Columbia University calls on pro-Palestinian students to disband after talks fail without explaining what will happen if they don’t cooperate
Columbia University’s president said today that negotiations with pro-Palestinian protesters, who began camping on campus two weeks ago, have failed, and she called them to dissolve voluntarilywithout saying what will happen if they don’t.
“We are pressuring those in the camp to disband voluntarily. We are looking at alternatives internally to bring an end to this crisis as soon as possible“, Columbia president Nemat Minous Shafik wrote in a lengthy statement.
Shafiq, whose administration was criticized by a university oversight committee on Friday for the way it handled the protests, said in a statement that organizers and heads of the academic institution had been unable to reach an agreement that would have lifted the impasse over the encampment, which, according to the presidency, violates university regulations.
She said Columbia would not divest assets that support the Israeli military, a key demand of the protesters, but the school offered to invest in health and education in Gaza and improve the transparency of Columbia’s direct investment holdings. based on her announcement.
The protesters vowed to maintain their encampment until three demands were met: the transfer, transparency in Columbia’s finances, and amnesty for students and staff punished for their participation in the protests.
Shafiq was heavily criticized by many students, staff members and outside observers for calling the NYPD to clear the encampment, resulting in more than 100 arrests. Efforts to remove the encampment, which students set up again in the days after the April 18 police crackdown, sparked similar protests at universities from California to Boston.
Last week, two deadlines that Columbia had set for protesters to remove their tents expired without an agreement. It is unclear what the university might do now that it has announced that the talks have not been successful.
Student organizers were not immediately available to comment on Shafiq’s announcement, and a university spokesperson said the administration would have no further comment.
Source :Skai
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