Gaza Protesters Defy Columbia Deadline To Leave Campus

New York, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Apr, 2024) Student demonstrators at Columbia University on Monday defied an ultimatum to disperse or face immediate suspension, as tensions rose at the epicenter of pro-Palestinian protests that have erupted at US colleges.

Police arrested around 275 people on four separate campuses across the United States over the weekend, with the White House calling on the demonstrations to remain peaceful.

Authorities at Columbia in New York issued a statement on Monday saying the protestors' encampment must be cleared, and adding that the university would not divest financial holdings linked to Israel -- a key demand of demonstrators.

But student protestors pushed back, vowing to defend their camp on the prestigious institution's main lawn, despite threats of suspensions and disciplinary action after a 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) deadline.

Protests against the Gaza war, with its high civilian death toll of Palestinians, have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complaints that the rallies have veered into anti-Semitism and hate speech.

For almost two weeks now a wave of protests against Israel's war in Gaza has swept through US university campuses from coast to coast, after around 100 protesters were arrested at Columbia on April 18.

Footage of police in riot gear summoned at various colleges to break up rallies have been viewed around the world, recalling the protest movement that erupted during the Vietnam war.

At University of California, Los Angeles skirmishes broke out Sunday between pro-Palestinian protesters and supporters of Israel.