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A coalition of Columbia University professors are backing student protesters and condemning the police activity on campus, they said at a Wednesday press conference.
School leaders will “go down in infamy” for calling the New York Police Department to disperse protesters, Columbia Professor Rashid Khalidi said. The group of professors also rejected claims from Mayor Eric Adams and New York police that the Columbia protests were led by “outside agitators.”
“When I was a student, back in the 60s, we were told we were led by a bunch of outside agitators by politicians nobody remembers the name of today,” Dr Khalidi continued.
Mr Adams and New York police provided scant evidence of “outside agitators,” declining to provide the number of “them arrested, or reveal their identities, citing an ongoing investigation.
Overnight, hundreds of police officers dressed in riot gear stormed Columbia where campus protesters had occupied Hamilton Hall since Monday. They later used a SWAT ramp, attached to the roof of a truck, to enter the barricaded building.
Officers arrested 109 people at Columbia. A further 173 arrests were made at the City College of New York overnight.
Key Points
- Faculty condemn police activity on Columbia’s campus
- Columbia requesting NYPD presence on campus until May 17
- Mayor, NYPD give little evidence on ‘outsisde agitators'
- Full statement from Columbia: ‘We were left with no choice'
- Students occupying Hamilton Hall face expulsion, Columbia University spokesperson says
- Violent clashes at UCLA as counter-protesters attack encampment
Human Rights Watch weighs in on response to protests
The Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organisation that advocates for human rights, weighed in on the pro-Palestinian protests popping up across the country.
Louis Charbonneau, United Nations Director for the organisation, wrote that colleges must protect students’ right to protest.
“There have been troubling reports of antisemitic incidents in and around Columbia University’s campus,” Mr Charbonneau wrote. “Allegations of antisemitic acts and speech by individuals, as well as acts of Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination, should be investigated and addressed on the merits in a case-by-case basis, through fair and transparent processes.”
“As protests spread to campuses across the country, university administrations should be careful not to mislabel criticism of Israeli government policies or advocacy for Palestinian rights as inherently antisemitic or to misuse university authority to quash peaceful protest,” he continued. “Instead, universities should safeguard people’s rights to assembly and free expression.”
Katie Hawkinson1 May 2024 20:00 1714588209White House dodges direct answer on Columbia protest action
When asked if President Joe Biden believes Mayor Eric Adams and college leaders took appropriate action by calling the police on protesters, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre only re-iterated the administration’s commitment to free speech.
“ That is a decision for colleges and universities to decide on the law enforcement. If you think about local law enforcement, they know what’s going on on the ground,” Ms Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday. “They have a better sense of what’s going on in the ground and obviously they have to make decisions.”
“We believe, I will continue to say this, Americans have the right to peacefully protest within the law,” she continued. “That is incredibly important. And we also have to condemn hate.”
Katie Hawkinson1 May 2024 19:30 1714587309WATCH: Displaced people in Gaza praise pro-Palestinian campus protests in US
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza have expressed their gratitude for pro-Palestinian campus protests in the US, the Associated Press reports.
The ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 people, many of them women and children, and aid blockages have resulted in a famine in northern Gaza. The attacks come after 7 October, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 people hostage.
Katie Hawkinson1 May 2024 19:15 1714585509Representative Jamaal Bowman condemns Columbia arrests
Representative Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat from New York, spoke out against the arrests at Columbia in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday.
“When I was 11, I was a victim of police brutality just for being Black in America,” Mr Bowman wrote on X. “Now I see that brutality being inflicted on peaceful students at Columbia and across the country.
“We must stand with our students to demand liberation for Palestinians and everyone in this world,” he continued.
Mr Bowman has previously supported calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Katie Hawkinson1 May 2024 18:45 1714585068Columbia President addresses arrests
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik released a statement Wednesday afternoon regarding police action on campus.
“I know I speak for many members of our community in saying that this turn of events has filled me with deep sadness,” she wrote. “I am sorry we reached this point.”
“But students and outside activists breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our Public Safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property are acts of destruction, not political speech,” she continued. “Many students have also felt uncomfortable and unwelcome because of the disruption and antisemitic comments made by some individuals, especially in the protests that have persistently mobilized outside our gates.” “It is going to take time to heal, but I know we can do that together. I hope that we can use the weeks ahead to restore calm, allow students to complete their academic work, and honor their achievements at Commencement.”
Katie Hawkinson1 May 2024 18:37 1714583533White House responds to questions on Columbia protests
Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, told reporters on Wednesday that President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring” the situation at Columbia University.
When asked if the president supports police activity at the New York school, Ms Jean-Pierre said Americans have the right to peaceful protest — but that the takeover of Hamilton Hall by students “is not peaceful.”
“Forcibly taking over a building is not peaceful, it’s just not,” she said. “Sudents have the right to feel safe. They have the right to learn, they have the right to do this without disruption.
Katie Hawkinson1 May 2024 18:12 1714582809WATCH: Trump condemns damage to Columbia ‘landmark’ during pro-Palestinian protests
Columbia University president threw students, faculty ‘under the bus,’ professor says
A professor of anthropology at Columbia University condemned President Minouche Shafik at a press conference on Wednesday.
Ms Shafik testified to Congress on 17 April about protest activity and allegations of antisemitism on Columbia’s campus. The encampment on campus was erected that same day — the next day, officers arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters.
“She never challenged the image of Columbia University as a cesspool of anti-semitism, she never challenged their descriptions of those students as anti-semites,” the professor said on Wednesday. “She, in the meantime, threw faculty members by name under the bus, and the higher principle of academic freedom and faculty governance. “
“The next day, the police came in,” the professor continued. “She had promised Congress she would crack down — it was political theatre for Congress.”
Katie Hawkinson1 May 2024 17:20 1714580031WATCH LIVE: Professors hold press conference at Columbia University after police clear Gaza protesters
Live: Professors hold press conference at Columbia after police clear encampment
Watch live from Columbia University on Wednesday 1 May, where a news conference is expected after police cleared a campus encampment on Tuesday.
Katie Hawkinson1 May 2024 17:13 1714579998Faculty condemn police activity on Columbia’s campus
“When I was a student, back in the 60s, we were told we were led by a bunch of outside agitators by politicians nobody remembers the name of today,” Columbia Professor Rashid Khalidi said on Wednesday afternoon.
His words referred to claims from Mayor Eric Adams and New York police that the Columbia protests were led by “outside agitators.” City officials provided scant evidence to support this claim.
“Shame on the administration of this university,” Dr Khalidi continued. “They will go down in history for having done what they did the other night.”
“We are ashamed of our university for, instead of continuing the negotiations that many were happy to be part of, decided to bring in the NYPD,” he said.
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