In the United States, pro-Palestinian students defied an order by university officials to dismantle a tent camp set up to protest Israel’s war in Gaza, or face suspension.
Collegiate authorities of Columbia University at new Yorksent students a letter Monday requiring them to sign a form agreeing to obey university policies until June 2025 or until they graduate sooner, if they wish to complete the term in ruler.
If they failed to comply with their obligations by 2 p.m. local time, the letter said, they would be suspended, pending further investigation, and would not complete their term, the memo said.
A pro-Israel counter-protester at Columbia University. Photo: Reuters
But participants in the camp, now in its second week, voted almost unanimously to stay put, said NBC, Sky’s US partner.
Around 2:45 p.m., protesters were seen marching on the quad and chanting “Disclose! Divest! We will not slow down, we will not rest!”, NBC said.
More than 300 people and at least 120 tents remained.
Noting that exams are beginning and graduation is approaching, the letter says: “We urge you to remove the encampment so that we do not deprive your fellow students, their families and friends of this momentous occasion.”
Mahmoud Khalil, the protesters’ lead negotiator, said university representatives began distributing the posters at the encampment shortly after 10 a.m. Monday.
Protesters set up tents in the center of Columbia’s campus in one of the first events.Palestinian protests against Israel’s war with Hamas and its growing death toll, but dissent quickly spread to other universities, sparking clashes with police and arrests.
At least 25 dead in Israeli strikes on Rafah
More than 900 people have been arrested across the United States since New York police destroyed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment in Columbia, arresting more than 100 demonstrators on April 18.
The clashes continued, with about 275 people arrested Saturday on various campuses, including Indiana University in Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis.
Barricades torn down by protesters at a student encampment at George Washington University in Washington. Photo: AP
On Sunday evening and Monday, residents of an encampment near George Washington University in the US capital demonstrated, breaking down and dismantling barriers.
Protesters at Yale University set up a new encampment with dozens of tents Sunday afternoon, nearly a week after police arrested nearly 50 demonstrators and cleared a similar encampment.
Learn more:
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Campus protests sum up a moment of division
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A student camp at George Washington University. Photo: AP
More than 34,000 Palestinians were killed during the Israel-Hamas Waraccording to local health authorities, who say that about two-thirds of the dead are women and children.
Israel has declared war Hamas and launched an air and ground offensive in Gaza in response to the attack on southern Israel on October 7.
Hamas killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took another 250 hostages during its assault.
