Columbia University has announced the suspension of students who support Palestine and protest against the Israeli war in Gaza. Columbia University officials stated that these students refrained from dismantling their protest tents in the university’s New York campus plaza. Following this, Columbia University decided to suspend the students from their studies, as negotiations with protest […]
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Columbia University has announced the suspension of students who support Palestine and protest against the Israeli war in Gaza.
Columbia University officials stated that these students refrained from dismantling their protest tents in the university’s New York campus plaza.
Following this, Columbia University decided to suspend the students from their studies, as negotiations with protest organizers to end this movement proved fruitless after days.
In recent days, around one hundred protesting students at Columbia University have been detained, leading to an expansion of protests at numerous universities across the United States.
On Monday, Columbia University sent a letter to students warning them to vacate protest tents by two o’clock in the afternoon and sign a commitment to adhere to university policies, or else face suspension and be unable to complete the semester.
Ben Chang, a spokesperson for Columbia University, announced Monday afternoon that the university has initiated student suspensions as the next step in its efforts to ensure the safety of the university campus.
Mr. Chang added that the students’ pro-Palestinian tents have created “an unwelcoming environment for our Jewish students and faculty” and the noise is causing distraction that could disrupt the learning, teaching, and preparation for final exams.
One of the demands from the protesting students at Columbia University is for the university to divest from companies associated with the Israeli government, but earlier, Bollinger, the university president, formally rejected this request.
Bollinger stated that Columbia University will not deprive Israel of financial support. Instead, he proposed that Columbia University invest in the education and health sectors in Gaza.
Protest leaders condemned the university’s suspension of students as “intimidating tactics” that they argue “mean nothing” in the face of the killing of 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
The protesters reiterated that they would not dismantle the tents until Columbia University met their demands unless “we are forcibly removed from the university plaza.”
Following the protests and the detention of students at Columbia University, a movement emerged that spread to other universities across America, resulting in the simultaneous detentions of more students.
Some Jewish groups criticize these protests, arguing that these gatherings “clearly incite anti-Jewish hatred and are perceived as advocating violence.”
Among the demands of pro-Palestinian students is the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza and the cessation of US military support for Israel.
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