Protests at Columbia and other schools escalate

Follow the latest live coverage about pro-Palestinian protests on US college campuses here.

New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, criticized Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, saying she has “chosen to surrender control of Columbia to an antisemitic fringe.” Torres also said canceling in-person classes is “an admission of failure” by Shafik.

“If you cannot ensure the safety of your students, then you have no business serving as President of any university, let alone the alma mater of Alexander Hamilton,” Torres said in a statement. “What Columbia University needs is not an appeaser of antisemitism but a leader who will fight with moral clarity against it.”

He continued, “That Columbia University has failed its Jewish students so profoundly is an indelible stain on the soul of the institution. If the President of Columbia University cannot lead with moral clarity, then she should step aside for a true leader who can and will.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday condemned antisemitism amid ongoing protests at Columbia University and other colleges across the US. 

“The antisemitic rhetoric and intimidation deployed by some students and outside protestors on college campuses in New York City and beyond is completely unacceptable and deeply disturbing,” Jeffries, a Democrat who also represents New York, said in a statement. “Every American has the constitutional right to free speech and peaceful assembly in the public square. However, intentionally targeting Jews or any community on the basis of race, religion or ethnicity, acts of harassment and the use of physical violence will never be tolerated.” 

He also said the effort to crush antisemitism and hatred “is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s an American issue that should bind us all together.”

“We will continue to do everything possible to protect the Jewish community during this very fraught moment, fight the cancer of antisemitism and redouble our efforts to bring communities together,” Jeffries said.

Donald Trump speaks to the media in New York City on April 23.

Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday he thought leadership at Columbia University made a “grave mistake” in making all classes at its main campus hybrid until the spring semester ends after days of tense demonstrations on campus.

“What’s going on with the colleges where they’re closing Columbia now? I mean, it’s just crazy. Columbia should gain a little strength, a little courage and keep their school open. It’s crazy. Because that means the other side wins,” Trump told reporters at Trump Tower as he took a few questions after greeting former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso.

 Trump said, “The people running Columbia have made a grave mistake.”

Barnard President Laura Rosenbury confirmed in a statement yesterday that students on interim suspension “no longer have access to most Barnard buildings.”

She said Dean Leslie Grinage is “helping students find alternative housing arrangements when needed.”

The statement also said Barnard will consider lifting suspensions for students who have an otherwise clean record and commit to a probationary period.

A Barnard student alleged on X that she was suspended and evicted from housing.

Correction: This post has been updated to correct President Rosenbury’s first name. It is Laura.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the press at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April 20.

House Speaker Mike Johnson will head to Columbia University Wednesday to visit with Jewish students and deliver remarks and hold a press conference “regarding the troubling rise of virulent antisemitism on America’s college campuses,” according to his office.

This comes as pro-Palestinian protests have rocked major American universities, including Columbia. After days of tense demonstrations, Columbia University announced it is moving to mostly hybrid classes on its main campus until the end of the semester, April 29.

New York House Republicans have called on Columbia president Minouche Shafik to resign immediately for failing to crack down on the protests.

Students, faculty and staff at the University of New Mexico started protesting Monday in support of Gaza and have done so peacefully, the university said in a statement Tuesday. 

On Tuesday, “members of our UNM community assembled at the UNM Duck Pond in peaceful protest,” the statement said. Some people brought tents and sleeping bags, which is in violation of school policy, and campus police told them citations or arrests would occur if not removed, they said. 

“Police monitored the situation throughout the evening, without incident, and around midnight advised those who were remaining that their tents needed to be taken down or they would be cited,” the statement said. “The tents were eventually taken down, with some people remaining at the duck pond.”

As of Tuesday, there are about a dozen people at the duck pond with banners and chairs, but no tents, the statement said, and the university continues to monitor the situation. 

“The University is grateful to our entire community for modeling how protests can occur in a way that both upholds freedom of expression and ensures a safe and productive campus environment for everyone,” the statement said. 

Columbia University students participate in an ongoing encampment on their campus in New York City, on April 23.

Students occupying the West Lawn at Columbia University said Tuesday they are planning on staying there until the university meets their demands of divestment.

They are asking for a “complete divestment” from anything related to Israel, financial transparency into the university’s investments and amnesty from any disciplinary measures for students participating in the protests.  

“This is what we are here for – calling for an end to genocide and for Columbia to financially divest from the violent Zionist settler entity,” a student who identified themself as W told CNN. 

