Campus Crackdown: 300+ Arrested in Police Raids on Columbia & CCNY to Clear Gaza Encampments

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1 May 202419:22

Summary

TLDRA significant event unfolded at Columbia University and City University of New York (CUNY) where hundreds of students were arrested following the dismantling of a Gaza solidarity encampment by police in full riot gear. The encampment, set up two weeks prior, had inspired similar movements across over 40 universities nationwide. Columbia University President, Manu shafik, requested the police intervention, citing the encampment as a threat to property and university operations. In response to the raid, students and faculty expressed their support for the Palestinian cause, with some faculty members and students facing suspension. The incident has heightened tensions on campus, with some calling for the resignation of President shafik and criticizing the administration's handling of the situation. The narrative emphasizes the distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, highlighting the Jewish support for the Palestinian cause and the challenges faced by pro-Palestine voices on campus.

Takeaways

  • 📚 Hundreds of students at Columbia University and City University of New York (CUNY) were arrested after police in riot gear dispersed a Gaza solidarity encampment.
  • 🛡️ Police used force to clear Hamilton Hall at Columbia, where students had renamed the building in honor of a young Palestinian girl killed in Gaza.
  • 💌 Columbia University President, Manu shafik, requested the New York City Police Department to clear the encampment, citing it as a danger to persons and property.
  • 📅 President shafik asked for police presence on campus until after graduation to prevent reestablishment of solidarity encampments.
  • 🚨 At City College of New York, a similar Gaza solidarity encampment was raided by police, leading to numerous arrests.
  • 📍 The police action at Columbia was efficient and swift, with a focus on limiting eyewitnesses and press coverage of the arrests.
  • 🌐 Over 40 universities across the U.S. have set up similar solidarity encampments, inspired by the one at Columbia.
  • 🤝 Jewish Voice for Peace, including Jewish students, participated in the protests, highlighting the distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
  • 🚨 There were reports of police using tasers, smoke bombs, and aggressive tactics against peaceful protesters.
  • 🏛️ Columbia students faced suspension for their participation in the protests, with some already having been suspended by the university.
  • 📉 The incident has led to a loss of confidence in the university administration, with calls for the president's resignation and a no-confidence vote by the faculty.

Q & A

  • What was the reason for the police raid at Columbia University?

    -The police raid at Columbia University was conducted to break up a Gaza solidarity encampment set up almost two weeks prior, which Columbia University President Manu shafik deemed as posing a clear and present danger to persons, property, and the functioning of the university.

  • How did the students at Columbia University respond to the police raid?

    -The students at Columbia University, including those from the Jewish Voice for Peace, resisted the police raid, with some facing suspension. They claimed that the police used aggressive and violent tactics against peaceful protesters.

  • What was the role of the faculty during the police raid?

    -While there was widespread faculty support for the students' opinions towards the administration, there was no substantial faculty presence observed trying to interpose themselves between the students and the police during the raid.

  • Why did the students rename Hamilton Hall to 'Hin Hall'?

    -The students renamed Hamilton Hall to 'Hin Hall' in honor of Hin Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israeli military in Gaza.

  • What was the reaction of the New York City Police Department to the Gaza solidarity encampment?

    -The New York City Police Department, in full riot gear, raided the encampment, arresting hundreds of students and using force that included pushing people into buildings, using tasers, and deploying a smoke bomb.

  • What was the context of the protests and encampments across universities?

    -The protests and encampments were part of a larger movement showing solidarity with Gaza, inspired by an initial encampment at Columbia University, which led to over 40 similar encampments across universities in the country.

  • How did the City College of New York administration respond to the Gaza solidarity encampment?

    -The City College of New York administration, similar to Columbia University, called for the police to enter the campus and raid the Gaza solidarity encampment, resulting in numerous arrests.

  • What was the role of the media and journalism students during the police raid?

    -The media and journalism students were warned by the police that they would be arrested if they did not stay inside. Some were able to witness the events from the journalism school overlooking the raid, but they were prevented from being eyewitnesses to the arrests.

  • What was the impact of the police raid on the campus community?

    -The police raid led to a significant disruption on campus, with the arrest of over 230 students and their allies at Columbia University alone. It also resulted in a loss of trust and an increased sense of anger and disappointment towards the administration.

