By Jocelyn Lopez
HARLEM, NY- Columbia University’s Students for Justice in Palestine issued a statement from a campus encampment Monday, charging Columbia declared a false state of emergency, but even that will not deter them unless, “Columbia meets our demands or we are moved by force.”
Tuesday, the students began an occupation of a key university building.
Columbia University said students must leave the encampment by 2 p.m. Monday or face interim suspension, including eviction for students in university housing, and possibly expelling and arresting students in the encampment with previous disciplinary notices.
Columbia’s Student for Justice in Palestine denounced the threats to mass suspend, evict and possibly expel students on a short notice, charging Columbia illegally declared a state of emergency, “which requires Columbia to falsely identify nonviolent protesters as a clear and present danger.”
Columbia’s Student Justice in Palestine added, “We have informed the university that we are prepared to escalate our direct actions if they do not adopt basic standards of conduct for negotiations.”
The statement comes after Columbia University pulled out of negotiations during the weekend after declining to consider demands for divestment, financial transparency and amnesty, said the students.
Columbia’s Student Justice in Palestine reported there cannot be good faith negotiation if the University “attempts to win arguments by weaponizing food insecurity, homelessness, and military attacks as leverage.”
Columbia’s Student Justice in Palestine declared Columbia cannot publicly lie about concessions in negotiations as it refuses the requests, charging negotiations from the university lacked transparency.
Columbia SJP stated “(the university) proposed to share information about their ‘direct holdings,’ neglecting to mention that these account for only 6.12 percent of Columbia’s $784 million publicly traded investments.”
SJP added, “The university has not considered any ‘bare-minimum’ divestment proposals states the Columbia’s Student Justice in Palestine, instead the actions being introduced intimidate protestors in an attempt to disperse the encampment.”
Lastly, Columbia SJP stated it wants to end the university’s complicity in “genocide.”
