ALBAWABA - Students at Columbia University are determined to continue their sit-in despite growing tensions, while protesters at Sorbonne University are suppressed by French police. This occurs in the middle of a growing global intellectual movement against the acts of Israel in Gaza.
According to a letter acquired by Al Jazeera from Columbia University administration, demonstrators are threatened with disciplinary action if they do not voluntarily withdraw by 2:00 PM local time today. Students who are accused of breaking academic behavior rules are not allowed to utilize campus facilities until the matter is resolved.
Concurrently, Columbia University President Nemat Minouche Shafik announces that talks with pro-Palestinian protestors had failed. One major cause of dispute is Shafik's insistence on keeping investments supporting the Israeli army despite promises to invest in Gaza's health and education sectors.
Returning demonstrators at the University of Texas in Austin saw a heavy police presence, which led to six quick arrests and many detentions. Once protestors blocked a police vehicle carrying detained protesters, authorities used pepper spray and flash bang grenades to scatter the throng.
Governor Greg Abbott reaffirmed the crackdown, threatening to make arrests if encampments were allowed. A police raid at the university last week resulted in 34 arrests as emotions rose.
Students respond by pledging to continue until their three demands—financial openness, divestment, and amnesty for those reprimanded in previous protests—are satisfied. Stressing the nonviolent character of their protests, they persevere in the face of increasing pressure."
