Friday, May 3

“Long Live Hamas…Free Palestine”: Columbia University Protest Spreads Like Wildfire

Written by Fathimathu Shana
"Long Live Hamas...Free Palestine": Columbia University Protest Spreads Like Wildfire (image@LouisyMorgan)

“Disclose! Divest! We Will Not Stop! We Will Not Rest!” has become the new anthem for the Columbia University and in a way, the anthem of all the students in New York. Unfazed by the authority’s crackdown, Columbia University students continued to gather around protesting against Israel’s brutal war on Gaza for third night straight.

“Free Palestine” reverberated in higher volumes, despite more than 100 of the pro-Palestine protesters among them were arrested and several were suspended including, Isra Hirsi, daughter of Ilhan Omar, a Democrat in the US House of Representatives. It can be said that the move to arrest has backfired on the University as the students protesting doubled over and the issue grabbed wider media attention.

 

Amusingly, the arrest played catalyst in spiking up the steam of the protesters. Students even brought music instruments like bongos and violins to the encampment to sing to their new anthem. They were seen singing Arabic songs pledging solidarity and love for the people of Gaza who sing after every night to garner hope. The students say, “the more they try to silence us, the louder we will”.

 

Reportedly, the students kept singing “We don’t want a two state. We Want all of it”, indicating to the Palestinian state before Israel occupied the land in 1948.

 

Allegedly, more than 50 students from Bernard college and more 30 students from Columbia University were suspended. The students from Bernard lost their dining and housing facilities after the suspension.

Students sweep down to another lawn of the University after they were blocked out from a lawn which was known to be the “free speech zone” for students. It was now filled with construction cargos. Not all authorities of the Columbia university support the cracking down of the protesters. The Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute said it stand with ” students exercising their fundamental human rights and calls on @Columbia to protect rights to expression and assembly”.

 

The protest at the Columbia University seems to spread like wildfire. Prominent personalities and students from other universities took it upon themselves to support the students of Columbia after the news of mass arrest in the campus. Yale university gathered on the campus pledging solidarity with the Columbia university students. The students demand that Yale fully divest from Israel. They say that they will not be moved until all of their demands are met.

Students all across the state is campaigning against Israel’s war on Gaza drawing inspiration from Columbia University students. They are spontaneously occupying their campuses demanding to divest from arming Israel. Boston University and Miami University also started protesting against their university’s complicit in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

 

 

Political Scientist and activist, Norman Finkelstein joined the Columbia University protest. He called the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) a “genocidal army”. He said may language vise “I support IDF” may not sound provocative, but while looking to the context, it is “10,000 times more offensive and outrageous” to any civilised heart and mind. He demanded the university to divest from Israeli institutions and links, and said, “You have truth on your side justice on your side. They have lies and monstrous inhumanity on theirs”.

 

Harvard University students also joined to pledge solidarity with the students of Columbia University students. They kept chanting, “We Will Not Stop! Disclose! Divest!”, and “Free Palestine”.

 

 

It was not only the university students came forward to support the student of Columbia University. The New Yorkers also took to the streets singing “Gaza you make us proud”, and “Free Palestine”. The protesters demand Columbia University to “take their hands off the pro-Palestine activists”, and to lift the suspension of students.

 

 

American political activist Cornel West also took part in the Columbia University Gaza Solidarity encampment. He said he is standing against the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza.

The Columbia University students shouted out to the hawk eyes waiting to cause bigotry and hatred that they stand united. On Friday, while Muslim students protesting prayed the ‘Jumua’ or the Friday prayer at the ground of the University, the Jewish students supporting Palestine performed their prayer Shabbat Shalom on the same ground.

 

Another amusing thing have been noticed during the pro-Palestine protesters in New York were their support for Palestine. The protesters kept singing that, “Al-Qassam you make us proud, kill another soldier now!” “We say justice, you say how. Burn Tel Aviv to the ground!” “Hamas we love you. We support your rockets too!” “Red, black, green and white, we support Hamas’ fight!” “It is right to rebel, Al-Qassam give them hell!” “It is right to rebel, Hamas give them hell!”.

 

Responding to people supporting Israel, Palestine supporters said aloud that “We Are Hamas”.