Columbia University shut the entire school down today.
This comes after after hundreds of pro-Palestine protestors were arrested yesterday, followed by hundreds of school faculty members walking out in solidarity with the students. Then, overnight, dozens of protestors broke into and and barricaded the inside of Hamilton Hall, one of the university buildings that was also occupied by students in 1968 during Vietnam protests. (See videos below, posted by Palestinian Youth Movement and Republicans against Trump.)
The university is only permitting students who live on campus and essential workers to enter the school at this time.
Meanwhile, Columbia stated today that they will "follow through" with consequences — as in expulsion — for the students who are occupying Hamilton Hall. "Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation — vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances – and we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday," the university said in a statement via The New York Times.
Protesters took over Hamilton Hall on Monday night, tying doors shut with ropes and blocking entrances with outdoor furniture.
The demonstrations that have roiled the school's New York campus for weeks show no signs of abating.
Columbia president Nemat Minouche Shafik said that talks between the school and protesters have broken down and that the university would not divest from Israel.
Ms Shafik has faced criticism for her decision to call in the New York Police Department against student protesters earlier this month, resulting in dozens of arrests and sparking waves of protests across the US.
And from CNN:
Dozens of Columbia University students are occupying Hamilton Hall, one of the campus buildings occupied during 1968 student protests, according to a social media post early Tuesday from Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine.
Overnight, protesters on campus made their way from the West Lawn encampment to Hamilton Hall, one of the main academic buildings for undergraduates.
Hours earlier, the university announced it had begun suspending students who refused to leave the encampment before a 2 p.m. Monday deadline set by the administration.
A large group of protesters rallied in front of Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, chanting the call-and-response, "What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now."
See other Israel-Palestine posts on Boing Boing here.
