New York – The Columbia University announced that it had begun suspending students from campus who decided not to vacate the area despite the ultimatum expiring. Anyone who is suspended will not be able to participate in the semester or, if they are in their senior year, graduate. After a day of confusion at the university of Manhattanone of the most prestigious in America, the start of disciplinary measures marks a crossroads for the school board, which has been grappling for ten days with pro-Gaza and anti-Gaza protests. Israel by hundreds of students, school staff and outsiders, who joined the children. “We have begun suspending students – said Ben Chang, a university spokesperson – as part of the plan to ensure safety on campus.” According to the board, only the students who decided to stay in the camp will be suspended, while the other hundreds who participated in the protests and left will not face disciplinary action.
Very tense hours
The sanctions are an attempt to avoid police raids and new arrests among the young people camped in the area in front of the university entrance. The last few hours have been very tense. As the ultimatum approached, which expired at 2pm local time, 8pm in Italy, there was a feeling that there could be new clashes. Instead, within two hours, before 4pm, many protesters left the campus without the need for police intervention. About eighty tents and dozens of students remained inside the area.
(reuters)
Outside, another dozen people wearing yellow and orange bibs remained stationary in the area to ensure that the demonstrators were not attacked by the police. At the moment, the situation seems to be back under control, two weeks before the graduation ceremony, an event that could bring many protesters to the area.
Protest
The diehards remain. Sueda Polat, spokesperson for the protesters, accused the university of not having made significant concessions to the students’ demands, including the main one: to divest from companies that have links to Israel’s occupation of Gaza. Columbia terminated negotiations. “We – said Polat – will not move from here. We will not be intimidated by these attempts to stifle student protest.” Elga Castro, 47, an associate professor in the Spanish department at Barnard College, Columbia’s “sister” school, staked out the encampment area. “I – he explained to journalists – have my ideas about Gaza and Palestine, but I am here mainly to protect my students”. Castro does not know if the teachers who participated in the protest will also be sanctioned.