Columbia University, once leader in anti-war, anti-racism protests, now leads rallies for Palestine

ANKARA 

Columbia University in the US, known for organizing demonstrations against the Vietnam War and anti-racism protests, became the focal point of rallies in support of Palestine following Israel's attacks on Gaza.

The protests, spreading to universities worldwide, continue to remain in the spotlight.

Columbia University stands out among universities due to its historical background. Over 50 years ago, the university similarly led protests against racism, discrimination, and wars.

In 1968, like this year's demonstrations in support of Palestine, students at Columbia University entered Hamilton Hall on the campus, where they stayed for days, continuing their protests in four other buildings.

Columbia University is under criticism for asking the New York Police Department to forcibly evict a group of students who staged an encampment on a campus lawn. Over 100 people were arrested on April 18, but the protesters quickly adapted and staged another sit-in.

They were forcibly removed on April 30 night by police from that site, as well as a building they occupied.

Students are demanding the cessation of the university's investments linked to Israel as well as the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Speaking to Anadolu, Associate Professor Neslihan Senocak from the History Department at Columbia University said that the university has been a scene of protests throughout its history.

Senocak noted that calling the police onto the campus is "very rare" in the US, saying: "In America, everyone is very afraid of the police because of their attitudes in racist incidents, as they are seen as targeting certain social groups. Therefore, calling the police inside the campus created a huge reaction."

Underlining that there are students from all over the world at Columbia University, she said: "Yes, Americans are in the majority, but there is a large international community at Columbia, and what's interesting for me is that students from Asia and Latin America are joining these protests. They protest against the oppression or pressure exerted on Palestine by the Israeli government."

‘You can distance a student from school, but you can't distance an idea’

Dr. Eleanor Stein, an adjunct professor at the State University of New York teaching climate change and human rights, is one of the students who participated in the 1968 protests at Columbia University.

Sharing her experiences and the process of being detained with Anadolu, Stein said: "The main element of both the 1968 events and protests at Columbia University is the students taking a stand against the biggest moral issue of their times. At that time, it was Vietnam and racism. Today, it's the occupation and genocide in Gaza."

Recalling that she was in class on the day the protests began, Stein said she later joined the demonstrations with her friend, entering Hamilton Hall with other students to stage a sit-in.

Students and professors' expressions of support for Palestine were "attempted to be silenced," Stein said.

"The attempt to forcibly make Palestine invisible began long before the police entered the campus, and events unfolded naturally because you can distance a student or expel them from school, but you can't distance an idea," according to Stein.

More than 2,500 people have been detained so far in protests in which police intervened at the request of the administrations at many universities in the US.

Students at universities around the world are gathering on their campuses in demonstrations against Israel’s attacks on Gaza, which started last month at New York's Columbia University.

More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 78,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip since an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year that killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

In an interim ruling in January, The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) said it is "plausible" that Tel Aviv is committing genocide in Gaza, ordering it to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in the enclave.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz​​​​​​​