Columbia University has cancelled in-person classes on Monday (April 22) in response to protests at its New York City campus over Israel's war in Gaza.

New York

Columbia University has announced the cancellation of in-person classes, opting for remote learning in response to ongoing protests on its New York City campus. The move comes as tensions rise over Israel's war in Gaza, affecting the atmosphere and operations at the prestigious institution. In a letter to the campus community, University President Manu Shafik conveyed the decision, noting that only essential personnel should report to the campus under the current conditions.

The protests have led to a notable police presence around the university, with the NYPD setting up metal barricades at the university's main entrance to manage the protests expected to escalate throughout the day. This action reflects a stark change in the campus atmosphere, contrasting with the quieter scenes observed in the early hours of the morning. Previously, confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel supporters had escalated, with reports of anti-Semitic comments and threats leaving some Jewish students feeling intimidated.

Last week, Columbia University officials requested NYPD intervention to dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus lawn, resulting in over 100 students being charged with trespassing, receiving summonses, suspensions, and loss of campus privileges. NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Legal Matters, Michael Gerber, highlighted the distinction between public free speech rights and activities on private property, indicating the university's control over law enforcement presence on its grounds.

The NYPD has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that all groups can exercise their First Amendment rights to peaceful protest, applying policies that have been in place since October 7. These include delineating separate areas for different groups to demonstrate, emphasizing a city-wide approach to managing protests at university campuses and schools.



Columbia cancels in-person classes amid pro-Palestinian protests

But this is the start of a school week unlike any other that Columbia has ever seen. One reason is that the university president, Manu Shafik, issued a letter to the entire campus community saying that classes would be held remotely today and that only essential personnel should even be showing up on campus. But obviously not everyone is going by that. Let's take a look right now. Let's go up to SkyFox HD over the Quad area inside the Columbia University campus. Now this is an area that the NYPD says is considered private property. Even though it's a university, it's a private university, private property. There are tents that are set up there. There's some students that are and others that appear to be there. It's not clear what is going to happen to them yet. But earlier this morning, it was much, much quieter here. The main entrance to Columbia was very, very quiet. Nobody really going in or out. Rows of metal police barricades and barriers were set up at the main entrance at 116th and Broadway to keep the protests that are expected to be developing throughout the day contained. Now, the quiet atmosphere that was here early this morning, a sharp contrast to the building tempo that is happening right now going into the afternoon and also to last week's heated confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel supporters, with some Jewish students saying they felt intimidated by anti-Semitic comments and direct threats. Last Thursday, university officials requested that the NYPD come onto the campus private property to shut down the encampment of a pro-Palestinian group that had set up on the campus lawn. More than 100 students were charged with trespassing, given summonses. There are published reports that say they were also suspended and lost any privileges on campus, including going into their rooms and dining halls and that sort of thing. Now, NYPD officials say they now have set policies in place to protect the rights of all who want to protest without risking the safety of anyone, but there's a very clear distinction between the right to free speech in public and what happens on private property. Now, here's what Deputy Commissioner for Legal Matters Michael Gerber said just a short time ago. It is up to the university to decide whether or not they want us on campus. As a general matter, Columbia University, and this goes back many years, does not want NYPD present on campus. That is their decision. Last week, on Thursday, they informed us that they had students who were trespassing. They asked us to come onto campus to take action, and we did. But that was an exceptional case. In a normal course, they've made clear that we're not to be there, and so we're not there. Now, the NYPD says that they will do everything in their power to ensure that people have their First Amendment rights to protest in public, peacefully, and that they'll continue to do some of the techniques that we've seen in the past, ever since October 7th, where they have separate areas set off by barricades for various groups. These policies, they say, will apply to all university campuses and schools throughout the city. They're aware of what else is going on. They say they're in touch and on top of it. We're live outside Columbia. I'm Lisa Evers, Fox 5.

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