Columbia University extends deadline for pro-Palestinian protestors to leave
Columbia University has extended its deadline for pro-Palestinian protestors to leave their encampment. University President Minouche Shafik's office issued a statement at 11:07pm (local time), retreating from a midnight deadline to dismantle a huge tent camp with approximately 200 students. "The talks have shown progress and are continuing as planned. We have our demands; they have theirs" the statement said. The move comes as universities nationwide grapple with managing protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Why does this story matter?
Students from colleges around the United States have congregated in protest encampments with a unified demand: Stop doing business with Israel—or any corporations that support its ongoing conflict in Gaza. On Tuesday, Columbia University President Shafik called for the removal of a pro-Palestinian protest camp set up on the school's upper Manhattan campus. The Columbia Spectator student newspaper reported early Wednesday that the school had chosen to extend the deadline by 48 hours.
Protests have been met with force
Law enforcement agencies have reportedly used forceful means, including chemical irritants and tasers, to disperse protests at several universities. This has led to numerous arrests and violent encounters between riot police and protestors. Student demonstrators claim they are expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where the death toll has risen to 34,305, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. More than 200 people were arrested on Wednesday and early Thursday at universities in Los Angeles, Boston, and Austin, Texas.
'They call us terrorists, they call us violent'
Many students have expressed their discontent over what they perceive as an overreaction to peaceful protests. A student named Mimi stated, "They call us terrorists, they call us violent. But... they're the ones that called in the police when students were sitting in a circle." She further added, "The police are the ones with guns, the police are the ones with tasers, we only have our voices."
Students clash with police at Emory University in Atlanta
Protests have sparked debates about free speech, campus safety
These protests, rooted in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have sparked debates about free speech and campus safety. Pro-Israel groups have expressed concerns about anti-Semitic incidents, while protestors emphasize their opposition to hate speech and violence. Skyler Sieradsky, a student at George Washington University, said "I've never felt more scared to be a Jew in America right now," adding that some students and faculty support messages of hate and violence.
Shafik at a crossroads
The protests have placed Shafik at a crossroads, as she has become embroiled in a scuffle between activists enraged by Israel's attack on Hamas and Jewish students who claim the demonstrations involve antisemitic harassment. Last week, Shafik, appearing before a United States Congressional committee, pledged strong measures against anti-Semitism and detailed disciplinary actions taken. The hearing was reminiscent of another antisemitism hearing in December, when two Ivy League university heads were criticized for their responses to anti-Semitism.
