NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of demonstrators occupied a Columbia University building in New York early Tuesday, barricading the entrance and unfurling Palestinian flags from the windows in the latest escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. Ta. university campuses across the country.
Video footage showed protesters at Columbia University’s Manhattan campus linking arms in front of Hamilton Hall early Tuesday and carrying furniture and metal barricades into the building. it was occupied During civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protests on campus in 1968. A post on the Instagram page for protest organizers shortly after midnight urged people to protect the camp and join Hamilton Hall. A banner reading “Liberate Palestine” hung in the window.
A pro-Palestinian protester shouts “Liberate Palestine” as he is handcuffed by University of Texas at Austin police on campus on Monday, April 29, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American Statesman, via AP)
“The borough has reclaimed Hinds Hall, formerly known as ‘Hamilton Hall’, to commemorate Hamilton Hall. hind rajabA martyr, murdered at the age of 6 at the hands of the genocidal Israeli state,” CU Apartheid Divest posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) early Tuesday.
student radio station, WKCR-FM, which broadcast live coverage of the occupation of the hall. The occupation came almost 12 hours after a 2pm deadline on Monday for protesters to vacate their encampment of about 120 tents or be shut down. University representatives did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment early Tuesday morning, but the Department of Public Safety said in a statement that access to the Morningside campus is restricted to students living in residential buildings and for essential needs such as meals. This is limited to employees who provide essential services. public safety and maintenance staff; He had only one access point on and off campus.
“The safety of all members of this community is our top priority,” the advisory states.
In Post X, protesters said they planned to remain in the halls until the university accepted CUAD’s three demands: divestment, financial transparency, and amnesty.
Universities across the country are grappling with how to clear encampments as graduation approaches, with some continuing to negotiate while others resorting to use of force or ultimatums. , leading to clashes with police.dozens of people was arrested on Monday During protests at universities in Texas, Utah, Virginia and New Jersey, Columbia University announced it had begun suspending students hours before the Hamilton Hall occupation.
The nationwide campus protests began as a response by some students to Israeli attacks in Gaza, after Hamas launched deadly attacks in southern Israel on October 7.
The militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Israel, which has vowed to eliminate Hamas, has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests anti-Semitic, but Israel’s critics say they are using such claims to silence opponents. There is. Some protesters have been caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks and threats of violence, but protest organizers, some of whom are Jewish, say this is in support of Palestinian rights. It claims to be a peaceful movement aimed at protesting the war.
On Monday, April 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, pro-Palestinian protesters continued to occupy the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in front of Royce Hall. (David Crane/Orange County Register, via AP)
At least 40 protesters were arrested at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday, attorneys announced. More than 50 protesters were arrested last week as tensions escalated on the 53,000-student campus in the state capital.
Late Monday at the University of Utah, dozens of police officers in riot gear attempted to break up an encampment outside the president’s office that had been set up that afternoon. Police dragged students out by the hands and feet, broke the poles supporting the tents, and tied up students with zip ties when they refused to disperse. 17 people were arrested. The university said camping overnight on school grounds was against its regulations and students were given several warnings to disperse before police were called.
Thirteen people, including 11 students, were arrested at Princeton University on Monday night after briefly occupying a building housing the graduate school. They received citations for trespassing and were prohibited from entering campus, President Christopher Eisgruber said in a statement.
The plight of the arrested students Central part of the protest, a growing number of students and faculty are calling for amnesty for protesters. The question is whether the suspension and legal record will last long into the student’s adult life.
The Texas protests and other protests in Canada and Europe included Colombia’s early demos What has continued. On Monday, student activists left the encampment, ignoring a 2pm deadline. Instead, several hundred protesters remained. Several counter-protesters waved Israeli flags, and some held placards that read, “Where’s the anti-Hamas chant?”
The university did not call police to remove the protesters, but school spokesman Ben Chan said suspensions had begun but could provide few details. Protest organizers said they were not aware of the suspension as of Monday night.
Protesters are taken away by the University of Texas at Austin Police Department at an encampment on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American Statesman, via AP)
In a rare case, Northwestern University announced it had reached an agreement with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters at its suburban Chicago campus. The bill would allow peaceful demonstrations until the end of spring classes on June 1, and would instead require the removal of all tents, except aid tents, and allow demonstration areas to be closed to students unless otherwise approved by the university. , access is restricted to faculty and staff only.
At the University of Southern California, organizers of a large camp met with President Carol Folt for about 90 minutes on Monday. Folt declined to provide details, but she said she has heard the protesters’ concerns and talks will continue Tuesday.
The University of Southern California sparked controversy on April 15 after authorities refused to allow the valedictorian to give a commencement speech, citing unspecified safety concerns about his unusual decision to publicly support Palestinians. brewed. Administrators subsequently canceled a keynote speech by alumnus, film director Jon M. Chu, and refused to award any honorary degrees.
The backlash and the demonstrations in Columbia sparked encampments and protests on campus last week, and 90 people were arrested by police in riot gear. The university canceled major graduation events.
Administrators elsewhere have tried to salvage their graduation ceremonies, and several have ordered encampments cleared in recent days. When these efforts failed, authorities threatened discipline, including possible suspension and arrest.
However, conflicts persisted at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale, and students at other prestigious universities struggled mightily. Police in riot gear at Virginia Commonwealth University clashed with demonstrators late Monday as they tried to break up an encampment at the university.
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Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas, and Mattise from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press reporters from across the country contributed to this report, including Hannah Schoenbaum, Sarah Brumfield, Stephanie Dazio, Christopher Webber, Carolyn Thompson, David Collins, Makiya Seminella and Corey Williams.
