Late Tuesday, Columbia University set a midnight deadline for student protesters to disband, after which New York City police could be dispatched to clear the grounds and make arrests.
Columbia University President Nemat Shafik said in an email to the university two hours before midnight that university administrators were in talks with student organizers to reach an agreement by the deadline; The school said it would consider “alternative solutions” to meet the deadline. grass.
Almost a week ago, Dr. Shafik took the unusual step of forcing city police to dress in riot gear and arrest more than 100 activists who refused to leave a tent village protesting Israel's war in Gaza. Measures were taken. This sparked criticism from various quarters about her handling of campus protests. After being cleared, the encampment reappeared larger than the first one.
When Dr. Shafiq's letter arrived in inboxes late Tuesday, protesters and others gathered outside the campus gates began reading it out loud. The slogan was raised before the midnight deadline.
On campus, about 100 people were standing and talking inside the encampment, but the scene was mostly calm.
After months of demonstrations on campuses protesting the war in Gaza, unrest reached a crescendo in the final weeks of classes at some of the country's most prestigious academic institutions. On Monday, police were called out to make arrests at Yale University and New York University. Camps also appeared at Tufts University, Emerson College, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Administrators have struggled to balance students' free speech rights with the need to protect Jewish students. Some demonstrations have included hate speech and threats and support for Hamas, the Gaza-based militant group that led the attack on Israel that sparked the war on October 7. At Columbia University, some faculty members circulated a draft resolution condemning the president over their claims. It was called an “unprecedented attack on student rights.” At least one major Jewish donor has terminated support, saying the university is not doing enough to protect students.