Columbia Students Stand Firm in Gaza Protests, Defying Suspension Orders

Protests erupted at campuses across the United States over the weekend, resulting in the arrest of more than 350 people. The White House has called for these demonstrations to remain peaceful.

At Columbia University in New York, authorities issued a statement on Monday insisting that the protestors’ encampment must be cleared and rejecting a call to divest financial holdings linked to Israel. This rejection is a key demand of the demonstrators.

Despite threats of suspensions and disciplinary actions, student protestors vowed to defend their camp on the institution’s main lawn after a 2:00 pm deadline. The protests are in response to the Gaza war and its high Palestinian civilian death toll, posing a challenge for university administrators in balancing free speech rights with complaints of anti-Semitism and hate.

These demonstrations have been ongoing for almost two weeks and have swept through US university campuses from coast to coast. The protest movement has drawn comparisons to the Vietnam War era protests.

At various colleges, police in riot gear have been summoned to break up rallies, resulting in numerous arrests. Virginia Tech saw over 90 arrests after refusal to disperse, while at the University of Texas, state troopers in riot gear clashed with protestors attempting to set up an unauthorized encampment on campus.

The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, stated that encampments would not be allowed and arrests were being made. Protest organizers deny accusations of anti-Semitism, stating that their actions are directed at the Israeli government and its prosecution of the conflict in Gaza.

They also argue that some incidents have been orchestrated by non-student agitators. University administrators are emphasizing the need to maintain order on campus for exam studies as the school year draws to a close.

President Joe Biden’s administration has sought to defend the right to protest while condemning reported acts of anti-Semitism. The protests have also sparked political controversy, with Biden’s Republican opponents characterizing them as anti-Semitic and threatening to withdraw federal funding if they continue.

The ongoing conflict in Gaza has been cited as a catalyst for the protests, with both Israeli and Palestinian casualty figures being mentioned.