  • What was the reason for the police's removal of the Palestinian flag at City College of New York?

    -The police removed the Palestinian flag from the flagpole and replaced it with the American flag as part of their action to take control over the Gaza solidarity encampment at the City College of New York.

  • What actions did Columbia University take following the police raid?

    -Columbia University President Manu shafik requested the police to maintain a presence on campus through at least May 17th to ensure that the solidarity encampments were not reestablished.

  • What was the broader implication of the protests and police response on the perception of student activism?

    -The protests and the subsequent police response highlighted the tension between student activism and administrative authority, with students asserting their rights to protest and the administration seeking to maintain control and order.

Outlines

00:00

🚨 Police Raid on Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University

A police raid on a Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University led to the arrest of hundreds of students. The encampment, established two weeks prior, had inspired similar actions across over 40 universities. Columbia's president, Manu shafik, requested the NYPD to clear the encampment in Hamilton Hall, citing danger to property and university functioning. The police action involved riot gear and shields, and officers entered the campus through the main gates. The incident occurred shortly after students took over Hamilton Hall in support of the Gaza solidarity cause, renaming the building 'Hin Hall' in honor of a young Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces. The police also removed a Palestinian flag from a flagpole and raised the American flag in its place. The situation extended to the City College of New York, where a similar raid took place, resulting in numerous arrests.

05:01

🗣️ Voices from the Protest: Solidarity and Resistance

Interviews with protesters and supporters outside Columbia University highlighted a diverse group of individuals standing in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Among them were first-generation Korean-Americans, Iranian organizers, and alumni from various universities. They expressed their opposition to settler colonialism and the importance of collective liberation. The narrative also included a first-hand account of the police raid, with descriptions of the arrest process, the removal of eyewitnesses, and the aggressive tactics used by the police. The role of faculty was also discussed, with some faculty members supporting the student protests and condemning the administration's actions.

10:03

🏛️ University Administration and Police Response to Protests

The response of Columbia University's administration and the police to the protests was a focal point of this paragraph. It detailed the university's decision to call in the police to clear the encampment and the subsequent actions taken by law enforcement. Students and journalists were pushed out of the area, preventing them from witnessing the arrests. There was also mention of an emergency alert issued to students, warning them of a potential police action. The narrative included accounts of police using force, including tasers and smoke bombs, against peaceful protesters. Concerns were raised about the suspension of students participating in the protests and the administration's stance on suppressing student activism.

15:04

🤔 Political and Social Reactions to the University Protests

This section discussed the broader political and social reactions to the protests at Columbia University. It included criticism from political figures, such as Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called for the use of the National Guard to restore order and for the resignation of Columbia's president, Manu shafik. The narrative also highlighted the distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, with a Jewish student from Jewish Voice for Peace emphasizing the importance of recognizing the difference. The student shared experiences of harassment and intimidation faced by pro-Palestinian protesters on campus. The paragraph concluded with reflections on the impact of the police presence on campus and the administration's decision to maintain it through the graduation period.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Solidarity Encampment

A solidarity encampment is a temporary settlement set up to demonstrate support for a cause or to protest against certain conditions. In the video's context, it refers to the encampment established by students at Columbia University in support of Gaza, which has inspired similar actions at over 40 universities across the country.

💡Riot Gear

Riot gear refers to the protective clothing and equipment used by police officers during civil unrest to safeguard themselves against potential violence. In the script, it is mentioned that hundreds of police officers in full riot gear raided the university to break up the encampment, indicating a high level of police mobilization and preparation for potential conflict.

💡Hamilton Hall

Hamilton Hall is a specific building at Columbia University that was taken over by students as part of their protest. The building was renamed 'Hin Hall' by the students in honor of a young Palestinian girl killed by the Israeli military in Gaza, symbolizing the students' solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

💡Palestinian Flag

The Palestinian flag is a symbol of the Palestinian people and their national identity. In the video, it is mentioned that the police lowered a Palestinian flag from a flagpole and replaced it with the American flag, which can be seen as a symbolic act of asserting control and dominance in response to the student protests.

💡Arrests

Arrests refer to the act of taking individuals into custody, typically by law enforcement. The script describes that over 230 students and their allies were arrested at Columbia University during the police raid, highlighting the scale of law enforcement response to the protests.

