Student protest erupted from Columbia University spread like wildfire in universities all over the world.
America boasts a plethora of universities, totaling 439, which serve as the bedrock of its advancement. Columbia University stands as the nation’s oldest institution, tracing its roots back to 1754 when it was established as King’s College in Manhattan, New York.
Its relocation to Morningside Heights in 1896 marked a pivotal moment, where it adopted the name Columbia University. Globally, it ranks seventy-three among universities, boasting an annual budget of approximately six billion dollars in 2023. With nearly forty thousand students and around five thousand faculty members, its impact is undeniable.
The distinguished alumni roster of Columbia University includes seven Founding Fathers of America, four U.S. presidents, thirty-five international heads of state, two UN secretaries-general, ten Supreme Court justices, one hundred and three Nobel laureates, a trillionaire, and one hundred and twenty-five national award-winning scientists, among others.
Throughout history, the university has played a vital role, be it in the realm of scientific endeavors such as atomic bomb research or in fostering political awareness and insight.
How situation deteriorated :
The spring of 1968 witnessed unrest among the student body as revelations surfaced regarding the university’s involvement in the Vietnam War, prompting student protests against its collaboration with the American government.
Regarding the situation described, the students seized control of the university buildings, prompting the administration to request police intervention. Subsequently, the confrontation between law enforcement and the students escalated, resulting in casualties on both sides. As a result, the protest spread nationwide, drawing participation from other educational institutions across America.
This widespread opposition to the Vietnam War extended beyond academic campuses and influenced activism in city streets, ultimately contributing to the enforced withdrawal of American troops.
In the context of Israel’s actions towards Palestinians, there has been ongoing oppression, with the backing of America. The suffering of innocent Palestinians in Gaza has garnered global attention and sparked outrage within the international community.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, leading to Israeli forces entering Gaza and initiating indiscriminate killing of unarmed women and children. This resulted in widespread suffering among the Palestinian population, evoking empathy from people around the world.
At Columbia University, students participated in this wave of empathy by staging protests on campus. Despite the university’s closure on October 12 and subsequent restrictions imposed on student organizations, the protests continued into November 2023 with unwavering determination.
In December, the university students boycotted classes and organized rallies following a statement by Hillary Clinton endorsing Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
By January 2024, backers of Israel and Jewish interests on campus retaliated against these students by deploying chili powder and a pungent chemical spray during a rally backing the oppressed Palestinians in Gaza. This provoked the students, creating challenges for pro-Israeli students attending the university.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) probed the incident and apprehended multiple Jewish students and external individuals accountable for the assault. These students confronted expulsion and serious disciplinary measures. Yet, their attempts to quell the movement proved futile.
With escalating tensions, the Zionist lobby grew increasingly agitated, leveraging its entire influence. On April 17, the US Senate summoned Minouche Shafik, Columbia University’s president, for interrogation. Later that evening, Shafik authorized the NYPD’s campus entry for the first time since 1968, leading to the removal of the protest encampment and the arrest of over a hundred students, including Israa Harris, the daughter of US Senator Ilhan Omar.
While the police cracked down on the demonstrators, Israel supporters jubilated with American flags adorning 114th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The detainees were released the following day, swiftly reinstating their camp. As per a Columbia University press release, more than a hundred detained students have been expelled from the university.
Columbia University’s radio channel WKCR-FM office was also locked because it was broadcasting student protest news. The university was closed indefinitely, and students were instructed to take online lectures, which most students rejected as part of their protest. Incidents of police entering campuses, violence against students, arrests, expulsions, and university closures spread, leading to unrest among students across the country.
This movement has now spread to almost 150 universities in more than twenty states in the last ten days. Over five hundred protesters have been arrested, but the situation is deteriorating rapidly, with matters feeling out of control.
Universities from Italy, France, Britain, and several other European countries have also joined in. Today, Hamza Sarbuland revealed that protest camps have also been set up at the University of Queensland Brisbane, Sydney University, and the University of Melbourne in Australia. Last week, amidst all these camps worldwide, Jews celebrated their annual Passover festival. Passover is a Jewish annual festival celebrated for seven days, beginning on April 15 according to the Jewish calendar. Some Christian denominations, such as Catholics, also observe it. Passover is also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the “Feast of Matzot.” It commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from the bondage of Pharaoh and is usually celebrated during the days of the barley harvest in spring.
The demands of these students are:
- American universities should sever their military, educational, and economic ties with Israel until it ceases its oppression and injustice against Palestinians.
- The American government should immediately halt its financial and military aid to Israel.
- Immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
- Israel should acknowledge the existence of Palestinians and grant them the right to a separate state.
In these past ten days, the situation has deteriorated to the extent that The New York Times wrote an article titled “What Columbia should have learned from the protests of 1968.”
The American Zionist lobby, the U.S. government, and the Israeli leadership appear to be distressed and disoriented. Every aspect of the American administration has labeled this protest as illegal, undemocratic, unethical, racist, and anti-Semitic, with some even likening it to terrorism.
The media worldwide is largely suppressing and censoring news of this protest, but limited information is reaching the world through social media.
The American president, Joe Biden, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have both condemned it as anti-Semitic and compared it to remnants of Hitler, despite many American Jewish organizations, such as Jewish Voice for Peace, being involved in this protest.
Organizations like Columbia University Apartheid Divest and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which are significant parts of these protests, also include a large number of American Jews.
Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the American Senate, denounced the protesters in front of Columbia University’s Low Library, demanded the resignation of Menouche Shafiq, and urged President Biden to deal with the protesters through the military, falsely claiming that on October 7th, Hamas cooked Israeli baby lions in the oven.
The pro-Israel organization StandWithUs organized a march outside Columbia University and attempted to enter the university, threatening and harassing the protesters.
No one knows how the situation will unfold, but it is clear that the American Zionist lobby is feeling claustrophobic in America for the first time in seventy years.
Israel had cultivated a sphere of empathy and sway in Western nations, notably in America and Europe, through extensive endeavors and considerable financial backing. Nonetheless this support of Israel is now at stake . The younger demographic has dismantled this facade, empowered by the awareness and sensitivity fostered by social media. The grand edifice of fabricated victimization, painstakingly constructed by Jews over a century, is now collapsing in light of the brutality and terrorism witnessed in the past six months.