NEW YORK — Protests at Columbia University over the Israel-Hamas war continued for a fifth straight day Sunday, sparking more safety concerns for some students on campus.
More than 100 people have been arrested since protests on and near the campus in Upper Manhattan started Wednesday.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have also been critical of Columbia’s response to the conflict and have called on the university to divest from Israel.
On Saturday, a large group of protesters gathered outside the university gates, while student protesters returned to the main lawn on campus. Four more people were arrested and released with summonses, according to NYPD.
The day before, protesters were sprawled in sleeping bags and on mats with banners and Palestinian flags laid out around them.
Students at other colleges, including Boston University, Harvard University and Ohio State University, called for rallies in solidarity with Columbia students, CNN reported.
Meanwhile in Washington, the House on Saturday passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes funds for Israel and humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Antisemitism and safety concerns
The start of the protests coincided with Columbia University President Minouche Shafik’s testimony on antisemitism on college campuses before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The hearing lasted several hours and many Columbia students watched to see Shafik’s commitment to their safety.
On Sunday morning, Rep. Elise Stefanik called on Shafik to resign.
“While Columbia’s failed leadership spent hundreds of hours preparing for this week’s Congressional hearing, it clearly was an attempt to cover up for their abject failure to enforce their own campus rules and protect Jewish students on campus,” Stefanik said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Over the past few months and especially the last 24 hours, Columbia’s leadership has clearly lost control of its campus putting Jewish students’ safety at risk. It is crystal clear that Columbia University — previously a beacon of academic excellence founded by Alexander Hamilton — needs new leadership. President Shafik must immediately resign. And the Columbia Board must appoint a President who will protect Jewish students and enforce school policies.”
In a series of posts on X, New York City Mayor Eric Adams talked about the NYPD’s role during the ongoing demonstrations.
“I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus. Hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law they receive a report about and will arrest anyone found to be breaking the law,” Adams said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul took to the social media platform to reiterate the right to peaceful assembly, but also said threats of violence against Jewish students will not be tolerated.
“The First Amendment protects the right to protest but students also have a right to learn in an environment free from harassment or violence. At Columbia or on any campus, threatening Jewish students with violence or glorifying the terror of Oct. 7 is antisemitism,” Hochul said.
The White House also released a statement denouncing antisemitism.
“While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous — they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America. And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable. We condemn these statements in the strongest terms,” Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said.
Protesters occupy Columbia’s South Lawn
Demonstrators started occupying the South Lawn on the Columbia campus Wednesday. They constructed a makeshift encampment of tents, which led to a standoff with university leadership and dozens of arrests.
Nathan Rosenbaum
The NYPD took more than 100 people at the encampment into custody Thursday after Shafik said it violated safety policies. CBS New York has learned three more were detained on Saturday night.
Students were warned to leave the encampment by Wednesday night or they would be suspended.
Some Jewish students said with Passover beginning Monday night, they feel unsafe.
Students inside of the encampment on the actual campus said the pro-Palestinian demonstrators that were heard outside the gates of the school were not student affiliated.
In the quad on campus, students were camping out in tents, socializing, and chanting things like “Resistance is glorious.”
Columbia said in a statement, “Students do not have permission to set up tents on the lawn. Those who do are in violation of long-standing University policy and will be identified and subjected to disciplinary action.”
Rabbi tells Jewish students to stay home amid the protests
Jewish students on campus said they’ve been living in constant fear for the last five days, as they believe many of the chants are antisemitic.
That, in part, prompted a rabbi associated with Columbia’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on campus said he is recommending Jewish students remain home amid the protests on campus.
However, after that message was sent to students, Campus Hillel issued a contrasting statement on X, saying it does not believe Jewish students should leave campus, adding, “We do believe that the university and the city need to do more to ensure the safety of our students.”
A different rabbi, Yehuda Drizin, of the university’s Chabad, decided to deliver matzah to students celebrating Passover. He said, “This is a formative moment and none of them deserve to be in this. This is outrageous. It’s insane, but at the same time, what I’m seeing, the students step up and confidently come to the Seder and eat the matzah and say we’re strong and we’re proud and we’re not fearful. That’s the reaction I’m seeing and it’s amazing.”
A student named Sarah, who was protesting inside the encampment, said, “We are demanding total financial transparency. This is something most schools, many schools, state schools, all provide just transparency about where ethic investments are coming from, what they’re investing in.”