💡Settler Colonialism

Settler colonialism is a type of imperialism where a nation expands by colonizing and occupying territories, often displacing or subjugating the indigenous population. In the video, an organizer from 'Warriors in the Garden' speaks against settler colonialism, linking the struggle in Gaza to a broader historical context of global colonialism and its impacts.

💡Pro-Palestinian

Pro-Palestinian refers to individuals or groups who support the cause of the Palestinian people, often in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The video features individuals expressing their support for the Palestinian cause and their opposition to what they perceive as injustices against Palestinians.

💡Doxxing

Doxxing is the act of publicly revealing private or personal information about an individual without their consent, often with malicious intent. In the script, a Palestinian friend of a speaker is mentioned to have been doxxed, which led to him losing housing and facing threats, illustrating the personal risks faced by those who speak out on controversial issues.

💡Divestment

Divestment is the process of selling off investments as a way to express disapproval or to prompt social or political change. The script mentions that Brown University passed a resolution to vote on divestment, which is a significant step for student organizers advocating for economic actions against entities they perceive as responsible for human rights abuses.

💡Police Brutality

Police brutality refers to the use of excessive or unwarranted force by police officers. In the video, there are allegations of police using tasers on peaceful protesters and aggressive tactics to suppress the protests, which has led to public outcry and further tension between the police and the student protesters.

💡No Confidence Vote

A no confidence vote is a formal expression of disapproval or lack of confidence in a leader or administration. The script mentions that the president of Columbia University faced an overwhelming no confidence vote by the faculty, indicating a deep dissatisfaction with her leadership, particularly in her handling of the student protests.

Highlights

Hundreds of students at Columbia University and City University of New York were arrested after police officers in riot gear raided the campus to break up a Gaza solidarity encampment.

The encampment at Columbia was set up almost two weeks prior and inspired similar encampments at over 40 universities across the country.

Columbia students took over Hamilton Hall and renamed it in honor of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Columbia University President Manu shafik sent a letter to the NYPD requesting the encampment be cleared, citing it as a danger to persons and property.

President shafik asked for police presence on campus until after graduation to prevent reestablishment of solidarity encampments.

At City College of New York, police in riot gear also raided the Gaza solidarity encampment following a call from the administration.

Over 1,000 students and others have been arrested in similar peaceful Gaza solidarity encampments across the country in the past two weeks.

Amy Goodman from Democracy Now reported live from the scene, describing the situation and the police's establishment of a 'Frozen Zone'.

Interviews with protesters revealed a diverse group of supporters, including first-generation Korean-Americans and Iranian organizers.

A Brown University alum spoke out about the situation, highlighting the importance of supporting Palestinian voices and the recent divestment vote at Brown.

Columbia student Cameron Jones, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, discussed the aggressive police tactics used against peaceful protesters.

Jones also mentioned the conflation of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between the two.

Columbia Journalism School student Julian Goodman described the police's efficiency in removing eyewitnesses, including legal observers, from the scene.

Goodman also noted the overwhelming support from students for the encampment and the false narrative of outside agitators being pushed by the administration.

President shafik's decision to maintain a police presence on campus until after graduation has led to disappointment and anger among the student body.

The police were seen removing the encampment and disposing of community guidelines, symbolizing the impact of their presence on campus.

