Saturday, May 4

Columbia University Students Keep Chanting “Free Palestine” Amidst Arrest And Suspension Threats

Edited by Fathimathu Shana
Columbia University Students Keep Chanting "Free Palestine" Amidst Arrest And Suspension Threats (X image@amyeshachou)

The Columbia University students’ sprit remain high as they chanted “Free Free Palestine“, even after the threat of suspension and arrest. Students continue to occupy the lawns of the University even after it called for law enforcement to detain more than 100 pro-Palestine protesters. The University campus can be said to be in a crisis. Police throwed away the protesting students’ tents, protest signs and Palestinian flags into trash. One video that has been circulating even showed university maintenance workers and officers destroying food donated to the encampment, ensuring that they are not edible anymore. However, the protesting students refuse to step back as they gathered just across from where their earlier encampment has been demolished. It is to note that the students protesting were not violent and the camping was observed in peace when the university decided to crack down the protest.

More than 100 of the students were arrested on Thursday after the University President Nemat Shafik called the police to intervene. Several of the student who were arrested also reported that they were suspended from Columbia and its associate institution Bernard College. The students also include Isra Hirsi, daughter of Ilhan Omar, a Democrat in the US House of Representatives.

Shafik testified before the Congress and said that she wanted her university to be safe and welcoming for everyone. The Guardian said, unlike the Presidents of Penn and Harvard, who were grilled on their insufficient hostility to pro-Palestine students, Shafik appeared eager to please the Republican-controlled committee. Reportedly, Shafik made tepid defenses on academic freedom and condemned the protesters labeling them as bad-faith mischaracterization of the students as antisemitic and genocidal.

Ilhan Omer questioned Shafik on her administration’s approach to the pro-Palestine speech on campus, noting that several students had been suspended for their participation in peaceful demonstrations. He told Shafik, “There has been a recent attack on the democratic rights of students across the country,”, as quoted by The Guardian. A day after this Ilhan’s daughter was suspended.

Shafik said she ordered police to clear the encampment because they had breached the university’s rules and policies by holding unauthorised demonstrations and were unwilling to engage with the administrators, said media report. The students arrested were charged with “trespassing” on the campus and more than $60,000 a year to attend, said The Guardian.

Shafik’s decision drew criticism from the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors, a professional faculty organisation. In a statement released on Friday, the group said, “we lost confidence in our president and our administration and we pledge to fight to reclaim our university”.

A pro-Palestine coalition of faculty and staff at Columbia, Barnard and Teachers colleges called to boycott graduation and academic events until the university lifts the suspension of students and withdraw financial support from Israel.

The Columbia University is one of the prestigious universities of US. It has emerged as the centre stage for student activism since Israel-Palestine war started on October 7th. The campus witnessed protests both in support ang against the brutal war. Th University said it started to suspend the students who had taken part in the latest protest. “We are continuing to identify them and will be sending out formal notifications”, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

This is mot the first time Columbia has cracked down on student protests. Last year, the University suspended two student groups, namely students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voices For Peace, over their expressions of opposition on Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. In January this year, the University failed to protect peaceful pro-Palestine protesters in the campus who were attacked by a man who sprayed an abrasive substance which was believed to be skunk, a chemical weapon used by Israeli Defense Force (IDF) to control crowd.

Reportedly, Palestine supporters took to the street protesting against the Columbian University’s move to arrest student protesters by saying, “COLUMBIA YOU CAN’T HIDE — YOU’RE SUPPORTING GENOCIDE!”