{"id":2223447,"date":"2024-04-17T16:26:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T20:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-palestinian-protests-erupt-at-columbia-university-as-its-president-testifies-on-capitol-hill\/"},"modified":"2024-04-17T16:29:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T20:29:04","slug":"pro-palestinian-protests-erupt-at-columbia-university-as-its-president-testifies-on-capitol-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-palestinian-protests-erupt-at-columbia-university-as-its-president-testifies-on-capitol-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Protesters rally at Columbia University as president speaks on Capitol Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpro-palestinian-protests-erupt-at-columbia-university-as-its-president-testifies-on-capitol-hill%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2223447&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University occupied the main lawn demanding divestment \u2064from\u2063 Israel as \u200dPresident \u2062Nemat \u200bShafik testified on antisemitism. Students \u200bset\u2062 up \u2064tents vowing to stay until their demands\u200d are met. They displayed signs like \u201cIsrael bombs, \u2062Columbia pays.\u201d NYPD buses and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-maxine-waters-requested-police-protection-before-pushing-more-confrontational-unrest-amid-riots\/\" title=\"Report: Maxine Waters Requested Police Protection Before Pushing \u2018More Confrontational\u2019 Unrest Amid Riots\">officers appeared<\/a> as\u200c the university urged protesters to leave due\u2062 to safety concerns and policy \u2063violations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Hundreds of pro-Palestinian students occupied <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/columbia-university\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Columbia University<\/a>\u2018s main lawn on Wednesday to demand the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>school<\/a> divest from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Israel\">Israel<\/a>, as university president Nemat Shafik was on Capitol Hill testifying about campus antisemitism.<\/p>\n<p>Members of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment started staging their occupation around 4:00 AM Wednesday morning, setting up tents and claiming they would remain there until the school capitulates to its demands, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.columbiaspectator.com\/news\/2024\/04\/17\/dozens-of-protesters-occupy-south-lawn-call-for-divestment-from-israel-ahead-of-shafik-testimony\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to student newspaper <em>Columbia Daily Spectator<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christians-and-muslims-unite-in-michigan-to-fight-sexually-explicit-material-in-school-libraries\/\" title=\"Christians And Muslims Unite In Michigan To Fight Sexually Explicit Material In School Libraries\">protesters brought signs<\/a> with slogans such as \u201cIsrael bombs, Columbia pays.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The protests began only hours before Shafik was set to testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee in a hearing titled \u201cColumbia in Crisis: Columbia University\u2019s Response to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antisemitism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Antisemitism<\/a>,\u201d and continued through her testimony.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe presence of tents on South Lawn is a safety concern and a violation of university policies,\u201d a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nih-warned-of-biosafety-concerns-at-wuhan-lab-where-covid-19-may-have-originated\/\" title=\"NIH alerted to 'biosafety concerns' at Wuhan lab linked to COVID-19 origin.\">university spokesperson told<\/a> the <em>Spectator<\/em>. \u201cWe are informing the students they are in violation of university policies and for their own safety and for the operation of the university they need to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The outlet reported that the school had already restricted main campus access to those holding university identification cards in anticipation of Shafik\u2019s testimony.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nypd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>New York City Police Department<\/a> corrections buses were seen parked outside the protests, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-cuban-authorities-arrest-popular-youtube-reporter-during-live-interview\/\" title=\"WATCH: Cuban Authorities Arrest Popular YouTube Reporter During Live Interview\">independent reporter<\/a> Katie Smith on X.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<blockquote data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NOW: 2 NYPD Corrections Department buses are parked outside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine as Columbia students continue to occupy the lawn in front of Butler Library <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/S1YBAXtQdI\">pic.twitter.com\/S1YBAXtQdI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 katie smith (@probablyreadit) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/probablyreadit\/status\/1780653439963304168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The buses arrived around the same time NYPD public safety officers presented encamped protesters with a notice to disperse, according to an X post from another independent reporter at the scene, Talia Jane.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<blockquote data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Reps from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BarnardCollege?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@BarnardCollege<\/a> entered the lawn at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Columbia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Columbia<\/a> where hundreds of students have gathered for a Gaza Solidarity Encampment calling on the university to divest from Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Admins tell students to talk to them to avoid disciplinary action. Students laugh &#038; chant \u201cHell no.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/737hTS8cFQ\">pic.twitter.com\/737hTS8cFQ<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Talia Jane \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25 (@taliaotg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/taliaotg\/status\/1780629806482092124?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Footage from Jane\u2019s account also shows students responding by saying, \u201cAll you fascists bound to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Counterprotesters also showed up to the event, some of whom had Israel regalia.<\/p>\n<p>As the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reported, Shafik told the House committee that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2969073\/columbia-ramped-up-student-misconduct-cases-antisemitism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"the school had ramped up\">the school had ramped up<\/a> the number of student misconduct cases since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, and she noted that there were likely more cases open now than any time in the past ten years.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shafik said one of the top challenges facing Columbia and other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/schools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>schools<\/a> is how to walk the fine line between suppressing speech and protecting students from harassment \u2014 and how to define what conduct rises to the level of harassment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrying to reconcile the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-push-to-rein-in-big-tech-as-federal-gears-grind-slow\/\" title=\"States Push to Rein in Big Tech as Federal Gears Grind Slow\">free speech rights<\/a> of those who wanted to protest and the rights of Jewish students to be in an environment free of discrimination and harassment has been the central challenge on our campus,\u201d she said, seeking clarification for when certain speech \u201ccrosses the line\u201d of First Amendment protections.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Wednesday, hundreds of pro-Palestinian students occupied Columbia University&#8217;s main lawn, urging divestment from Israel. Meanwhile, university president Nemat Shafik testified about campus antisemitism on Capitol Hill. The Gaza Solidarity Encampment began the occupation early Wednesday, pitching tents with plans to stay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2223448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24108672241141-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2223447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24108672241141-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2223447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2223448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2223447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2223447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2223447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}