Transcripts

00:00

hundreds of students at Colombia

00:02

University and City University of New

00:05

York were arrested last night after

00:08

hundreds of police officers carrying

00:10

Shields and in full riot gear raided

00:13

Colombia to break up a Gaza solidarity

00:16

encampment set up almost two weeks ago

00:18

that has inspired similar encampments in

00:20

over 40 universities across the country

00:23

including CUNY students at Colombia took

00:26

over Hamilton Hall a day earlier after

00:28

the school began spending students who

00:31

refused to leave the gaala solidarity

00:34

encampment students renamed the building

00:37

hin Hall in honor of hin hind rajab a

00:41

six-year-old Palestinian girl killed by

00:44

the Israeli military in Gaza the police

00:47

raid began after Columbia University

00:49

president Manu shafik sent a letter to

00:52

the New York City Police Department

00:54

calling for the encampment in Hamilton

00:56

Hall to be cleared she wrote quote I

00:59

have determined that the building

01:00

occupation the encampments and related

01:03

disruptions pose a clear and present

01:05

danger to person's property and the

01:07

substantial functioning of the

01:09

University unquote President shafik also

01:12

asked the police to remain presence on

01:15

campus until at least May 17th two days

01:19

after graduation to ensure she said that

01:22

solidarity encampments are not

01:23

reestablished Columbia's graduation is

01:26

scheduled for May 15th hundreds of

01:28

officers enter the camp campus through

01:30

the main gates and encircled the

01:31

encampment inside last night police also

01:34

pulled a truck outside Hamilton Hall

01:36

extended a ladder to a secondstory

01:38

window for a stream of officers to climb

01:40

into the building further Uptown from

01:43

Colombia at the City College of New York

01:45

police and riot gear raided the Gaza

01:48

solidarity encampment after the

01:49

administration made a similar call for

01:51

the police to enter campus scores of

01:54

students and cuni community members were

01:56

arrested overnight the department shared

01:58

a video on social media showing officers

02:01

lowering a Palestinian flag a top The

02:04

City college flag pole balling it up and

02:07

throwing it to the ground before raising

02:10

the American

02:11

flag over the past two weeks police have

02:15

swept through other campuses holding

02:17

peaceful Gaza solidarity encampments

02:19

across the country over 1,00 students

02:23

and others have been arrested in a

02:26

moment we'll be joined by two Columbia

02:28

University students who were on campus

02:30

during the police raid but the first

02:33

democracy Now was on the streets last

02:35

night outside

02:37

Columbia I'm Amy Goodman from democracy

02:40

now we're standing at 13th in Broadway

02:43

it's about 10:30 at night the riot

02:46

police have lined up here and it is a

02:49

complete Frozen Zone from here up to

02:51

Columbia University we understand that

02:54

they've moved in on Hamilton Hall that

02:56

the students have occupied and we

02:59

understand arrests are underway that we

03:01

haven't seen it there was a group of

03:03

protesters here but they say they're

03:04

going to do uh jail support they're

03:07

going down to One Police Plaza let's see

03:09

if we can find them and ask them why

03:11

they're out

03:17

here what's your name I'm jeie uh I am

03:20

an organizer with Warriors in the garden

03:23

I am first generation

03:24

korean-american I am a shamed alumni of

03:28

NYU uh we are out here as people whose

03:32

ethnic Roots originate in the global

03:35

South uh to stand against settler

03:38

colonialism because no matter how it

03:40

looks in every form it kills and we will

03:43

not be complicit anymore and this is a

03:45

very historic moment where our our youth

03:49

in our country are leading the

03:51

Revolution and it is all of our

03:54

responsibilities to not put that to not

03:57

to not just be like oh they're so brave

03:59

but to be in to have that inight

04:02

something within

04:11

us my name is Tom uh I'm an organizer

04:16

and I'm here to show support for the

04:18

students I think that uh I've been a

04:22

I've been Pro Palestinian my whole life

04:24

as is my family um I'm Iranian and we

04:29

have always found the liberation of

04:31

Palestinian people to be essential to

04:33

our Liberation as Iranians and

04:35

everybody's you know Collective

04:37

Liberation are you in R are

04:41

you get out the way get out

04:45

[Applause]

