File : Students from New York University hold signs that read “Divest” and chant during a rally as students call for a ceasefire in Gaza, in New York, MICHAEL NIGRO / PACIFIC PRESS / LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES
Students at an increasing number of US universities are gathering in protest camps to demand that their schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies that are enabling its months-long conflict in Gaza. FRANCE 24’s New York correspondent Jessica Le Masurier reports from Columbia University, where students have resumed their protest just days after they were evicted by the police.
Tensions that had simmered for months kicked into a higher gear last week after more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia’s upper Manhattan campus were briefly detained by police.
They included 26-year-old Catherine Elias, who returned to the protest camp following her release.
“We sit in the country that not only funds but also manufactures and creates a lot of the bombs that are dropping on Gaza,” said the masters student, referring to US support for Israel throughout the war that has raged in the Palestinian enclave since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
“Every piece of the weaponry that allows this genocide to continue is being funded actively by universities like Columbia through their endowments,” Elias added.
FRANCE 24
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.