Columbia University, home to one of the nation's most respected journalism schools, blocks reporters from campus as dozens of students are arrested

www.thecity.nyc

Dozens of Columbia Students at Pro-Palestinian Encampment Arrested by NYPD

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She said the encampment violated many of the university’s new policies put in place last fall, requiring at least two days notice for demonstrations and requiring them to be held in authorized areas.
“This is a challenging moment and these are steps that I deeply regret having to take,” her email continued. “The current encampment violates all of the new policies, severely disrupts campus life, and creates a harassing and intimidating environment for many of our students.”
When did our country get so damn complacent with "authorized demonstration areas"?
I don't have much of a stake in the whole conflict over there other than I hope the needless misery and suffering end immediately. But this woman's comments are just so damn out of touch and pathetic. Protests are meant to disrupt and make people uncomfortable. That's literally the point. You don't get shit done by being polite when everyone is ignoring you and trying to shove you in a closet to make you go away. You get louder and more aggressive until others realize that ignoring you isn't going to work in the long term.
- This is the US where rhe KKK marching on the statehouse grounds is perfectly fine because eVeRyOnE gEtS a VoIcE, but BLM is demonized.
  Of course they made petty protest restrictions so they could use it on anyone who opposes the status quo. This country loves to talk about freedom while denying it when anyone who actually needs to be heard wants to speak.
- Oh no no, we’re very progressive and advocate for protesting! But you have to warn us beforehand, and you can only protest over there where it’s far away and no one will see you, and you can only protest about certain things, and if we think the protests are actually working, regardless if you follow the 800 rules we require, then we have the right to arrest and break it up anyway.
  But otherwise we’re progressive and will let you protest! ☺️
It is like the 68 protests. And the president needs reminding, the whole point of direct action is to disrupt, to call attention to more important things.
- Protect them from what? The president was asked in Congress specifically if there were any threats made against Jewish students or even a protest specifically against Jews or Jewish students and she said no.
  No one has a right to not see things they don't like or hear things they don't like. Some students may have been uncomfortable, but that's good, that's literally the point of protesting.
  What actually happened here is the president got shit from Republicans about "not supporting the Jewish students" by making the pro-palestine protests go away, was scared by the resignation of other presidents who have gotten flack from Republicans, and gave into the pressure. If there was real evidence of harm to students, and not just making them uncomfortable, she would have said it in her email or letter to the NYPD.
There's somethin' happenin' here...
We've come full circle.
'OHIO', Neil Young 1970

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