One of the reasons I think things are going to start getting even uglier soon: the university president is under a lot of pressure to quell the (completely legal) protest because it’s being falsely reported as ‘anti-Semetic’.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/23/stefanik-columbia-federal-funding-00153967
And I’ve seen otherwise good people neglect to mention how many Jewish students are part of the protests. The other thing I’ve seen is people who explicitly lump “anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli” together and call it bigotry. Anti-Semitism is bigotry. Anti-Israel protests are against the actions of a government. And a sentiment that half or more Israelis share:
Jewish students and faculty held a protest outside Shafik’s house Tuesday afternoon, accusing Columbia of ignoring their involvement in the encampment and Islamophobic incidents on campus.
Marianne Hirsch, a Jewish professor at Columbia and a member of the American Association of University Professors — also the daughter of Holocaust survivors — accused the university of squashing peaceful protest. “This is not what the university is about,” Hirsch said, adding that the protest is against the state of Israel as opposed to any identity.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/23/palestine-protests-college-campuses-00153840
ETA: Sorry, @DukeTrout, I was posting and also texting with someone, so I now see we need to sit down with a Coke together!
OK, fine, let me pour you a scotch instead!
There is a more substantial mobile unit set up, threats of the National Guard coming, the ACLU has representatives there, and some national legal witnesses (green helmets….does anyone know what that organization is?) to verify that the laws are being followed. Helicopter overhead. It’s the last 10 minutes before the midnight deadline for agreement between the school and the student protesters.
They’re starting to clear away all food and anything extraneous. It is assumed that arrests are going to start again, possibly as soon as 12:01am. People are writing legal phone numbers on their arms in preparation.
Deadline now moved to 8:00am.
It’s a good sign that they flinched. It’s a different ballgame when legal observers show up and all eyes are on the authorities when they are considering unconstitutional violence.
The lumping-together is maddening–and both the White House and mainstream news outlets are doing it consistently.
It’s funny (peculiar, not ha-ha) that no one is mentioning the anti-apartheid protests on college campuses in the late 1980s. These occurred in many places and also involved encampments (shantytowns). Colleges and universities divesting from South Africa contributed significantly to the end of apartheid.
Anti-Apartheid protests are being referenced a lot. Maybe not specifically in the articles you’ve read, but considering the fact that “apartheid” is part of the official organization – Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) – it’s very much key to understanding this protest.
Out in LA… 
Good to know!
