University hall occupied
Historic university building in New York occupied
Despite the US government's appeals to the thousands of students and professors to remain peaceful at their pro-Palestinian rallies at the country's universities, the protests are threatening to escalate. On Tuesday night, demonstrators broke into a building at New York's elite Columbia University, US media reported.
Videos showed masked people smashing windows with black and white Palestinian scarves and barricading the entrance to the building with chairs and tables. According to the student newspaper "Columbia Spectator", several dozen protesters were inside Hamilton Hall. Hundreds more demonstrated outside the building. Hamilton Hall had already been occupied in 1968 during the protest against the Vietnam War.
The student groups "Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine" and "Columbia University Apartheid Divest" announced that they would not leave Hamilton Hall until their demands were met. "Occupying a building is a small risk compared to the daily resistance of Palestinians in Gaza," said a statement posted on the platform X, formerly Twitter. Columbia advised students and staff not to go to campus on Tuesday unless it was urgent for safety reasons.
Students are now suspended
Following dozens of arrests at Columbia University and other campuses - where protests are being held not only against Israel's actions in Gaza, but also against the US government's financial support for Israel - the educational institutions concerned are stepping up the pace. Columbia University has begun suspending students who refuse to leave the protest camp on campus.
Just under two weeks ago, a New York police operation at Columbia caused a stir and drew criticism, leading to protests and the setting up of tent camps at dozens of universities across the USA. Since then, according to the New York Times, more than 800 people have been arrested across the country, including university staff. Some are accused of anti-Semitism and trivializing the Islamist Hamas, one of whose goals is the destruction of the state of Israel.
Protests also an important issue in the US election campaign
The situation is being fueled from the outside by more radical voices who sense an opportunity to make political capital out of the US election campaign. On Sunday, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine rejected the proposal of some staunchly right-wing Republicans to send the National Guard to the affected universities - such measures could end badly, he warned. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell questioned why everyone didn't sit down for a civilized discussion "instead of trying to dominate the conversation."
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