Israeli universities. Their demands are consistent with other pro-Palestinian groups such as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement which continue to champion Palestinian rights in the face of genocide. 

Yet the response from Columbia University’s administration has been chilling and a stark reminder that anti-genocidal voices must either be controlled or muzzled out completely. Approximately, 108 protestors including Democratic Representative, Ilhan Omar’s daughter, Irsa Hirsi have been arrested by the NYPD. Hirsi who studies at the prestigious Barnard College of Columbia stated that her arrest was due to her decision to stand in solidarity with Palestinians who are being massacred and butchered with impunity by the Netanyahu government. The Gaza Solidarity Encampment which was set up on campus was also being systematically intimidated with the issuance of summons for trespassing alongside charges that the governmental administration was being obstructed, levied. According to the Commissioner of the NYPD however, the students who were arrested were peaceful and did not resist. His statement is evidence to suggest that this crackdown is a campaign to muzzle out student voices and not terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. 

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What is even more disturbing is that the head of the institution who claims to be a vanguard of freedom of speech, expression, and beliefs has considered the encampments of protestors as a ‘clear’ and ‘present’ danger to the substantial functioning of the university. Columbia University’s President, Nemat ‘Minouche’ Shafik, said this in a memo to the local police that more than 100 people were occupying the area. Nemat, herself born to Egyptian Muslim parents, also testified before a House Education and the Workforce Committee on ‘Columbia University’s Response to Antisemitism’ and stated that she found comments from protestors shouting ‘long live the Intifada’ and ‘from the river to sea.’ as offensive and anti-Semitic. 

Not a lot was different at Barnard either. The staff of the women’s liberal arts college of Columbia identified students at the encampment and told them to leave or be sanctioned. The university also placed certain students on interim suspension without stating how long it would last. The rationale given from the administration was equally bogus. The university apparently sought to prioritize student’s learning while living in an inclusive environment which is free of harassment. The truth is that it’s the protestors who are the ones suffering from harassment over raising the Palestinian flag and calling for an end to genocide which has been confirmed by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Calls to ending genocide is precisely what prompted South Africa to approach the International Court of Justice to hold "Israel" accountable and it is unfathomable that students of which many of them are drowned with student loans and personal crises and being shut down by Columbia University and prevented from thinking and expressing themselves freely. 

By clamping down on voices such as the CU Apartheid Divest coalition which consists of 120 groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and the Jewish Voice of Peace, Columbia University is setting a dangerous precedent. It is sending a message that pro-genocide advocacy will be normalized under the garb of labeling agitators ‘anti-Semitic.’ It also suggests that any attempt to censure "Israel’s" policies would be met with a heavy-handed response. For a country which prides itself on its academic tradition and attracts some of the most talented students from across the world, this is simply criminal. Denying them the right to express anger, dismay and disgust at America’s relentless aid spree to "Israel" underlines duplicity. It exposes how even academic institutions are not immune from politicization and provide blanket support for "Israel." 

Extension of deadlines by the administration of Columbia University will not help. It only prolongs the status quo. While it might give students a tad more space for their advocacy efforts, it does not address the genesis of the problem. Universities must suspend cooperation with Israeli varsities and put pressure on the Biden administration to withdraw military aid to the Netanyahu government to prevent such protests. The scale of suffering with more than 34,000 people losing their lives is simply too much to consume for students who are often taught theories of conflict resolution, international relations and public welfare in their classrooms. 

What is taking place at universities such as Columbia in the form of student arrests, deliberate muzzling out of dissenting voices and prevention of Palestine being mentioned in collective consciousness is criminal.