04:50

theeeee free free pal we're standing at

04:54

Amsterdam and 113th Street it's about

04:56

10:30 11 at night why are you here uh so

05:00

I'm a Brown University Alum and uh as

05:03

you know one of our own Hisham atini was

05:06

shot and also I have a Palestinian

05:09

friend who told me that uh for his for

05:13

speaking out on Palestine he's been

05:15

doxed I mean and he's been kicked off

05:17

campus he's lost his housing and food

05:20

and he has no family here but he feels

05:22

the need to speak on it because his

05:24

cousins and family members are under the

05:26

rubble right now and he can't reach a

05:28

lot of his cousins and so knowing that

05:31

you know uh there's not a lot of degree

05:34

of separation between Hisham and I and

05:36

our other colleague that also lost

05:39

family members and has been dxed and

05:41

kicked off campus this is the least that

05:43

we can do to support our friends is this

05:45

why you're wearing a mask even though

05:47

we're outside absolutely and we're not

05:49

wearing a mask because we're scared but

05:50

we're doing this because this is what

05:51

our predecessors have told us this is

05:53

the right way to protest and this is

05:55

what we need to do to protect ourselves

05:56

while also speaking and standing up for

05:58

what's what's true so I understand

06:00

there's an encampment at Brown too and

06:02

there's a slogan from Colombia to Brown

06:05

we won't let Gaza down have you heard

06:07

the latest from there uh so today

06:09

actually Brown University passed a

06:13

resolution uh

06:14

to uh in order to compromise with the

06:17

students encampments that they're going

06:19

to vote in October on divestment so I

06:24

think that's a big victory for the

06:26

student encampments for the 41 students

06:28

who are arrested and also for the

06:30

students who were doing the hunger

06:32

strike uh as you may know so yeah the

06:36

the vote the agreeing to vote on this

06:39

investment is a big step for the student

06:41

organizers and they're very proud of it

06:44

and I think that's the least we can do

06:45

as Alum to support

06:46

[Applause]

06:48

them we've just spoken to some people

06:52

who are supporting the students now the

06:54

bus of Arrested students is coming

06:57

through are these the the buses are

07:00

coming out please back up these are the

07:02

arrested students please back up are

07:04

they bus I'm not sure what who's in the

07:05

buses I know the buses are leaving

07:07

please back up

07:09

[Applause]

07:17

[Music]

07:31

okay there's look seems to be an arrest

07:33

right now the police have moved in and

07:34

they're on top of someone the police

07:37

have arrested someone people are

07:39

shouting shame he's on the

07:45

[Applause]

