On Thursday, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and Student Workers of Columbia (SWC) gathered in protest at the Sundial to bring attention to the recent siege of Al-Shifa Hospital and to show solidarity with the people of Gaza.

On Thursday, students gathered at the Sundial in a demonstration organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and Student Workers of Columbia (SWC). Demonstrators  wore keffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, and carried signs that read messages like “Liberty From Colonists,” “From Vietnam to Palestine,” and “All Eyes on Al-Shifa.”

In an Instagram post published on April 2, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) called for the emergency protest and for “all Columbia student organizations to… show solidarity with Gaza,” emphasizing a request for students to “display [their] organization’s solidarity.” The image containing the protest details was followed by screenshots of tweets written by Hossam Shabat, a journalist from Northern Gaza, who reported on scenes from Al-Shifa Hospital after a recent raid by Israeli troops.

In anticipation of the protest, entrance to Columbia’s Morningside campus was limited to CUID holders starting at 1 pm. NYPD officers were also stationed outside the College Walk gates.

At 4:30 pm, representatives from many student groups arrived at the Sundial carrying signs, banners, and instruments, such as tambourines and drums. Among the groups represented were Chicanx Caucus, Teachers College Abolition Collective, Housing Equity Project, and Columbia Social Workers for Palestine.

Soon after the start of the protest, a group of counter-protesters gathered near the speakers carrying American and Israeli flags and wearing shirts that read “Bring Them Home Now” in reference to the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.

From the main protest group, phrases such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Minouche Shafik, we demand you step down” were chanted. In the midst, counter-protesters chanted for the pro-Palestine group to “Take [their] masks off,” a reference to the protest’s requirement of face coverings.

One by one, four student speakers addressed demonstrators on the Sundial. The first speaker began by advising protestors to “not engage with any counter-protestors,” and to “not speak to police,” following the guidelines with the chant “We keep us safe.” Counter-protesters attempted to speak during student speeches, at one point singing the Star-Spangled Banner.

One speaker explained how they moved from Palestine to New York eight months ago to get their master’s degree at Columbia. They reported that as of 8 pm the previous night, six students were suspended from Columbia and that they would be evicted from campus housing 24 hours after the notice of suspension. They also recounted their experience with sexual violence from an Israeli soldier, relating it to the “skunk spray” they were hospitalized from after a January 19 protest. They ended their speech by dedicating it to “every single Palestinian martyr.”

Another speaker spoke out against Columbia’s planned Tel Aviv Global Center, one which “Palestinian students will never be able to set foot in.” They ended their speech with a demand for divestment from “Israel’s violence,” a sentiment which was emphasized by the handing out of pamphlets to protesters titled “Columbia Doesn’t Want You To Know.” The pamphlets explained CUAD’s demands of the Columbia administration and explained the process and importance of divestment.

At around 5:30 pm, the demonstrators moved up Low Steps, past the counter-protestors, and walked around the back of Uris Hall, later returning to the Sundial. Once back at the Sundial, student organizers advised protestors not to swipe into any buildings on campus for the next few hours and to keep masks on until out of range of any security cameras. Over the next half hour, students began to disperse.

Photos via Bwog Staff.