Columbia University began issuing suspensions to pro-Palestinian demonstrators on Monday evening after the protestors disregarded a final warning to leave their site of protest or face disciplinary action. The university announced on its website, “Initiation of suspensions has started as part of the next steps in our mission to ensure a secure campus environment. Different sections within the university handle disciplinary proceedings, once they commence, depending on the nature of the violation.”
The final warning contained a cut-off time of 2pm on Monday, communicated after the president of the university, Minouche Shafik, declared that negotiations with the protest organisers had reached a deadlock. She refused to comply with requests for the university to divest from Israel.
“You should be aware that the university has identified numerous students at the protest site”, said a notice addressed to the protestors on official university paper. The note warned that failure to leave by the set deadline would result in immediate suspension pending further inquiry.
This notice also stated, “If you voluntarily vacate the site by 2pm, introduce yourself to university authorities and agree in writing to follow all university regulations until June 30, 2025, or until your degree is conferred – whichever occurs earlier – your semester will be completed in good standing.”
On Monday, the protest’s negotiators relayed that the ultimatum was met with defiance, with the protestors voting to maintain the encampment instead.
Shared videos on social media showcased protestors, donned with bright clothing and face masks and arm-linked forming a ‘human wall’, seemingly to obstruct any police attempts at dispersing the protest.
Alleging the university’s stance to be a “violent escalation”, protest organisers have expressed their readiness to augment their activities as a reaction in a statement. It read: “The threat came today following unsuccessful negotiations in days past, with the university shrugging off our calls for divestment, fiscal transparency and clemency for faculty and students disciplined during the Palestinian freedom movement.”
The New York campus of Columbia University has been a breeding ground of repeated college demonstrations across the US, protesting Israel’s six-month conflict with Gaza that has claimed over 34,000 Palestinian lives, displaced several hundred thousand more, and pushed the region to the precipice of a famine.
Reports of anti-Semitism have arisen due to the ongoing protests, as claims from Jewish scholars suggest they’ve experienced a series of threats and derogatory remarks. However, protest organisers have countered these accusations, stating that claims of anti-Semitism have been deliberately escalated to suppress any criticism towards Israel.
An e-mail circulated among staff and students by Ms Shafik, who recently faced intense scrutiny by a congressional committee over potential anti-Semitism within the university setting, indicated that the protestor’s encampment at the centre of the campus has fostered an uncomfortable environment for many Jewish students and staff.
She wrote, “The current situation is becoming unbearable for many of our Jewish students, as well as others, with many opting to leave the campus in recent weeks – a truly devastating development”, attributing the predominant blame on external entities. – Guardian