US Columbia University braces for pro-Palestinian protests
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Pro-Palestinian US students prepare to protest against their university's support for the Israeli occupation and Columbia University braces to resist them.
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Pro-Palestinian supporters hold a picket line outside Columbia University, on September 3, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Columbia University in New York City is preparing for the return of pro-Palestinian protests as students come back for the fall semester. On Tuesday, as classes resumed, protesters gathered outside one of the university's entrances, while security at the gates required identification checks for anyone entering the campus.
The beginning of the new academic year comes just weeks after the university's president, Minouche Shafik, resigned following heavy criticism of her handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The university faced backlash for its forceful response to the protests, including Shafik’s decision to allow New York police onto campus to dismantle protest encampments.
Interim President Katrina Armstrong has since initiated listening sessions to ease tensions and introduced new guidelines to minimize protest disruptions. She has also met with students from both sides of the debate, assuring them that the university will strive to protect free expression while maintaining a safe learning environment.
Students at #ColumbiaUniversity kick-started their fall semester with a pro-Palestine protest against the university’s continued support for "Israel’s" genocidal war on Gaza and the repression of pro-Palestine student voices.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 3, 2024
In a post on X, Columbia University Apartheid Divest… pic.twitter.com/Jc6R4S2RCc
However, student organizers have vowed to escalate their actions, potentially including new encampments, until the university severs ties with companies connected to "Israel".
Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student representing the protesters in talks with the university, stated, “As long as Columbia continues to invest in and profit from Israeli apartheid, students will continue to resist.”
This situation unfolds as US campuses nationwide implement stricter rules to limit criticism of "Israel’s" aggression in Gaza, marking the first fall semester after pro-Palestinian protests gained significant traction on campuses last year. These moves have sparked widespread outrage on social media, with students and supporters viewing them as attempts to suppress the pro-Palestine movement.
Columbia University has been a central hub for these demonstrations, which began on April 17 and rapidly spread to other universities, igniting a student movement. Protesters, calling for an end to the US-backed war, faced harsh police crackdowns.
Read next: How Columbia University is the new face of the Intellectual Intifada
On Tuesday, students at Columbia University kick-started their fall semester with a pro-Palestine protest against the university’s continued support for "Israel’s" genocidal war on Gaza and the repression of pro-Palestine student voices.
About 50 people protested in front of Columbia’s main gates Tuesday holding Palestinian flags and shouting “Free Palestine!”
Most protesters were wearing masks over their mouths and a black-and-white scarf on their heads known as a Koufiyyeh, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. Columbia closed some entrances and limited campus access to students, staff, and guests with authorization, according to the university’s website.
