NEW YORK — Protests at Columbia University over the Israel-Hamas war are entering their sixth day Monday, sparking more safety concerns for students on campus.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik announced classes will be remote Monday, “To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.” The university initially said it would offer a remote learning option, but is now making it mandatory.
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CBS New York also learned security has been hired to walk students around campus.
“Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy,” the president’s statement continued. “Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus.”
Meanwhile, New York City and state leaders are speaking out against anti-Jewish rhetoric, with Passover set to start at sundown.
Protests continue over the weekend
More than 100 people have been arrested since the protests began Wednesday on and near the university’s campus in Upper Manhattan.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators started occupying the South Lawn, setting up a makeshift encampment of tents. They have been critical of Columbia’s response to the conflict in the Middle East, and they are calling on the university to divest from Israel.
One student named Sarah, who was protesting inside the encampment, said, “We are demanding total financial transparency. This is something most schools, many schools, state schools, all provide just transparency about where ethic investments are coming from, what they’re investing in.
“It was disturbing to see Columbia call the cops on students,” Sarah added. “They’re putting their professions, physical and mental well being on the line in support of a cause that they know is just, which is Palestinian freedom in our lifetime.”
Students were warned to leave the encampment by Wednesday night or they would be suspended. The NYPD took more than 100 people into custody Thursday, after Shafikviolated safety policies.
Columbia said in a statement, “Students do not have permission to set up tents on the lawn. Those who do are in violation of long-standing University policy and will be identified and subjected to disciplinary action.”
On Saturday, a large group of protesters gathered outside the university gates, while students returned to the main lawn on campus. Four more people were arrested and released with summonses, according to NYPD.
Students camped out in tents, socializing, and chanting things like “Resistance is glorious.” Those inside the encampment said the pro-Palestinian demonstrators who were heard outside the gates of the school were not student-affiliated.
Meanwhile, students at other colleges, including Boston University, Harvard University and Ohio State University, called for rallies in solidarity with Columbia students, CNN reported.
In Washington, the House passed a $95 billion foreign aid package Saturday that includes funds for Israel and humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Antisemitism and safety concerns
The protests erupted Wednesday, as Shafik testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce about antisemitism on college campuses. The hearing lasted several hours, and many Columbia students watched to see Shafik’s commitment to their safety.
On Sunday morning, Rep. Elise Stefanik called on Shafik to resign.
“While Columbia’s failed leadership spent hundreds of hours preparing for this week’s Congressional hearing, it clearly was an attempt to cover up for their abject failure to enforce their own campus rules and protect Jewish students on campus,” Stefanik said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Over the past few months and especially the last 24 hours, Columbia’s leadership has clearly lost control of its campus putting Jewish students’ safety at risk. It is crystal clear that Columbia University — previously a beacon of academic excellence founded by Alexander Hamilton — needs new leadership. President Shafik must immediately resign. And the Columbia Board must appoint a President who will protect Jewish students and enforce school policies.”
In a series of posts on X, New York City Mayor Eric Adams talked about the NYPD’s role during the ongoing demonstrations.
“I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus. Hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law they receive a report about and will arrest anyone found to be breaking the law,” Adams said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul took to the social media platform to reiterate the right to peaceful assembly, but also said threats of violence against Jewish students will not be tolerated.
“The First Amendment protects the right to protest but students also have a right to learn in an environment free from harassment or violence. At Columbia or on any campus, threatening Jewish students with violence or glorifying the terror of Oct. 7 is antisemitism,” Hochul said.
The White House also released a statement denouncing antisemitism.
“While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous — they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America. And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable. We condemn these statements in the strongest terms,” Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said.
Rabbi tells Jewish students to stay home amid the protests
Jewish students on campus say they’ve been living in constant fear for the last five days, as they believe many of the chants are antisemitic.
That, in part, prompted a rabbi associated with Columbia’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on campus to say he is recommending Jewish students remain home amid the protests on campus.
However, after that message was sent to students, Campus Hillel issued a contrasting statement on X, saying it does not believe Jewish students should leave campus, adding, “We do believe that the university and the city need to do more to ensure the safety of our students.”
A different rabbi, Yehuda Drizin, of the university’s Chabad, decided to deliver matzah to students celebrating Passover. He said, “This is a formative moment and none of them deserve to be in this. This is outrageous. It’s insane, but at the same time, what I’m seeing, the students step up and confidently come to the Seder and eat the matzah and say we’re strong and we’re proud and we’re not fearful. That’s the reaction I’m seeing and it’s amazing.
“Sometimes it takes, at moments, just the individual walking with faith and confidence through whatever is in their way in their face. Eventually, it splits open and they make it through,” Drizin added.
Encampment pops up at The New School
A group of students at The New School also set up tents inside the Union Square campus.
About a dozen students took over the school’s University Center on West 12th Street on Sunday, setting up tents and making signs reading “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.”
In an online post, the group said it is standing in solidarity with protesters at Columbia.
The New School said its president will meet with student groups on Monday to consider their requests for financial transparency of the university’s investments.