A Columbia University student who said she joined a pro-Palestine protest at NYU told an interviewer she wasn’t sure what exactly they were protesting.
Both New York City schools have made headlines for their incessant demonstrations over the past week, with both schools now having several encampments on campus.
In an interview posted by former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the student was asked why she was there.
“I think the goal is to show our support for Palestine and demand that NYU stop… I honestly don’t know everything that NYU does… I really don’t know.”
She then asks a friend, wearing a face mask, what the protest should be about, but the friend doesn’t seem to know either.
A Columbia University student who said she joined a pro-Palestinian protest at NYU told an interviewer she wasn’t sure what exactly they were protesting
“I wish I had a higher education,” the second protester admits.
The camera then focuses back on the first protester, who said NYU students needed help due to the increased police presence.
“I heard there were a lot of police, some people said it was getting dangerous,” the protester said.
The video has been viewed more than a million times and reposted by more than 10,000 people on social media platform X.
Both NYU and Columbia students have called for an end to the war on Gaza, but also for the divestiture of their particular institutions from Israeli companies and military contractors.
Columbia students are also protesting the school’s attempt to open a campus in Tel Aviv Teen fashion.
The demonstrators also hope for a permanent one ceasefire while Israel insists on limiting the number of victims more than 34,000 Palestinian deaths.
More than a hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators camped in Columbia were arrested Thursday, while dozens more people were arrested on other campuses. Many are now charged with trespassing or disorderly conduct.
In an interview posted by former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the student was asked why she was there and wasn’t sure exactly what caused it
She then asks a friend, wearing a face mask, what the protest is about, but the friend doesn’t seem to know either.
A New York University student holds a Gaza sign during a rally in Washington Square Park to protest the arrests made yesterday during the Gaza Solidarity Encampment
The protesters have demanded that their universities subsequently condemn the Israeli attack on Gaza the October 7 Hamas attack and divest from companies that do business with Israel.
Some people have reported anti-Semitic chants and messages on and around Columbia’s campus, and similar concerns have been reported at other universities. Some Jewish students say they have felt unsafe on campus.
The White House denounced what it called an “alarming surge” in anti-Semitism in a message Sunday marking the Easter holiday, saying it has “absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere else in our country.”
Four Jewish Democratic congressmen toured Columbia’s locked-down campus Monday with members of the school’s Jewish Law Students Association.
They decried that things had escalated to the point where Jewish students felt unsafe and that the university canceled in-person classes on Monday.
Columbia said it would use hybrid remote and in-person learning until the end of the spring term.
A spokesperson for Columbia University denounced “untrue and unsubstantiated” claims that the Ivy League institution has called in the National Guard to pro-Palestinian camps on campus.
It comes as protesters claim school officials have threatened to call the National Guard to the campus, which has been under siege by protests since last Wednesday.
The protesters have demanded that their universities condemn Israel’s attack on Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack and divest companies that do business with Israel.
A group of NYU students, faculty and supporters hold signs to liberate Palestine during a rally in Washington Square Park
The NYU Stern School of Business skyrocketed after anti-Israel demonstrations
Ben Chang, the school’s vice president of communications, told the press Wednesday about rumors that they had contacted the National Guard: “Let me be clear: that is not true and an unsubstantiated claim.”
The university reconfirmed last night that protesters will continue their talks over the next 48 hours after the group ignored a midnight deadline to clear the West Lawns.
However, he did say that the protests as things currently stand are against the university’s rules and that in the future only people with a university ID will be allowed on campus.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik met with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Congress on Tuesday afternoon.
Johnson waded into hostile scenes at Columbia University as the Republican confronted a crowd of anti-Israel protesters on Wednesday.
He dismissed the cheers and jeers from students and instead condemned the protest, the latest virus in “anti-Semitism.”
Johnson labeled the Columbia crowd “lawless agitators and radicals” and questioned their ability to become “leaders of America” — while praising Jewish students who remain committed to their education.
“We will not remain silent while Jewish students are expected to run for their lives,” Johnson warned.
The crowd shouted and jeered in an attempt to upset him, but Johnson was unperturbed.
A spokesperson confirmed that Minouche Shafik, president of Columbia University, met with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Congress on Tuesday afternoon
‘Enjoy your freedom of speech!’ he replied as he left before delivering one final punch, “Stop wasting your parents’ money.”
The Louisiana lawmaker arrived on the New York campus Wednesday afternoon, hours after calling on Columbia’s president to resign during a morning radio show.
“What we’re seeing on these college campuses across the country is disgusting and unacceptable,” Johnson told The Hugh Hewitt Show.
“Every leader in this country, every political official, every citizen of good conscience must speak out and say this is not who we are in America, and we must be held accountable.”