Columbia University protest escalates with students occupying building on campus

Amna Nawaz:

Protests took a dramatic turn at Columbia University overnight, when some pro-Palestinian students occupied a building on campus.

Geoff Bennett:

Occupations have taken place at other campuses too. In California today, police arrested 25 protesters at California State Polytechnic University who had taken over a building for about a week and shut down the campus.

A similar occupation was in its fourth day at Portland State University. And protesters at the University of North Carolina took down a U.S. flag and replaced it with a Palestinian one. For its part, Columbia said it will expel those occupying its facilities.

Early this morning, protesters at Columbia University linked arms and barricaded the entrance of Hamilton Hall. From the inside, activists piled furniture, chained up doors and smashed windows. The same building has been occupied by demonstrators in decades past, including over the Vietnam War and later against apartheid in South Africa.

This time, though, protesters unfurled a banner and dedicated the building to Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old who died in Israel's war against Hamas.

(Chanting)

Geoff Bennett:

Columbia today locked down the campus to outsiders, limiting access to students living in campus residences and essential employees. The university said today that students occupying the building would be expelled.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters: "The president believes that forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach. That is not an example of peaceful protests."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who met with Columbia University President Minouche Shafik last week, says she should step down.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA):

We met with a college president, Shafik, and we told her that it is time for her to resign if she can't control that campus. The first responsibility of an administrator on the university campus is the safety and security of their students.

Geoff Bennett:

Hundreds have been arrested in protests across the country this past week, many of whom were not students. This morning, at the University of North Carolina, armed police entered the campus to break up an encampment. But the protests continued in other locations throughout the day.

Jacob Ginn is a Jewish graduate student at UNC who is a member of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Jacob Ginn, University of North Carolina Student: We are not fazed. We will continue to push and to fight and we will not back down.

Geoff Bennett:

And, in the nation's capital, an encampment at George Washington University has expanded.

Moataz Salim, George Washington University Student:

The original encampment when we were barricaded was mostly just G.W., but now we are — we're joined by students from all the major universities in the city. I will speak for myself. The only way to get me out of here is to drag me out of here.

Geoff Bennett:

Things were quieter today at the University of Texas at Austin after nearly 80 people were arrested yesterday by police in riot gear.

Campus protests internationally as well. Students at American University of Beirut in Lebanon said they were inspired to join in the action.

Lenora Dsouza, Exchange Student, American University of Beirut: There have been encampments all across the U.S. universities on campuses such as Columbia, where a lot of friends of mine have been at the forefront of the protests. They have been arrested. Their chances of taking exams have been taken away. I definitely think this was inspired by what was happening in the U.S. and a bigger call to action.

Geoff Bennett:

And, this afternoon, Brown University announced it would hold a vote this October on whether to divest from Israeli companies. That's been a key issue for campus demonstrators around the country, including at Brown.

We will have more on the campus unrest later in the program.