“We are putting our principles into action, and we plan to continue to do so by being here every day until Columbia divests.” 

The group is in negotiations with the university through a legal negotiator, said student organizer Khymani James, who declined to share details of the negotiations.  

When asked about the encampment making Jewish students feel unsafe on campus, W said protesters try their best “to make sure everyone feels safe in the encampment,” and their community guidelines “preach and hope for peace continuously.” 

The encampment at Columbia University is seen on Tuesday in New York.

Columbia University officials warned Tuesday that the ongoing encampment is in violation of university rules — but school leaders have not given specifics on disciplinary actions.

“The safety of our community is our number one priority,” university spokesperson Ben Chang said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “That includes the safety of the encampment that continues to grow. We are watching this closely.”

University officials met with student organizers until 2 am ET Tuesday to discuss the situation, Chang said. “Columbia students have the right to protest but they are not allowed to disrupt campus life or harass and intimidate fellow students and members of our community,” he added.

Chang said acts of vandalism, reports of harassment and discrimination have all been reported during the ongoing protest.

Officials will not release the specifics of student suspensions as “disciplinary actions continue” on campus.

Harvard Yard is closed and people associated with the university require permission to be in the area, a CNN team on site reports, adding no demonstrators could be seen from CNN’s viewpoint. 

“Harvard affiliates must produce their ID card when requested. Structures, including tents and tables, are not permitted in the Yard without prior permission,” the sign posted on a gate says. “Blocking pedestrian pathways or access to building entrances is prohibited. Students violating these policies are subject to disciplinary action.”

As of Sunday, the university has limited access to Harvard Yard to those with school identification, the university confirmed to CNN Monday.

A few miles away at Emerson College, about 20 tents were set up in an alley leading up to the school with signs that read “Emerson Demands Ceasefire” and “from the river to the sea,” a phrase that demands equal rights and the independence of Palestinians, although in some cases is intended to call for the abolishment of Israel.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday authorities have identified “outside agitators” causing problems at the mostly peaceful student protests at Columbia, NYU and other schools in the city. 

“We can’t have outside agitators come in and be disruptive,” the mayor said at a news conference Tuesday.

“We need to address this while it’s a spark. Let’s not wait until it’s a blaze,” Adams said. The mayor’s administration will be meeting with the heads of universities Tuesday to go over best practices for how they can keep students protesting peacefully. 

A key part of that, he said, is keeping protesters who are not students off the campus. That may mean sharing intel by identifying some known protesters to the universities. 

CNN’s Chris Boyette contributed to this report.

Protesters gather on the campus of Columbia University in New York on Tuesday.

President Joe Biden is “of course aware” of pro-Palestinian protests that have roiled college campuses across the country, the White House said Tuesday.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told reporters traveling with Biden on Air Force One that the administration is “monitoring these situations closely,” taking the opportunity to condemn what he called “alarming rhetoric,” at some student protests.

“[The president]’s, of course, aware of the protests — we know that this is a painful moment for many communities, we respect that, and we support every American’s right to peacefully protest, that’s something that we have been consistent about,” Bates said.

But he wouldn’t say what the administration thinks of some Republicans’ call to deploy the National Guard to respond to campus protests at Columbia University. Bates added that the decision to deploy National Guard members would fall to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Passover is a Jewish holiday symbolizing emancipation. But this year, with the backdrop of the war against Hamas, still-missing Israeli hostages and devastating civilian causalities in Gaza, the celebration — and the conversations around it — will be more complex for many who will be partaking.

Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, the founding director of the Block/Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, told CNN she will host two Passover Seders this year.

“The whole ritual of the Seder is grounded in the notion that when we speak to each other in deep, holy ways, and we listen in deep holy ways, that’s what brings redemption,” she said. “It’s about uncovering the complexity of what we’re seeing. It’s about uncovering the struggles, the things that are hard to talk about. Not only because we worry that someone may disagree, but because we have trouble articulating what we ourselves may feel and believe.”

It’s important to remember that discussions at the Seder table could get contentious in part because people care, not because they want to hurt one another, she said.

“We human beings long for things to be simple, especially to be morally simple,” she said. “We want clear good guys and bad guys that enable us to feel like we are right. But the reality of morality isn’t like that. The reality of a moral life for a mature person is that we make complex choices.”

