Columbia University’s student newspaper noted that ongoing anti-Israel protests on campus have sparked demonstrations of solidarity at other colleges across the U.S. and worldwide.
As the protests at Columbia reached their sixth day on Monday, coinciding with the beginning of Passover at sundown, similar displays of support for Hamas and the Palestinians have emerged across various campuses in response to Israel’s retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack and massacre by terrorists in Israel.
According to the Columbia Spectator’s report on Sunday, the on-campus “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” has inspired students at “over a dozen universities across the country” and internationally to join in solidarity with the pro-Palestinian protests.
The newspaper highlighted that the solidarity movements gained momentum last Thursday following the arrest and issuance of summonses for trespassing to over 100 individuals, including the daughter of Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar. The protests ranged from walkouts to marches to encampments, drawing anywhere from 50 to hundreds of participants.
Solidarity demonstrations were reported at Yale University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the City University of New York, Harvard University, Brown University, Princeton University, Northwestern University, Temple University, Ohio State University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Miami University in Ohio, Bard College, and the University of Melbourne in Australia.
The national chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) called on all chapters to follow Columbia SJP’s lead in pressuring their administrations to divest from Israel, citing the prioritization of profit and reputation over Palestinian lives.
The escalation of demonstrations at Columbia followed President Minouche Shafik’s appearance before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to discuss on-campus antisemitism. These protests are part of broader anti-Israel sentiments across the U.S. amid the Israel-Hamas conflict that began with the invasion and massacre by Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7, resulting in over 1,100 Israelis killed and 248 taken hostage.
