Mideast War blowback

Post Reply New Topic

An anti-Israel protest that had seized a Barnard College building on Wednesday ended after a bomb threat, which activists claimed was a ruse to remove them from the site.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest swore on Instagram Thursday to renew protests after the New York Police Department cleared the demonstrators from the Milstein Center.

“We must stand against this latest wave of repression and criminalization as a united student body,” CUAD said. “We will not back down.”

Barnard College President Laura Ann Rosenbury said that activists were evacuated so that the NYPD could search for a bomb and assess the threat.

“Barnard staff in the building immediately notified the masked disruptors about the bomb threat and once again told them to leave. Many of them still refused to leave. Our staff, at risk to their own personal safety, remained in the Milstein lobby, urging the masked disrupters to take the threat seriously. Even when the College activated the fire alarm, the masked protesters put our entire campus at risk by refusing to leave,” Rosenbury said in a Wednesday statement. “The decision to request NYPD assistance was guided and informed entirely by the absolute obligation we have to keep every member of our community safe.”

CUAD dismisses demands, says bomb threat is a "ruse"
CUAD dismissed the bomb threat as a ploy to remove activists, labeling it on social media as “fake.”

During the evacuation, the NYPD said nine people were taken into custody, given desk appearance tickets, and charged with obstructing governmental administration, trespass, and disorderly conduct.

Rosenbury said that she had spoken to the protesters over the phone and was willing to meet with them if they removed their masks. This offer was rejected, with CUAD saying on Instagram that they would remove their masks if Barnard disclosed any Israeli financial ties to the activists.

THE DEMANDS for disclosure, divestment, and amnesty for three expelled students were the same that demonstrators insisted on during last Wednesday’s Milbank Hall occupation.

Investigations have been opened into the University of California's alleged antisemitism under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced on Wednesday.

Part of the investigation will look into whether there has been a pattern of discriminatory employment practices.

The Trump administration on Friday announced that it would cancel approximately $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University "due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students."

The move comes just days after the administration's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism notified Columbia that it was going to conduct a "comprehensive review" of the university's federal grants and contracts.

The task force includes staffers from the Justice Department, Health and Human Services Department, Education Department and the U.S. General Services Administration.

In a statement explaining the cancellation of certain federal grants Friday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon implied that Columbia had not complied with federal antidiscrimination laws.

“Since October 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses — only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them,” she said in a statement. “Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding. For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus. Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer.”

Shortly after the announcement, Columbia committed to engaging with the Trump administration on the issue in the hopes of restoring the lost federal funds.

“We are reviewing the announcement from the federal agencies and pledge to work with the federal government to restore Columbia’s federal funding. We take Columbia’s legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff," a spokesperson for the university told NBC News.

In a post on X later Friday, McMahon said that she had a "productive meeting" with the university's interim president Katrina Armstrong.

"Had a productive meeting with Columbia’s interim president Katrina Armstrong today. Look forward to working together to protect all students on their campus. The Trump Administration will not allow the continued harassment and threats of violence against students," the education secretary wrote.

On Friday, Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights and the head of the Justice Department Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, said in a statement that canceling these federal funds "is one of the tools we are using to respond to this spike in anti-Semitism."

"This is only the beginning," he added.

After the Trump administration's announcement, Brian Cohen, the executive director of The Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life at Columbia and Barnard said he hoped the move would be a "wake up call" for campus leadership.

“Columbia has an antisemitism crisis, and for months, I have worked with faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni to urge the administration to act quickly to address this crisis and avoid lasting damage to the University," Cohen said in a statement. "I hope this federal action is a wake-up call to Columbia’s administration and trustees to take antisemitism and the harassment of Jewish students and faculty seriously so that these grants can be restored, the vital work of the University can continue, and that Columbia can become, once again, a place where the Jewish community thrives.”

A majority of 29 out of 55 Copenhagen City Council members voted to name a location "Palestine Square", it was announced on Thursday. The new name is set to take effect on April 1.
The discussion to name a Copenhagen square after Palestine has been ongoing for a while, and not without controversy.

In August 2023, a majority of The Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten), The Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre), The Socialist People's Party (SF), and The Alternative (Alternativet) supported the proposal to name the square.

The decision had been set for October 9, 2023, but was postponed following Hamas's October 7 massacre.

Danish-Palestinians welcomed the decision, viewing it as "a testament to the strong ties between Denmark and Palestine," according to Palestinian Authority state media WAFA.

Fathi El-Abed, chairman of the Danish-Palestinian Friendship Association, expressed excitement over the decision, calling it a "historic day," adding that "it has been a long and challenging process with ups and downs. But now, we can see that there is a majority in favor of naming a Palestine Square in the heart of our Copenhagen," according to Danish news site DR.

Email campaign of compromise
Thousands of emails were sent to Copenhagen city councillors on Wednesday, urging them to consider Denmark's historical ties to the Jewish community and reject the proposal, DR reported.
The emails emphazised that "public squares should unite, not divide," and stated that the square would remind Jews of the October 7 attack and other attacks by PFLP, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, DR reported.

Some of the emails suggested naming the square after an anti-Hamas Palestinian activist, or naming it as "Reconciliation Square" instead, according to DR.

Traffic around the Palace of Westminster in London came to a standstill for much of Saturday as emergency crews tried to reach a man who climbed the Big Ben tower holding a Palestinian flag.

Negotiators were lifted up on a fire brigade ladder platform several times before eventually talking him down. The barefoot man, who appeared to be staging a protest on a ledge several meters (yards) up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, stepped off the building and onto a cherry picker after a long conversation with negotiators. He got into a waiting ambulance.

Officials said tours of the Houses of Parliament were canceled because of the incident.

Westminster Bridge and a nearby street were closed for much of the day and several emergency services vehicles were at the scene as crowds looked on. Police also blocked off all pedestrian access to Parliament Square.