Protesters defy Columbia deadline to leave campus
By Sam Cabral
Columbia University has begun suspending students involved in a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus after they defied a deadline to disperse.
College leaders earlier warned those failing to disband from the two-week protest by 14:00 EST (1800 GMT) on Monday would face disciplinary action.
But as the deadline passed, dozens of students rallied at the site.
Similar demonstrations have spawned across the US since police cleared another camp at Columbia this month.
As the encampment at the elite Ivy League college looks set to spill over into a third week, pressure on its leadership to act or step aside is mounting.
“What continues to transpire at Columbia is an utter disgrace,” US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The campus is being overrun by antisemitic students and faculty alike.”
“There must be consequences,” the Louisiana Republican added, calling on university president Nemat Shafik to step down.
Earlier on Monday, a group of House Democrats urged Columbia’s board of trustees to resign if it would not “act decisively, disband the encampment, and ensure the safety and security of all of its students”.
