EBN- Approximately 1,700 students have been arrested across US universities as rallies for a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from companies linked to Israel spread across US campuses.
The pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California at Los Angeles has expanded in recent days, but counter-protesters have also become increasingly vocal and visible.
Columbia University has been thrust into turmoil in recent weeks, reeling from a congressional hearing on antisemitism with President Minouche Shafik, NYPD’s arrest of more than 100 who protest in support of Palestinians on the university’s lawn, and the occupation of the campus’ Hamilton Hall.
Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which states that it’s a coalition of more than 100 student groups, says it is calling for the university to financially divest from companies and institutions that “profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine,” according to an online statement.
However, Columbia’s investments are not public information and remain largely unknown.
In March, the Columbia College Student Council approved a student referendum on the issue, according to the Columbia Daily Spectator.
“As a diverse group united by love and justice, we demand our voices be heard against the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza,” the group stated.
Tensions have been high on college campuses nationwide since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7. The Israeli military then began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 34,000 people have been killed and more than 77,000 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