07:52

ground back back up back up back up

07:56

let's go move move move back up back up

07:58

back up

08:00

what's your name what's your name over

08:04

230 students and their allies were

08:06

arrested at Columbia University last

08:09

night when the Colombia president okay

08:12

the presence of the New York police

08:14

department and their raid of the

08:17

University uh dozens of others were

08:20

arested just 20 mile 20 blocks north at

08:23

city college for more on the police raid

08:26

at Colombia we're joined by two guests

08:28

Cameron Jones is a Columbia student with

08:31

Jewish voice for peace he was outside

08:33

Hamilton Hall when police pushed

08:35

everyone into nearby buildings and storm

08:38

the Hall Cameron is a 19-year-old Urban

08:42

Studies major he's joining us here in

08:44

studio and Julian Goodman is with us a

08:46

student at Columbia journalism School

08:48

covering Colombia's ongoing student

08:51

protest since the first days of the

08:52

encampments she joins us via video

08:55

stream we welcome you both to democracy

08:57

now uh Jillian Goodman relation that we

09:00

know of um Jullian why don't you

09:02

describe what happened on campus I mean

09:05

what's really fascinating here is the

09:07

Columbia J School the journalism School

09:10

overlooks the police raid and in fact uh

09:14

Columbia journalism students and other

09:17

students who were um covering this event

09:21

were told by police they'd be arrested

09:23

if they didn't stay

09:27

inside Julian thanks so much for joining

09:33

us absolutely happy to be here um that's

09:36

correct Amy and in fact the only reason

09:38

that we were able to have access to

09:39

campus many of us in the journalism

09:41

school is that we had slept in the

09:43

building the night before they had

09:44

restricted campus to only those students

09:47

in residential dorms so the only reason

09:49

we were able to witness what we were

09:51

able to witness is because we had stayed

09:52

in the building um when police arrived

09:55

they were extremely efficient in

09:57

removing all eyewitnesses including

10:00

legal observers um myself and my

10:02

colleagues at the journalism School were

10:04

pushed with police batons to our backs

10:06

and coralled out of the space uh so we

10:09

were not able to witness the arrests

10:11

headon but some journalism students were

10:13

able to remain in the building to

10:15

overlook the side of Hamilton Hall but

10:17

they were extremely clear and efficient

10:19

that they were not to have any

10:20

eyewitnesses including the majority of

10:22

press during the time that the arrests

10:24

were

10:26

made and Julian was there any warning

10:29

beforehand or any sense that the that

10:32

the arrests were

10:36

coming there had been a sense for a few

10:38

hours as police gathered outside I would

10:41

say that no one knew the exact moment

10:43

they were going to come in but we knew

10:44

pretty clearly within about a 30 minute

10:46

window I think there was a tremendous

10:49

sense of trepidation but also resolve on

10:52

campus that I saw from a lot of the

10:54

organizers um we were also served an

10:56

emergency alert from Emergency

10:58

Management that went throughout to all

10:59

Columbia students um issuing a shelter

11:02

in place warning in the hour before the

11:05

arrests happened and so most students

11:07

were coralled into their dorm by campus

11:09

safety and that was our tell that the

11:13

that the arrests were

11:15

imminent we're also joined by Cameron

11:17

Jones of Jewish voices for peace Cameron

11:20

what did you see uh last night yeah so I

11:24

was also one of the students who was

11:26

forced into a nearby building once the

11:28

police survived on the scene and it was

11:32

very clear that the university and the

11:34

police did not want any witnesses to the

11:36

police brutality that was going to take

11:38

place they even pushed Medics and legal

11:42

observers into nearby buildings

11:43

preventing them from doing their jobs

11:46

and then we got a slew of footage from

11:50

onlookers that protesters were pushed

11:54

and shoved individuals were thrown

11:56

downstairs one individual was left uncon

11:59

conscious for a few minutes there was

12:01

also the police using tasers on Peaceful

12:04

protesters and also using a smoke bomb

12:08

inside occupied hind Hall so it's very

12:11

clear that the police used very

12:13

aggressive and very violent tactics to

12:15

suppress peaceful

12:18

protesters and what about you you were

12:20

outside you didn't occupy Hamilton Hall

12:22

you were at the encampment do you face

12:24

suspension as of now I am not sure what

12:27

the university will do unfortunately the

12:29

university has arbitrarily suspended

12:31

dozens of students already so I would

12:33

not be surprised if I do end up facing

12:35

suspension unfortunately the response of

12:38

the students to the president although

12:40

on Friday saying she would not call New

12:43

York police on campus calling in those

12:45

police who raided Hamilton Hall last

12:49

night yeah so the president is

12:51

definitely acting in bad faith I would

12:54

say she really seems to be doing

12:56

anything in her power to suppress

12:58

student activism on campus and that

13:00

includes bringing in violent police to

13:03

violently arrest hundreds of people and

13:06

it really appears as though the

13:08

president has not learned her lesson

13:10

from arresting people a few weeks ago

13:12

because the students only come back with

13:15

more Fury and with more intensity in

13:17

regards to our

13:20

activism Cameron I wanted to ask you

13:22

about the role of the faculty many of

13:24

the faculty condemned the last raid uh

13:28

or the first raid that occurred a couple

13:30

of weeks ago uh were there faculty out

13:34

there trying to interpose themselves

13:36

between the students s the police this

13:38

time I did not see a substantial faculty

13:40

presence but we have had faculty very

13:42

present at the encampment acting at

