Tension At Columbia University As Authorities Arrests 100s Of Pro-Palestinian Protesters On Campus

The detention of demonstrators supporting Palestine at a university in Colombia escalates tensions on campus.

Over 100 Columbia University students were taken into custody on Thursday, marking the end of a series of student demonstrations on campus that have been ongoing since October 7, coinciding with the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

According to VOA, throughout the past months, Columbia has been a site of various protests where students have expressed their solidarity with Palestinians and condemned Israel's airstrikes on Gaza, which have led to the deaths of approximately 33,000 Palestinians as reported by the Gaza health ministry.

The decision to arrest the students was made by university President Minouche Shafik, following her appearance at a hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives titled "Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University's Response to Antisemitism."