On Wednesday, Columbia University Apartheid Divest organized a press conference in front of Butler Library near the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Encampment representatives took questions from members of the press. Content warning: Mentions of violence.

On Wednesday, April 24, Columbia University Apartheid Divest organized a press conference in front of the East side ledge of Butler Library, allowing campus-affiliated pro-Palestinian protesters to answer questions from the campus and outside press. Four students represented the Encampment at the press conference.

To start, a speaker emphasized not wanting to “distract” from Gaza, claiming it is the 201st day of genocide “after 75 years of colonial violence from the apartheid state of Israel.” They cited recent news of over 200 bodies found in a mass grave near the site of a Gaza hospital raided by the Israel Defense Forces, claiming the United States and Western powers “back this genocide.” As the press conference began, one protester sat on a nearby ledge saying, “We will be here until our demands are met. The people are going nowhere.”

Once again, speakers listed the Encampment’s demands that Columbia University “divests, discloses, and gives amnesty to students and faculty facing disciplinary action by the University.” 

Today marks one week since the first Encampment on the East Lawn was “brutally dismantled” by the New York Police Department and one day after the news broke that the University threatened to authorize National Guard and NYPD action, one speaker said. The speaker, Khymani James (CC ’25), claimed that the University is “acting in bad faith” by doing so. At this point, a protester sitting on the ledge in front of Butler shouted “shame” in response to the University’s actions.

They reiterated that the CUAD negotiation team agreed they would refuse to participate in negotiations until Columbia agreed not to deploy the NYPD or the National Guard, reporting that the group “won” this concession from the University. However, the speaker claimed that the University “continues to make threats… antithetical to good faith negotiations,” by “seek[ing] to use police and military violence to crush our… demonstration.” Overall, this information was very similar to the earlier statement posted by Columbia Students in Justice for Palestine.  

Further, speakers asserted that the University has “once again cemented itself in history as a repressive institution” that “serves donors above anyone else.”

James also acknowledged the influx of student support outside the Encampment last night, thanking them for their support. The speaker stated, “The youth are only allowed to change society if they can critique it,”attributing the quote to James Baldwin. They added, “Students lead the charge for a more just world, and we know that we are on the right side of history.” 

James was then asked about non-student agitators and whether there were non-students in the Encampment, to which they responded by citing the community guidelines of the group. They explained that people who have entrance into the lawn can only be there if they’re respecting the guidelines, which “do not allow for discrimination or bigotry.” In reference to the original question, James noted that only those with CUIDs are currently allowed onto campus and that the matter is controlled by the University. The Encampment has, however, hosted various non-affiliate guest speakers in the past few days, including journalist and academic Dr. Marc Lamont Hill and Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza. Later, another speaker was asked the same question, to which they responded they find “the distinction between students and community members” to be “highly problematic,” referencing “ethnic cleansing” in Harlem and Palestine.    

Regarding the safety concerns that have caused the University to encourage virtual instruction, they mentioned there are over 50 Jewish students in the Encampment and that the protesters are advocating for a future with full equal rights that involves “all our collective liberation.” They added they have had conversations with Israeli students that have been peaceful, and “think it’s important to distinguish between feeling unsafe and feeling uncomfortable.” James then added that they do not allow people who intentionally cause discomfort among other students into the Encampment. 

James was also asked repeatedly about Mayor Eric Adams and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was on campus at the same time of the conference. Most questions on this subject were given no comment, and instead, organizers reiterated that they encourage politicians to focus on Gaza.

The speakers were asked about various chants they commonly use, such as “From the river to the sea” and “intifada,” both of which have been deemed “antisemitic” by many, including Barnard College President Laura Rosenbury in an email from December 22. The students claimed that they are “very intentional in the framing of all of [their] messages.” They are rooted in justice and peace and decolonial thinking,” while encouraging people to educate themselves on the history, significance, and meaning of those chants “because it does matter.” 

When asked about the timeline surrounding negotiations, the speaker said that they could not comment as a “lot of information was being thrown around” during negotiation meetings, which they believed was an “intentional” action from administration. The briefing was then closed with organizers re-affirming that while they acknowledge some may consider it a “far reach,” the group is “not going anywhere until demands are met.” Speakers stated that there will be another press briefing tomorrow, April 25, at 2:30 pm. 

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