Students being arrested by police. Helicopters flying over New York City. Demonstrators shouting and lawmakers criticizing university officials.
Videos of the campus protests, widely shared on social media platforms like TikTok, are circulating online and showcasing the intense moments of the demonstrations. These videos, much like the conflict in the Middle East itself, have the power to inform and incite viewers, highlighting how social media content can influence public perception.
Footage from New York Captures Escalating Tensions
Aerial footage captured above the city displays hundreds of students who have established a camp on Columbia’s campus, complete with numerous tents where they have been residing and eating for a week. New York University also had its own encampment, which was dismantled by police on Monday night. Students claim that the protests are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and to push their universities to “divest all economic and academic ties with Israel.”
The New York City Police Department arrested over 100 Columbia students on Thursday and 120 NYU students on Monday with approval from university officials. Demonstrations spilled off campus on Tuesday.
Lawmakers Express Their Views
Politicians from both sides of the political spectrum have spoken out about the turmoil on Columbia’s campus, with all New York House Republicans demanding the resignation of Columbia President Minouche Shafik. House Speaker Mike Johnson, on Wednesday, became the highest-ranking elected official to call for her resignation.
President Joe Biden denounced the actions of demonstrators on Monday, labeling them as “antisemitic” while also condemning those who lack empathy for the Palestinians.
Former President Donald Trump criticized the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia’s campus, referring to them as a “disgrace to our country.”
Protests Spread to Universities Nationwide
Pro-Palestinian student protests have taken place at colleges in approximately a dozen states over the past week, ranging from the East Coast at Yale University, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to the West at California State Polytechnic at Humboldt, and to the Midwest at the University of Minnesota.