13:44

security and we have widespread faculty

13:47

support in terms of our opinions towards

13:50

the administration faculty is on our

13:52

side in condemning what the

13:54

administration has been doing and Julian

13:56

Goodman uh you have both the president

13:59

shafik and New York city mayor uh Adams

14:02

Painting the Takeover of Hamilton Hall

14:04

as a takeover by outside agitators what

14:07

was your sense of who was inside

14:09

Hamilton

14:12

Hall yes so I was there the the night

14:15

that the occupation occurred um there's

14:17

no way to know exactly who was involved

14:19

but I I know firsthand that there is a

14:21

large student presence and also the

14:23

thing that surprised me the most was a

14:26

massive student support outside there

14:28

was a human chain linked arm and arm to

14:32

protect the building that was 200

14:34

students strong and those are people

14:36

that I know to be students of Columbia

14:37

and Barnard and a large majority so I

14:39

think that mostly this is an effort by

14:42

Administration to distance these actions

14:45

from the students though I know that

14:46

they are deeply resolved in in support

14:48

let me ask Cameron Jones H Columbia

14:52

student has sued Colombia um for

14:55

creating a hostile environment against

14:57

Jews you're with Jewish voice for peace

15:01

I want to turn right now to a clip this

15:04

is Republican house Speaker Mike Johnson

15:07

uh facing heckling and booze when he

15:09

came to Colombia University a few days

15:11

ago calling for President Biden to call

15:13

in the National Guard to bring order to

15:16

the campus where the students set up the

15:18

encampment last week he also called for

15:20

Colombia president Manu shafik to step

15:23

down Columbia students criticized

15:25

Johnson's

15:26

visit I here today joining my colleagues

15:29

and calling on President shaik to resign

15:33

if she cannot immediately bring order to

15:35

this

15:37

chaos as Speaker of the House I am

15:39

committing today that the Congress will

15:41

not be silent as Jewish students are

15:44

expected to run for their lives and stay

15:46

home from their classes hiding in

15:49

fear um if you can talk about that as a

15:52

member of Jewish voice for peace Cameron

15:54

yes so I think as a Jewish student on

15:57

campus who represents a group of dozen

15:59

of Jewish individuals I would like to

16:01

note that Jewish students have been part

16:03

of the protest movement on campus since

16:05

October and there have been dozens of

16:08

Jewish students who have been arrested

16:09

for pro Palestine demonstrations so I

16:12

think it's really important to recognize

16:13

that there is a large anti-zionist

16:15

Jewish voice on campus and it's also

16:18

important to recognize the difference

16:19

between anti-zionism and anti-Semitism

16:22

anti-zionism is a is a political

16:24

ideology while anti-Semitism is in

16:27

regards to Judaism which is a cult

16:28

culture and a religion and it's

16:30

important to know the distinction

16:32

between the two and I think often times

16:34

in the mainstream media and and on

16:37

campus there is a conflation of the two

16:40

and it's really important to recognize

16:41

that there has been an intense amount of

16:44

hostility towards Pro Palestine

16:46

protesters on campus we have faced

16:48

harassment we have faced physical and

16:51

verbal intimidation I myself have been

16:53

docks and have faced death threats

16:55

online I have been harassed on campus by

16:58

multip individuals and explain what you

17:00

mean by docked yeah so I've had my

17:02

personal information published online

17:04

including pictures social media my

17:06

LinkedIn profile Etc in which people can

17:10

message me death threats and email me

17:13

horrible information and the university

17:15

has done nothing to protect Pro

17:17

Palestine voices and has been really

17:19

cracking down on anyone who is standing

17:22

up for Palestinian rights and this

17:24

really just shows how Columbia

17:26

University is using similar tactics that

17:28

the part state of Israel is using to

17:30

crack down on Palestinians in occupied

17:33

Palestine well we're going to leave it

17:35

there but I do want to ask um Julian

17:38

Goodman uh the president of Colombia the

17:41

president of Barnard has already had an

17:43

overwhelming no confidence vote by The

17:45

Faculty president of Colombia says she's

17:48

asked the police to maintain a presence

17:51

on campus through May 17th 2 days after

17:54

graduation um what are you expecting as

17:57

we saw yesterday the campus almost

17:59

completely shut down professors had

18:02

their IDs cancelled students couldn't

18:04

unless they lived right there uh on the

18:07

campus get

18:10

in yes I think those actions shattered a

18:14

sense that there is free and open access

18:15

to our own resources and our own campus

18:18

the ways that they were really

18:19

effectively able to Bar anyone from that

18:21

I think there's really profound

18:24

disappointment and anger coming from

18:25

shik's decision to retain a police

18:27

presence on campus as that has

18:29

consistently been an ask I think from

18:31

all sides is to remove the police

18:34

presence and that is often what creates

18:36

a threat and intimidation of violence

18:38

much more so than the protests on campus

18:41

I watched the police at around 2 am load

18:43

the encampment into a trash compacting

18:45

dumpster and I watched the community

18:47

guidelines get crushed and I think that

18:49

to me was the perfect moment of seeing

18:51

what that effect can be of having that

18:53

police presence on campus Jillian

18:56

Goodman a Columbia journalism school

18:58

student student covering Colombia's

19:00

ongoing student protest since the first

19:02

days of the encampments and Cameron

19:04

Jones Columbia College student with

19:07

Jewish voice for peace we thank you so

19:09

much for being with us

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