A Columbia University student who said she joined a pro-Palestine protest at New York University told an interviewer that she wasn’t sure what exactly they were protesting.
Both New York City-based schools have been in the news for their incessant protests this past week, and now both schools are hosting several camps on campus.
In an interview published by Trump’s former 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 is doing… I really don’t.”
He then asks a friend, who is wearing a mask, what the protest is about and the friend doesn’t seem to notice either.
A Columbia University student who said she joined a pro-Palestine protest at New York University told an interviewer that she wasn’t sure what exactly they were protesting.
“I would like to have more education,” admits the second protester.
The camera then returns to the first protester, who said that NYU students needed help due to an 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 been calling for an end to the war in Gaza, but also for their specific institutions to divest from Israeli companies and military contractors.
Columbia students are also protesting the school’s attempt to open a campus in Tel Aviv, according to teen fashion.
Protesters also hope for a permanent solution. Stop the fire while pressuring Israel to limit casualties with More than 34,000 Palestinians dead..
More than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters Camped in Colombia were arrested Thursday, and dozens more people were arrested on other campuses. Many now face charges of trespassing or disorderly conduct.
In an interview published by Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the student was asked why she was there and was unsure of the exact cause.
He then asks a friend, who is wearing a mask, what the protest is about and the friend doesn’t seem to notice either.
A New York University student holds a sign about Gaza during a demonstration in Washington Square Park to protest the arrests made yesterday during the Gaza Solidarity Camp.
Protesters have demanded that their universities condemn Israel’s attack on Gaza after the Hamas attack of October 7 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 feel unsafe on campus.
The White House, in a message Sunday to mark the Passover holiday, denounced what it called an “alarming rise” in anti-Semitism, saying it “has absolutely no place on college campuses or anywhere in our country.”
Four Democratic Jewish members of Congress toured Columbia’s closed campus on Monday with members of the school’s Jewish Law Students Association.
They condemned that things had gotten to the point that Jewish students felt unsafe and 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 semester.
A Columbia University spokesperson criticized “false and baseless” claims that the Ivy League institution has called the National Guard to pro-Palestinian camps on campus.
It comes as protesters claim school officials threatened to call the National Guard to the campus, which has been besieged by protests since last Wednesday.
Protesters have demanded that their universities condemn Israel’s attack on Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7 and divest from companies that do business with Israel.
A group of New York University students, faculty and supporters hold signs to liberate Palestine during a rally in Washington Square Park.
NYU Stern School of Business Ran Out of Materials After Anti-Israel Protests
Ben Chang, the school’s vice president of communications, told reporters Wednesday about rumors that the National Guard had been contacted: “Let me be clear: That is false and a baseless claim.”
The university reaffirmed that protesters last night will continue talks for the next 48 hours after the group ignored a midnight deadline to vacate West Lawns.
However, he said protests as things stand violate university 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 Tuesday afternoon.
Johnson ran into hostile scenes at Columbia University when the Republican confronted a mass of anti-Israel protesters on Wednesday.
He ignored the students’ boos and jeers and instead condemned the protest, the latest of the “virus of anti-Semitism.”
Johnson criticized the crowds at Columbia as “lawless agitators and radicals” and questioned their ability to become “America’s leaders,” while praising Jewish students who remain committed to their education.
“We will not stand by silently while Jewish students are expected to run for their lives,” Johnson warned.
The crowd shouted and booed in an attempt to get on Johnson’s nerves, but Johnson was unfazed.
A spokesperson confirmed that Columbia University President Minouche Shafik met with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Congress on Tuesday afternoon.
‘Enjoy your freedom of expression!’ she replied as she left before giving him one last slap, “Stop wasting your parents’ money.”
The Louisiana lawmaker arrived at the New York campus Wednesday afternoon, hours after calling for Columbia’s president to resign on 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 has to speak up and say this is not who we are in America and we have to be held accountable.”