Student protests against the war in Gaza ended with arrests

At the prestigious University of Columbia in New York, it boiled again on Wednesday. The police of New York (NYPD) had to intervene and arrest dozens of Propalestin protesters after the group occupied part of the Butler Library University Library. The management of the university, which applied for police intervention, has labeled the actions « outrageous », reports most major US media.

The event began only a few days before the final exams began. A group of protesters, many with masks and Palestinian scarves (kefija), entered the main reader of the Butler Library. They exclaimed Propalestin’s passwords and renamed the « Basel Al-Araja People’s University », in memory of the Palestinian writer killed by Israeli forces in 2017. The Columbia University Apartheid Divest Student Group called on social networks to support the campaign. The reports and photos he gives Washington Postthey also mention graffiti with messages such as « free gauze » on the library’s inventory.

The university reported that two security guards were injured when trying to invade the crowd. Temporary President of the University Claire Shipman condemned the disturbance of academic activities during the preparation of students for exams and emphasized that the university would not tolerate violence, anti -Semitism or any other form of hatred and discrimination. The management has repeatedly called on the library protesters to identify and leave peacefully, but these calls were not taken into account.

Police intervention and arrest

Since protesters did not want to leave the premises, the University decided to apply for the help of the City of New York at around 7pm – for the first time since the high -profile occupation of Hamilton Hall building in April last year. « The request for the presence of the police is not the outcome we wanted, but it was urgently needed to ensure the security Cnn.

Police then entered the library and arrested dozens of people who did not follow the orders to break. Arrested numbers in media reports vary from at least 40 to more than 70 (according to student newspaper Columbia Spectator). The footage shows police officers in the equipment of the crowds who lead the protesters from the building.

Protesters’ requests

The Cuad Group repeated its requirements: financial disinvestment of the University of Israel, the withdrawal of the Police and the Agency of the Agency for Immigration and Customs (ICE) from Campus, and the amnesty for all those who were punished for past protests. Their message was clear, « Repression gives birth to resistance. »

These events take place in the atmosphere of the strong pressure of the president administration Donald Trump to American universities. Trump’s administration of universities, including Columbia and Harvard, accuses that they do not do enough against alleged anti -Semitism on campuses in the face of protests against the war in Gaza. Columbii were thus frozen or abolished for about $ 400 million some time ago. In March this year, the university agreed to some of the administration requirements regarding protest and security rules, according to BBC.

A particularly worrying aspect of pressure is the orientation against international students. In March, Ice agents at campus arrested a Palestinian activist and student Mahmoud Khalilwhich is threatened by deportation, writes Cnn. State secretary Marco Ruby However, he has already announced a verification of the visa status of protesters arrested on Wednesday, writes American Nbc.

The message of protesters was clear: « Repression gives birth to resistance. » Photo: Spencer Platt/AFP

Accused of anti -Semitism have become the central battlefield in this story. While the university leadership and administration emphasize their commitment to the fight against anti -Semitism, many protesters and proponents of freedom of speech claim that this designation is often used as a tool to silence the legitimate criticism of Israeli politics and American support to this politics.