On the campus of Columbia University in New York, hundreds of students are taking part in demonstrations that are galvanising others around the world. Following the arrests of 133 students last Thursday from Columbia and its sister college Barnard at their encampment in support of Palestinians, campus demonstrations in the US and around the world have surged.
On Monday, around 100 student protesters from New York University and around 50 from Yale were arrested. The arrests have led to the unintended consequence of a university administration crackdown that was meant to rein in the protesters. Instead, they are multiplying and morphing into sustained movement.
At Columbia University, authorities issued a midnight warning in response to a request from the university to clear the camp after failing to reach an agreement with protest leaders. But activists defied the warning and remained put. The protesters have been camping and occupying a lawn on the Upper Manhattan campus for several days, demanding that the university disclose any financial holdings that could support Israel's brutal military campaign on Gaza.
