Teachers launch a walkout in protest of huge arrests on campus as pro-Palestine demonstrations rattle US institutions

Many teaching faculty members participated in a mass walkout on Monday, April 22, to express sympathy with the hundreds of students who have been protesting the Gaza war on the Columbia University campus in New York. The faculty members are opposing the university’s decision to let the police make arrests of students.

In solidarity of these pro-Palestine demonstrators, the school’s staff members marched with the students who had been detained and suspended the previous week.

On Monday, April 22, after the students’ tents were pulled down a few days earlier when more than a hundred were taken into custody by the police, the instructors staged rallies in support of their fellow students.

In addition, the institution said on Monday, April 22, that courses would be conducted virtually due to the ongoing turmoil on the New York campus.

The protesters set up a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on the Columbia campus grounds. In addition to Columbia University, pro-Palestinian demonstrators were taken into custody by the police on Monday, April 22 at Yale University.

According to Yale Daily News, the student newspaper, the police detained about forty-five protestors, including several students.

The students are requesting that the institutions support a ceasefire in Gaza and have been on a hunger strike. On Monday night, April 22, the NYPD also took several protesting students and staff members into custody at New York University.

Biden condemns anti-Semitic demonstrations
“I condemn the antisemitic protests,” US President Joe Biden said in reference to the pro-Palestine demonstrations that have shaken prestigious academic campuses. I’ve created software to address it because of this. I also hold those responsible for the ignorance of the Palestinian situation accountable.”

Nemat Shafik, the president of Columbia, demanded “a reset” in an open letter to the campus community.

“Over the past days, there have been too many examples of intimidating and harassing behaviour on our campus,” stated Shafik.

“Language that is used to harm or terrify individuals, whether it be anti-Semitic or not, is inappropriate and will be dealt with appropriately. I’m announcing that all courses will be conducted remotely on Monday in an effort to defuse the tension and allow everyone time to think about what to do next,” the president said.