Columbia protesters vow to remain until demands met
By Bernd Debusmann Jr & Alexandra Ostasiewicz
Gaza war protesters have vowed to remain at Columbia University until their demands are met, despite mass arrests and disciplinary action.
More than 100 students were arrested at a Columbia protest “encampment” last week, followed by dozens more at Yale and New York University in recent days.
Many at Columbia have been suspended, prompting vocal calls for disciplinary measures to be dropped or rescinded.
Some students on campus have reported antisemitic harassment from protesters.
A deadline that was given by the university on Tuesday for protesters to disband by midnight has now been extended by 48 hours, with officials reporting “important progress” in talks to reach a deal.
Columbia president Dr Minouche Shafik earlier warned that without an agreement, she would have to consider “alternative options” for clearing the encampments before term ends on 6 May, ahead of graduation ceremonies later in the month.
Columbia’s campus was calm on Tuesday afternoon as hundreds of activists continued to occupy tents on the university’s lawn.
The entire area was adorned by dozens of Palestinian flags and placards with slogans such as “real Americans stand with Gaza”, “demilitarise education” and “there are no universities left in Gaza”, set against a constant soundtrack of “free Palestine” chants and drumming.
