Pro-Palestinian encampment returns to Columbia University
Pro-Palestinian encampment back on Columbia campus
A pro-Palestinian encampment is back on Columbia University's campus as the school hosts alumni weekend. The Ivy League went one month without tents before its latest return. The previous protest ended when the NYPD was called to remove people occupying Hamilton Hall. FOX 5 NY's Jessica Formoso shares how alumni are reacting.
NEW YORK - Pro-Palestinian protesters set up another encampment on Columbia University's campus on Friday evening, just in time for alumni weekend.
This comes a few weeks after being ousted by the NYPD.
The encampment is the most significant act of protest to happen on the college's campus since May 1, when NYPD officers stormed Hamilton Hall on April 30, clearing protesters out of the administrative building and making hundreds of arrests.
"I don’t think they should risk calling police for the 3rd time in a span of a month," a protester said.
RELATED: NYPD arrest nearly 300 at Columbia, CCNY protests; campus deployment extended to mid-May
According to the Columbia Spectator, protesters pitched around 10 tents, with banners reading "While You’re Earning Rafah’s Burning," "We’re back b*tches," and "@alumni No Donations ‘til Divestment."
"We're asking them not to donate until divestment. The alumni dollars, just like our tuition dollars, go towards lending credibility to this institution, facilitating this institution's actions as it's continuing to be maturely complicit in genocide," a protester said.
However, some alumni don't understand how the university is allowing this again.
"I think the administration is sending a message to alumni that the ones they value the most are the ones who support the encampment. How does that make you feel? I don’t happen to be in that group, so I feel devalued," an alumnus said.
Public safety officers began removing the tents on Friday evening, but several more remained as of Saturday.
Calls for a ceasefire in Gaza erupted at schools all across the nation this spring, including multiple schools in the New York City metro area.