As the fall semester commenced at Columbia University on Tuesday, dozens of anti-Israel protesters disrupted the first day of classes, reigniting tensions that plagued the campus during the previous semester. The demonstrators, many carrying signs with slogans like “Resist until victory,” formed a picket line and chanted as they blocked access to the Ivy League school in Morningside Heights, forcing students to wait in long lines to pass through security at the university’s main entrance at Broadway and West 116th Street.

The protesters could be heard chanting slogans such as “Over 100,000 dead, Columbia, your hands are red” and “Don’t cross the picket line, we must honor Palestine,” as they banged drums and created a scene reminiscent of the chaotic demonstrations that paralyzed the campus last spring. The protests last semester led to outright antisemitism and prompted Columbia’s then-president, Minouche Shafik, to twice call in the NYPD to dismantle tent encampments set up by protesters. Shafik abruptly resigned shortly after the semester ended, citing the “period of turmoil” on campus.

In the wake of Shafik’s departure, interim president Katrina Armstrong pledged to uphold students’ rights to free expression while ensuring a safe learning environment. The university introduced new protest guidelines aimed at minimizing disruptions, and just days ago, a faculty-led task force on antisemitism released a comprehensive 91-page report. The report underscored the “urgent” need for changes to combat rising hate on campus, revealing that the university had done little to address the ostracization, humiliation, and verbal abuse experienced by Jewish and Israeli students following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th. It also criticized some faculty members for downplaying students’ concerns; some of those faculty members recently resigned.

Despite these efforts, anti-Israel student organizers remain undeterred and have vowed to escalate their actions, including future encampments. Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student and protest organizer, said, “As long as Columbia continues to invest and to benefit from Israeli apartheid, the students will continue to resist. Not only protests and encampments, the limit is the sky.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)