By Claire Davenport
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations were back on Columbia’s campus Friday afternoon, the first such protests of the new academic year. Around 100 students, many wearing masks and keffiyehs to dodge university surveillance and online harassment, gathered in front of the sundial on central campus for a protest dubbed “All Out of Lebanon.”
Some waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags near the site of the tent encampment that last spring marked the beginning of nationwide student protests. The protests at Columbia culminated in the occupation of the university’s Hamilton Hall, which ended after the school’s administration called in New York City police to clear the encampment and take back the building.
During Friday’s two-hour demonstration, Pro-Palestinian protesters sang now-familiar chants such as “Disclose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest,” and “Intifada revolution,” along with newer ones: “We have nothing to lose but our chains” and “Glory to Lebanon.”
Across from that group, about a dozen pro-Israel counter-protesters waved American and Israeli flags and held up a large red banner reading: “Get support for terrorism off our campus.” They chanted “USA” and “Hey, Columbia, it’s old news, they just want to kill the Jews.” Midway through the protest, barricades were placed between the two groups.
A university spokesperson told the campus newspaper Columbia Spectator that the school was “aware of this event, and public safety and University delegates are monitoring for any disruptions to campus activity.” Despite the close proximity and opposing views, the gatherings remained peaceful.
The protest was announced by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) – a coalition of student groups that organized last year’s protests – in a post on Instagram. In its post, the group called once more for the university to divest from Israel, referencing recent Israeli military actions in Lebanon.
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The new Lebanon dynamic is really making this worth watching.
“Along with newer ones: ‘We have nothing to lose but our chains.’” Oh, the irony! The newer one comes directly from The Communist Manifesto. Same old Soviet anti-Israel playbook.”