The protest movement, which has become widespread in American universities and is starting to spread to France, was born on this New York campus in mid-April.
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Columbia University in New York, faced for two weeks with a movement of pro-Palestinian students and activists, threatened on Tuesday April 30 to dismiss those who have occupied a campus building since last night. “We deplore that demonstrators have chosen the path of escalation through their actions (…). The students who occupy the building are putting themselves at risk. [à un risque] referral”wrote Ben Chang, spokesperson for Columbia, in a statement.
The highly renowned Manhattan University has been the epicenter for two weeks of a national movement on American campuses, on both sides of the United States, in support of the Palestinian cause. After the failure of negotiations on Monday to dismantle a tent encampment occupied by pro-Palestinian students and activists, the Columbia presidency set in a press release an ultimatum of Monday noon for them to leave.
Protesters barricaded in Hamilton Hall
Faced with the refusal of a few dozen people, the university began Monday evening “to suspend” administratively students. During the night, protesters barricaded themselves in one building, Hamilton Hall, and others surrounded it in a human chain outside. “We said very clearly yesterday that university activity could not be constantly interrupted by demonstrators who violate the rules”thundered the spokesperson in the press release.
“Continuing like this will clearly have consequences”further threatened Columbia’s communications director by accusing the occupants of the building of “vandalism, breaking doors and windows and blocking access”. On Friday, the Columbia presidency had given up on having the New York police evacuate the encampment and had undertaken not to call on the police.
