Defiant students at Columbia University continued Friday to protest the war in Gaza, a day after university President Minouche Shafik tapped the NYPD to clear a campus encampment and arrest more than 100 demonstrators.
Dozens of students took over another campus lawn with blankets and Palestinian flags, waking up before the sun rose and calling on their classmates to join them with warm clothes and blankets, social media posts from overnight show.
A large sign from the original series of tents, pitched earlier this week continued to advertise the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.” One undergraduate student told the Daily News that the more university administrators try to “silence us,” the more she and her classmates will fight back.
The encampment went up shortly before Shafik defended before Congress her handling of rising campus antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war.
“Seriously, that’s why we’re here,” she said. “Because you can’t tell us to shut up.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters, including students from CUNY and New York University, on the perimeter of Columbia, continued to show support for Columbia students. Campus gates continued to be locked for the fifth day in a row.
Campus chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine throughout the country, including at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, shared photos of their own tent demonstrations on social media to back Columbia.
“While the encampment has been dismantled, our community has had protest activity on campus since October, and we expect that activity to continue,” a university spokesperson said.
“We have rules regarding the time, place, and manner that apply to protest activity and we will continue to enforce those. We remain in regular contact with our students and student groups and are committed to ensuring the core functions of the University continue.”
NYPD said 113 people were arrested Thursday at Columbia, including several more protesters since Mayor Adams and top police brass held a press conference that night.
On Wednesday before sunrise, student protesters at Columbia set up dozens of green tents on the main campus lawn, demanding the university divest its finances from companies and institutions that profit from Israel.
Columbia instructed participants to disperse by the late morning. When many students refused, university officials delivered an ultimatum: leave that night or face suspensions.
“During the suspension, you may not go to class or hand in work related to courses and therefore may not be able to complete your current courses. Your CUID will be deactivated, you will not have access to classrooms and other parts of campus and may not participate in University activities,” read the notification.
After multiple warnings, cops in riot gear moved in early Thursday afternoon and arrested all demonstrators. Most were released with a summons for trespassing but told to return home.
University officials said Friday that students who face suspensions in general will be able to return to their dorms.
With Téa Kvetenadze and Thomas Tracy
