The Ecosystem
A protester waves a Palestinian flag from inside Columbia in support of a rally outside the gate after access to campus was restricted to Columbia University ID holders only, on April 20, 2024. (Photo by Jude Taha)
Writers: Anna Oakes, Jude Taha
Editors: Brendan Rose, Claire Davenport, Elza Goffaux
Photos: Edward Lopez, Jude Taha, Marco Postigo Storel, Sara Selva Ortiz, Sofia Mareque
Videos: Jude Taha
Audio: Sara Selva Ortiz
Building an Encampment
Around 2 a.m. on April 19, scores of students were still huddled up with blankets and sleeping bags on the damp ground on the west side of the South Lawn. Even as temperatures dipped below 50 degrees, no tents were pitched. Campus security had told demonstrators they could stay on the lawn as long as they did not set up tents. They were allowed to re-erect the banner that read “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.” As the morning passed, some students slept, while others sat quietly.
The campus remained calm even as news arrived that the Columbia administration had issued “interim suspensions” for students involved in the first encampment. And downtown, arrested protesters were released after spending the night at New York City Police Department headquarters.
The suspensions cited students for disruptive behavior, violation of the law, trespassing, and unauthorized access. Suspended students were barred from entering Columbia’s campuses and participating in academic or extracurricular activities. They were allowed to remain in their residence halls and use their meal plans, unlike suspended Barnard College students, who lost access to their housing and meal plans.
Friday, April 19, 2024
Protesters in The Gaza Solidarity Encampment gather around with blankets and food at Columbia University, in New York City on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Marco Postigo Storel)
With outside access to campus heavily restricted and the press barred from entering, Columbia Journalism School issued a statement announcing its commitment to “free press” and offered to facilitate access for any media denied entry.
In the evening, the Columbia College Student Council’s executive board sent an open letter to President Minouche Shafik, condemning the university's decision to authorize the NYPD to arrest student protesters during the first encampment.
The letter criticized President Shafik’s actions, arguing that her decision to involve law enforcement reflected her "willingness to punish [her] students for practicing the values they have learned and celebrated at this institution: freedom of speech and expression, academic freedom, commitment to discourse, and bravery in the face of repression."
Two protesters camp out in front of Butler Library in the second encampment at Columbia University, in New York City. April 18, 2024. (Photo By Sofia Mareque)
At the encampment, protesters were now getting organized, arranging a “cornucopia” with donated supplies — everything from toothbrushes and clothes to chargers. Food was being funneled in for protesters by both affiliates and outside supporters. Protesters were taking shifts. Some organized the supplies, making a list of what was needed and carefully arranging food by what was Halal, Kosher, and vegan.
Throughout the day, students studied, listened to speakers, and engaged in teach-ins. Chris Smalls, founder and president of the Amazon Labor Union, spoke to the encampment, saying, “Don’t wait … cause they’re not gonna wake up and give us what we want.” He reiterated that Gaza should be “the number one thing” and said, “If it could happen to them, it could happen to us.”
A mariachi band plays music for demonstrators past midnight inside the encampment, New York City, on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Edward Lopez)
Around midnight, when the majority of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University was being entertained by a mariachi band, an unknown individual spray painted the wall of the Journalism School on Friday, April 19, 2024. It remains unknown whether the person was part of the encampment or not. The message was later removed by Columbia’s custodial team. (Photo by Marco Postigo Storel)
Norman Finkelstein, a scholar on Holocaust and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, also visited and spoke to the encampment, where he said that “the most powerful truth is the truth of justice.” Finkelstein also engaged in a discussion with protesters about the power of slogans and how they are used. Many students spoke with Finkelstein and chanted slogans after he was done speaking.
Around 7:30 p.m., Jewish students held Shabbat services. They sang prayers and chanted “Not in our name” and “Ceasefire now.” Afterward, students lit candles, recited a blessing, and shared homemade challah and grape juice.
Earlier that day, Shai Davidai incorrectly told the press that “all Jewish students have escaped campus,” and in a comment to the Columbia Daily Spectator referencing Jewish student protesters, he said, “It’s not a big achievement to be on the last train to Auschwitz.” Protesters demanded the school respond.
Jewish protesters hold a Shabbat prayer inside the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University, in New York City on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Marco Postigo Storel)
Saturday, April 20, 2024
The fourth day of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment coincided with the start of Columbia’s admitted students weekend. Protesters greeted the stream of high schoolers entering campus, suggesting they join the encampment rather than participate in the university’s events. Prospective students mingled with encampment protesters as teach-ins and communal meals continued. In the encampment, students also organized a “People’s University Student Fair” and distributed zines.
In the morning, Barnard College suspended over 50 students. Students who had participated in the encampment were notified that they had 15 minutes to leave their dorm and were denied access to all campuses, including dining halls.
Maysa Mustafa and Members of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University dance to Palestinian songs as part one of their activities for the day in New York City, on Saturday, April 20, 2024. (Photo by Marco Postigo Storel)
That evening, student dance groups from across the university performed for encampment protesters and visitors. Salsa, bachata, step, and Indian folk dancers held showcases, dressed in keffiyehs, many with their faces covered to protect against doxxing. As the performances concluded, Palestinian music came on, and the audience merged with the performers in a jubilant dance circle.
Members of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University have a yoga class, in New York City, on Saturday, April 20. (Photo by Marco Postigo Storel)
(Video by Jude Taha)
A small group of pro-Israel protesters wave flags and play loud music to try to disrupt the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University on Saturday, April 20, 2024. (Photo by Marco Postigo Storel)
That night, a group of pro-Israel students set up a counter-protest on the steps outside the encampment. They waved large Israeli flags and boomed songs by Matisyahu, a pro-Israel musician, over the central campus with loudspeakers.
Afterward, photos and videos quickly spread online of an individual holding a sign pointing to the counter-protesters that said “Al-Qasam’s next targets,” a reference to Hamas’s military division. The individual claimed to be a member of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), but JVP and the Columbia University Apartheid Divest coalition wrote in online statements that they did not recognize them.
Outside the gates on Amsterdam Avenue, hundreds of police officers in riot gear faced off against pro-Palestine protesters. As the confrontation subsided, a green van from the Bay Ridge Community Development Center parked outside the gates. Volunteers from the center had brought coffee, body warmers, and crates of dates for the encampment protesters.
A woman waits on Amsterdam Avenue for a bus in front of Columbia's gates, surrounded by NYPD officers, in New York City, on Saturday, April 20, 2024. (Photo by Sara Selva Ortiz)