Located on the East Coast, Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York, has recently witnessed multiple student-led activities in response to the Gaza War.
Last Wednesday, students occupied the university’s renowned Butler Library, leading to their arrest by police called in by the university administration. The university stated that 65 students participating in the activities have been suspended for their involvement in pro-Palestinian campus activities, resulting in the closure of the main campus library. Additionally, 33 other students are under investigation, and according to university officials, these students have been barred from attending final exams or entering the campus, although they can still access their dormitories. The official also noted that Columbia University has prohibited other related individuals from entering the campus, including students from other colleges and alumni who participated in the protests. A university staff member indicated that this decision was made after careful consideration when the academic environment is deliberately disrupted, violating campus regulations.
Students Launch Activities to Protest the Israeli Gaza War
Last Wednesday, Columbia students initiated the largest pro-Palestinian activity since the protests against the Israeli Gaza War began last year. Students occupied the university library, prompting Columbia University President Claire Shipman to request the New York Police Department to remove the protesting students after they refused to leave the library. Dozens of students were arrested and removed. President Claire Shipman, who took office in March of this year, was previously a seasoned international political journalist and a bestselling author for The New York Times. Notably, she ordered the removal of the students despite having reported on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests that earned her an Emmy Award during her tenure as a journalist.
The protesting students are demanding that Columbia University’s library be renamed in honor of Basel al-Araj, a Palestinian killed by Israelis. The protesting students also distributed pamphlets calling on the university to cease funding donations to Israel.
Secretary of State Rubio States That the U.S. Does Not Support Hamas Thugs
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that the United States is reviewing the visas of the illegal intruders and vandals who entered Columbia University’s library, emphasizing that supporters of Hamas are not welcome.
Students Oppose Columbia’s Donation Fund for Israeli Military Purchases
The organizers of the student activities reiterated their longstanding demands during this event, calling on Columbia University to stop investing its $14.8 billion endowment fund in arms manufacturers that support Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territories.
Trump Threatens to Impose Hundreds of Millions in Fines on Columbia
During negotiations between the Columbia University Board and the Trump administration, Trump announced in March that he would impose penalties of hundreds of millions in research funding due to the university’s prior support of Palestinian protest activities. Student activists representing the protesters have not yet responded to the news of the suspensions.
Columbia University, a favored Ivy League institution among Asian parents, has faced turmoil in recent years. Following Trump’s withdrawal of federal grants, the university has notified staff reliant on this funding of impending layoffs, which will affect about 180 full-time and part-time employees’ livelihoods. Trump has labeled Columbia University as an anti-Semitic institution that favors Palestinian protest activities, putting the historic institution in a precarious position of facing cuts in external funding while being protested by students and public opinion internally.
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