New York: Columbia UniversityCenter of Palestinian Supporters Protest The violence that has disrupted college campuses across the United States began suspending student protesters on Monday after they violated an ultimatum to disperse.
The move comes after nearly two weeks of protests against Israel's war in Gaza that have spread to institutions of higher education from coast to coast, with about 100 protesters first arrested in Colombia on April 18.
In the latest action, officials at the prestigious University of New York demanded that the protest camp be vacated by 2 pm (1800 GMT) or the students would face disciplinary action.
“These despicable scare tactics make no sense compared to the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians,” said a statement read by a student at a press conference after the deadline, referring to the death toll in Gaza. “
The student, who did not wish to be named, said, “We will not leave until Columbia meets our demands or…we are forcibly removed.”
A few hours later, Columbia's vice president of communications Ben Chang said the university had “begun suspending students as part of the next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus.”
He said students were warned they would be “suspended, ineligible to complete the semester or graduate, and banned from all academic, residential, and recreational venues.”
Meanwhile, at the University of Texas at Austin, police clashed with protesters on Monday, including the use of pepper spray, and made arrests while dismantling an encampment that left more than 350 people dead across the country over the weekend. Detained.
“No camping of any kind will be allowed,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on social media.
“Instead, arrests are being made.”
Paul Quinzey of the Austin Lawyers Guild, which helps those detained, told AFP he estimated there would be “at least 80 arrests, and they are still ongoing.”
Protests against the Gaza war, which have resulted in high numbers of Palestinian civilian deaths, have presented a challenge for university administrators trying to balance free speech rights and complaints that the rallies are fueling anti-Semitism and hatred. Have changed to.
Footage of police in riot gear called in to various colleges to break up the rallies has been seen around the world, recalling the protest movement that erupted during the Vietnam War.
negotiations failed
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik said in a statement on Monday announcing the breakdown of talks, “Many of our Jewish students, and other students as well, have found the atmosphere unbearable in recent weeks.
“Many people have left campus and it's a tragedy,” he said.
“Anti-Semitic language and actions are unacceptable and calls for violence are absolutely abhorrent.”
Protest organizers have denied accusations of anti-Semitism and argued that their actions are aimed at prosecuting the Israeli government and the conflict in Gaza.
They also insist that some incidents were orchestrated by non-student agitators.
As the school year ends, administrators point to the need to maintain order on campus for exam study.
“The right of one group to express its views cannot come at the expense of another group's right to speak, teach and learn,” Shafiq said.
A graduate student protester, who requested to be identified only as “Z”, said: “It's finals week, everyone is still working on their finals, I still have finals.”
“But at the end of the day, the school is temporary,” the protester told AFP.
President Joe Biden's White House has also tried to walk a fine line of protecting the right to protest while condemning anti-Semitic acts.
“We know this is a painful moment that Americans are dealing with and free expression must be kept within the bounds of the law,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.
However, Biden's Republican opponents have seized on the issue, labeling the protests anti-Semitic and threatening to withdraw federal funding if they are not stopped.
“What's happening at Columbia is absolutely outrageous. The campus is being taken over by anti-Semitic students and faculty,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Twitter.
During this suspension There were also protests at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where President Martha Pollack said student protesters had been “dishonest” by saying they did not intend to create a tent camp on campus.
Over the course of several days of negotiations, the students were given several opportunities to remove the camp or face sanctions.
“He refused,” Pollack wrote. “So, more temporary suspensions…are on the way.”
The Gaza war began when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,170 people, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's counterattacks have killed about 34,500 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
The move comes after nearly two weeks of protests against Israel's war in Gaza that have spread to institutions of higher education from coast to coast, with about 100 protesters first arrested in Colombia on April 18.
In the latest action, officials at the prestigious University of New York demanded that the protest camp be vacated by 2 pm (1800 GMT) or the students would face disciplinary action.
“These despicable scare tactics make no sense compared to the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians,” said a statement read by a student at a press conference after the deadline, referring to the death toll in Gaza. “
The student, who did not wish to be named, said, “We will not leave until Columbia meets our demands or…we are forcibly removed.”
A few hours later, Columbia's vice president of communications Ben Chang said the university had “begun suspending students as part of the next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus.”
He said students were warned they would be “suspended, ineligible to complete the semester or graduate, and banned from all academic, residential, and recreational venues.”
Meanwhile, at the University of Texas at Austin, police clashed with protesters on Monday, including the use of pepper spray, and made arrests while dismantling an encampment that left more than 350 people dead across the country over the weekend. Detained.
“No camping of any kind will be allowed,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on social media.
“Instead, arrests are being made.”
Paul Quinzey of the Austin Lawyers Guild, which helps those detained, told AFP he estimated there would be “at least 80 arrests, and they are still ongoing.”
Protests against the Gaza war, which have resulted in high numbers of Palestinian civilian deaths, have presented a challenge for university administrators trying to balance free speech rights and complaints that the rallies are fueling anti-Semitism and hatred. Have changed to.
Footage of police in riot gear called in to various colleges to break up the rallies has been seen around the world, recalling the protest movement that erupted during the Vietnam War.
negotiations failed
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik said in a statement on Monday announcing the breakdown of talks, “Many of our Jewish students, and other students as well, have found the atmosphere unbearable in recent weeks.
“Many people have left campus and it's a tragedy,” he said.
“Anti-Semitic language and actions are unacceptable and calls for violence are absolutely abhorrent.”
Protest organizers have denied accusations of anti-Semitism and argued that their actions are aimed at prosecuting the Israeli government and the conflict in Gaza.
They also insist that some incidents were orchestrated by non-student agitators.
As the school year ends, administrators point to the need to maintain order on campus for exam study.
“The right of one group to express its views cannot come at the expense of another group's right to speak, teach and learn,” Shafiq said.
A graduate student protester, who requested to be identified only as “Z”, said: “It's finals week, everyone is still working on their finals, I still have finals.”
“But at the end of the day, the school is temporary,” the protester told AFP.
President Joe Biden's White House has also tried to walk a fine line of protecting the right to protest while condemning anti-Semitic acts.
“We know this is a painful moment that Americans are dealing with and free expression must be kept within the bounds of the law,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.
However, Biden's Republican opponents have seized on the issue, labeling the protests anti-Semitic and threatening to withdraw federal funding if they are not stopped.
“What's happening at Columbia is absolutely outrageous. The campus is being taken over by anti-Semitic students and faculty,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Twitter.
During this suspension There were also protests at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where President Martha Pollack said student protesters had been “dishonest” by saying they did not intend to create a tent camp on campus.
Over the course of several days of negotiations, the students were given several opportunities to remove the camp or face sanctions.
“He refused,” Pollack wrote. “So, more temporary suspensions…are on the way.”
The Gaza war began when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,170 people, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's counterattacks have killed about 34,500 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.