- The situation is getting worse at New York’s Columbia University.
- On Monday, the university announced that it would suspend demonstrators.
- A little later, dozens of people broke into a building.
On Tuesday night, demonstrators broke into a building, US media reported. It is the Hamilton Hall, which was also occupied in 1968 during a protest against the Vietnam War.
According to the Columbia Spectator student newspaper, there were several dozen protesters in Hamilton Hall. Hundreds more demonstrated in front of the building.
The police are standing by outside the university premises in case there are any injuries.
The events at Columbia University
The student groups “Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine” and “Columbia University Apartheid Divest” announced that they would not leave Hamilton Hall until their demands were met. “Occupying a building is a small risk compared to the daily resistance of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” said a statement distributed on X.
White House criticizes protests
The US government has criticized the occupation. “Forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach. This is not an example of peaceful protest,” said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby.
A small percentage of students should not be able to disrupt everyone’s academic education. “Students who pay to attend university and want to pursue an education should be able to pursue their education without disruption and they should feel safe doing so,” Kirby continued.
Protests have been going on for weeks
On Monday, Columbia University announced that it would suspend students if they did not leave a protest camp on university campus by the afternoon.
The demonstrators criticize Israel’s actions in the Gaza war and demand solidarity with the Palestinians. They also demand that the university end financial relationships with Israel. The university rejected this.
Almost two weeks ago, an operation by the New York police at Columbia University caused a stir and criticism. As a result, there were protests and tent camps set up at dozens of universities in the USA.
Since then, according to the New York Times, more than 800 people have been arrested across the country, including university staff. Some are accused of anti-Semitism and trivializing Hamas, whose goal, among other things, is the destruction of the state of Israel.