Columbia University suspends pro-Palestine students, takes action after ultimatum
Republican Governor Greg Abbott reposted a video on social media of troops arriving at the complex. Abbott said that no encroachment will be allowed. Last week, police dispersed protesters at the university and arrested 34 people.
Appeal to pro-Palestinian student protesters.
Colleges across America have appealed to pro-Palestinian student protesters to leave campus immediately. Let us tell you that the police have arrested the protesters at the University of Texas. At the same time, Columbia University has said that it is starting to suspend students.
Six protesters were arrested at the University of Texas and others were taken into custody one by one. A group of protesters tried to block the path of a police van carrying the arrested students, on which officers used pepper spray. Due to this, the crowd retreated but they continued to block the exit from the premises. After this, the officials used two flash-bang explosives to clear the way so that the van could pass.
No encroachment allowed
Republican Governor Greg Abbott reposted a video on social media of troops arriving at the complex. Abbott said that no encroachment will be allowed. Last week, police dispersed protesters at the university and arrested 34 people.
Students at Columbia defied a deadline to leave an encampment of about 120 tents on the school's Manhattan campus. Instead, hundreds of protesters marched around the Quad. Some students waved Israeli flags, and one held a placard that read: Where are the anti-Hamas slogans?
Start suspending students
The university did not call the police to remove the protesters. But three hours after the deadline passed, school spokesman Ben Chang said Columbia had begun suspending students. Chang said that while the university appreciates the rights of students. However, the protests have made Jewish students very uncomfortable.
No information about the suspension
The protesting students said that they were not aware of any suspension till Monday evening. Notices sent to protesters earlier Monday said they could complete the semester if they met the deadline and signed a form to abide by university policies by June 2025. If not, he will be suspended pending further investigation, the letter said.
Pro-Palestine camps in schools
The initial protests in Colombia spawned pro-Palestinian protest camps in schools across the United States. Many students are demanding their universities sever financial ties with Israel. The number of arrests on campuses across the country is approaching 1,000. The protests have also spread to Europe, with French police removing dozens of students from Sorbonne University after pro-Palestinian protesters took over the main campus.
The standoff continued at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, and others. Protesters in Yale set up a new camp with dozens of tents on Sunday, about a week after police arrested about 50 people and cleared out a similar camp nearby. He was informed by a Yale official that if he continued he could face discipline, including suspension and possible arrest.
Support freedom of expression
Yale said in a statement Monday that it supports peaceful protests and freedom of expression, but that it does not tolerate policy violations such as trespassing. School officials said the protest is near residential colleges where many students are studying for final exams.
Opportunity to meet officials
Northwestern University said it has settled with students and faculty who represent most of the protesters on its campus near Chicago. This allows peaceful demonstrations until the end of classes on June 1. At Brown University in Rhode Island, school president Christina H. Paxton offered protest leaders the opportunity to meet with officials to discuss their arguments for divestment from Israel-linked companies in exchange for an end to the occupation.
In a letter to student protesters in Colombia, school officials said exams were starting and graduation was about to take place. The letter said that we urge you to end the demonstration so that we do not deprive your fellow students, their families, and friends of this important opportunity.