Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) held a walkout on the first day of classes, protesting on campus and along streets near campus. 

On January 21, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) organized a walkout on the first day of classes. Originally calling for the protest in an Instagram post on January 18, CUAD stated, “We will not stop, we will not rest. Repression won’t stop our fight for divestment. No new semester without Gaza.” Before the demonstration, CUAD posted a video to Instagram of various members spraying various campus buildings with graffiti. The protest began sharply at 1 pm with a group of student demonstrators standing on the Sundial. 

One demonstrator began banging on a drum while other students chanted, “We want justice, you say how, unsuspend our students now. We want justice, you say how, drop the sanctions now.” These chants referenced sanctions and suspensions experienced by students who allegedly participated in protests last April at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment and Hamilton Hall, renamed Hind’s Hall by protesters. On Instagram, CUAD stated that disciplinary hearings for the occupation of Hamilton Hall are to occur next week.

The beginning of the protest at the Sundial

Also at 1 pm, additional supporters began protesting outside the 116th and Broadway gates. They held multiple flyers reading “Build The Power Of The Independent Movement To Defeat Donald Trump, An American Catastrophe Fascism Comes to America” and a QR Code to a YouTube video message from Bob Avakian, Chairperson of the Revolutionary Communist Party. Police presence was heavy and active as officers stood on both sides of the crowd and directed pedestrians to cross the street. They also placed barricades around the sidewalk and the 116th Street Station.

Protestors handing out flyers to passersby

At around 1:15 pm, the Columbia student protestors moved from the Sundial and joined the mass of protestors forming outside the campus gates. Meanwhile, counter-protesters were seen on Low Steps holding a red banner that read, “Get Support For Terrorism Off Our Campus.”

Protesters walking off campus toward the campus gates

A group of about 10-15 counter-protesters were also outside of the Columbia gates with Shai Davidai, who was banned from campus during the fall semester. Davidai rotated around the crowd of protesters holding a sign reading, “This Jew will not be silenced,” and repeatedly asked the crowd, “Who wants to have a conversation about Palestine and Israel?” Other counter-protesters stood by and recorded the faces of protesters. 

Protesters continued to chant multiple phrases like, “Columbia you will see, we resist in victory. Brick by brick, wall by wall every fascist state will fall. There is only one solution–intifada revolution.”

One of the many flyers shown at the protest

The protest outside campus gates continued until 1:50 pm when protesters walked into the streets toward 120th Street. Police vehicles followed. 

On the same day, three demonstrators interrupted the History of Modern Israel class. It is unclear whether these demonstrators were participants in the day’s protests or directly affiliated with CUAD. According to a user on the university-based social media app Sidechat, demonstrators interrupted the lecture, spoke to the class, and handed out flyers that depicted boots stomping the Star of David. Another flier contained a drawing of an individual holding a burning Israeli flag. The class’s professor, Dr. Avi Shilon, told The Times of Israel that he invited the demonstrators to join the class, while they allegedly responded with the words “genocide” and “criminals.” 

Interim President Katrina Armstrong released a statement condemning the interruption and the fliers that were passed out. “Disrupting academic activities constitutes a violation of the Rules of University conduct and the nature of the disruption may constitute violations of other University policies,” she stated. The New York Post and various Israeli media outlets reported on this incident.

All images via Hawa Kamara