Dozens of students at Columbia University in New York City have taken over a building on campus. The pro-Palestinian protesters barricaded themselves inside. Similar protests against Israel have been taking place at U.S. college campuses.

New York

Dozens of Columbia University students in New York City have initiated a significant protest by taking over a building on campus, marking a prominent instance of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The students, demonstrating their stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have barricaded themselves within Hamilton Hall, expressing their demands through visible banners, one of which advocates for a "Free Palestine" while another displays "Intifada" in red letters. This action underlines a rising trend of similar protests across U.S. college campuses and globally, reflecting a broader collective movement.

This current occupation of Hamilton Hall by Columbia students is not without precedent; the building has a notable history of student activism. It was the site of protests against the Vietnam War in 1968 and demands for Columbia to divest from companies doing business in South Africa during apartheid in 1985. The students draw inspiration from these past actions as they push for change. Their demands center on financial transparency concerning Columbia's almost $14 billion endowment and a call for the university to divest from Israeli companies and those that conduct business with the Israeli government. The complexity of the endowment's investments, which include private equity, hedge funds, and hard assets, presents a challenge to their divestment demands.

This protest escalates from previous demonstrations that occurred approximately two weeks prior, when Columbia and Barnard students established encampments on the South Lawn in front of Hamilton Hall. This was in response to Columbia President Manoush Shafiq's congressional testimony. The university had set a deadline for the encampments to be cleared, which some students adhered to, but others have opted to intensify their protest through the current occupation. The situation underscores a significant moment of student activism at Columbia University, emphasizing the global resonance of the pro-Palestinian protests and the complex debate surrounding university endowments and political investments.



Columbia students take over building in protest

This is something that's happening across the U.S., but it's also happening across Europe, outside German parliament at the moment. We're seeing it happen at the Sorbonne in Paris. It's a global element, but what's happening on the ground right now with you, Scarlett? Yeah, this is ground zero, Caroline, for the pro-Palestinian protests sweeping across U.S. college campuses and around the world, as you said. About 11 hours ago, dozens of Columbia students entered Hamilton Hall, which is behind me here. They've unfurled banners. One says Free Palestine. On the other side, there's another banner in front of Hamilton Hall that says Intifada in red. As you mentioned, they've barricaded themselves inside. They're occupying the building. They've covered security cameras with black trash bags. And this is a building that is, of course, storied because it has a history of student occupation. In 1968, students protested against the Vietnam War. In 1985, students took over Hamilton Hall to demand that Columbia divest from companies that do business in South Africa during apartheid. And it is from that that they take inspiration in making their demands this time around. Clearly, this is an escalation, Caroline and Ed, from the encampments that Columbia and Barnard students set up about two weeks ago on the South Lawn in front of Hamilton Hall when the president of Columbia, Manoush Shafiq, testified before Congress. The school had given students a deadline of 2 p.m. Monday yesterday to clear the encampments. Some did, but clearly, some had chosen to double down. Scarlett, real quick, what specifically they're demanding? I just don't get it. Yeah, what they're demanding is financial transparency when it comes to the almost $14 billion endowment that Columbia has, as well as divestment, divesting from Israeli companies and companies that do business with the Israeli government. Now, that's obviously easier said than done, given that endowments don't just invest in companies and bonds directly, they invest in private equity, hedge funds, hard assets, so it's difficult to untangle all of that.

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