Columbia University clears encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters
The New York Police Department began clearing an encampment of students protesting the war in Gaza at Columbia University on Thursday, a day after demonstrators had set it up.
The school directed police to clear the encampment, university President Minouche Shafik announced in an email to students.
“I took this extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances,” Shafik wrote.
Footage obtained by The Washington Post showed officers detaining protesters in handcuffs.
Shafik cited safety concerns and violations of university rules and policies as the reason to clear the demonstration, adding that the university issued written warnings to the student protesters Wednesday night that they could face consequences if they didn’t pack up their tents.
More than 100 demonstrators were “occupying” a major lawn at Columbia, Shafik wrote in a letter to New York police requesting they remove the individuals.
The removal comes a day after Columbia leaders faced scrutiny from federal lawmakers on campus antisemitism, and as universities across the country struggle to find a balance between freedom of speech and protest with the need for safe campuses six months after the Israel-Gaza war began.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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