Columbia University Students Protest Outside Hamilton Hall
Protesters Demand Divestment from Israeli Occupation
Updated April 30, 2024 7:31 am
Columbia University is grappling with the fallout from its president's promise to Congress that the university would divest from companies that support the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.
On Monday, the university's president, Lee Bollinger, announced that Columbia would "not be doing business with any company that contributes to the oppression of the Palestinian people." He made the announcement in a letter to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who had urged Bollinger to take action.
The announcement has drawn mixed reactions from the university community. Some students have praised Bollinger for taking a stand against the Israeli occupation, while others have criticized him for caving to political pressure.
On Tuesday evening, police officers in riot gear entered Columbia's campus to break up a protest by pro-Palestinian students. The students were demanding that the university divest from companies that support the Israeli occupation.
The protest was largely peaceful, but police arrested several students after they refused to leave the building.
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