Columbia University, the epicenter of pro-Palestinian protests that have upended college campuses across the United States, began suspending student demonstrators on Monday after they defied an ultimatum to disperse.

The move follows almost two weeks of protests against Israel’s war in Gaza that have swept through higher education institutions from coast to coast, after around 100 protesters were first arrested at Columbia on April 18.

In the latest crackdown, authorities at the prestigious university in New York demanded that the protest encampment be cleared by 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) or students would face disciplinary action.

“These repulsive scare tactics mean nothing compared to the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians,” said a statement, read out by a student at a press conference after the deadline, referring to the death toll in Gaza.

“We will not move until Columbia meets our demands or… are moved by force,” said the student, who would not give his name.

A few hours later, Columbia vice president of communications Ben Chang said the university had “begun suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus.”বিস্তারিত