Rabbi Uhrbach says that this year’s Seder is ultimately about gratitude.

“We’re all here at the same table,” she said. “That’s what matters.”

Nine people were arrested Tuesday morning at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus after they formed an encampment that went against school policy, the university told CNN in a statement. 

The university’s Department of Public Safety received reports Tuesday morning of an encampment near the Northrop Mall on the Twin Cities campus, the statement said. Police arrived around 6 am local time and told those at the encampment “they were in violation of both University policy and state trespassing law,” they said. 

Police asked the group to disperse by 7 am and told they would be arrested if they stayed. Nine people remained who were arrested without incident, the statement said. 

The Faculty, Librarians, Alumni, Graduate Students, and Staff for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota (FLAGS JP) posted video on their social media Tuesday showing the encampment in support of “unconditional solidarity with Palestine and demand an end to the genocide and apartheid.” CNN has reached out to the group for comment on the arrests. 

The university said in its statement it “supports and respects free speech through lawful protest” and “supports the rights of all members of our University community to speak and demonstrate peacefully.” 

In an email to students Monday, Barnard College President Laura Rosenbury said the “vast majority” of students on interim suspension do not have previous conduct violations and that Barnard will consider lifting suspensions and restoring access to campus for students who commit to a probationary period.

Barnard students were among the protestors suspended and arrested Thursday when the New York Police Department cleared the encampment on Columbia’s East Lawn.

Isra Hirsi, daughter of US Rep. Ilhan Omar, was among the Barnard students placed on suspension for participating in the protest encampment.

Students with previous violations will be addressed “thoughtfully through our conduct process,” Rosenbury wrote in the email, which was subsequently posted on the university’s website.

Barnard students on interim suspension are barred from campus but may use college services like health care, mental health counseling and academic guidance, Rosenbury wrote.

Barnard professors are able to permit students on interim suspension to attend class remotely.

“I strongly believe that exposure to uncomfortable ideas is a vital component of education, and I applaud the boldness of all of our students who speak out, but no student should fear for their safety while at Barnard, and no one should feel that they do not belong. We must always respect and protect one another, especially when we disagree.” Rosenbury wrote.

Demonstrators are seen at an encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge on Tuesday.

Over 20 tents have been set up in front of a chapel at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Tuesday. 

The tents display numerous Palestinian flags and signage demanding MIT stop providing “support for the Israeli Occupation Forces.” Another sign reads “liberated zone.” The area is currently quiet, and it appears most demonstrators are on their laptops working. 

The area is encircled by metal fencing, and police cruisers are parked near the tents where four officers are walking around on foot. 

United States Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona in November 2023 during a TIME Latino Leaders Event in West Hollywood, California.

US Education Sec. Miguel Cardona said Tuesday he is “deeply concerned” about incidents of antisemitism at Columbia University and pointed to a previously opened Civil Rights investigation into the university for violations involving antisemitic harassment.

“Antisemitic hate on college campuses is unacceptable. I am deeply concerned by what is happening at Columbia University. In November 2023, our Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation of Columbia involving Title VI,” Cardona wrote on X.

The Department of Education had previously announced it was opening an investigation into a number of institutions for “alleged shared ancestry violations” following allegations of antisemitic harassment. The investigations were launched under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which says universities and K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide all students with an environment free from discrimination.

“While we can’t comment on pending investigations, every student deserves to feel a sense of safety and belonging at school. Hate has no place in our schools. All education leaders must stand definitively against hate, antisemitism, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim sentiment,” Cardona wrote Tuesday.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer on CNN This Morning.

Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey on Tuesday said Minouche Shafik, Columbia University’s president, should do more regarding the protests at the school.

But he said “it’s up to the board of trustees” on whether Shafik should resign.

“The president of Columbia must act…Now it’s time for action, not just words,” Gottheimer told CNN’s Kasie Hunt on CNN This Morning. “This is a big moment for the president of Columbia and frankly for presidents across the country.”

“The question for all of these presidents is, ‘Will they step up to the moment and do the right thing?’ And that’s what we should expect from them: To act and not just to talk, not just for words. But actually for action and to make all students feel safe,” he said.

Gottheimer also said having students attend hybrid classes and stay home to feel safe “is not what should be expected at Columbia or any college.”

“I’m expecting the president of Columbia to step up and fix that. And the bottom line is there’s federal funding that goes to these universities… They have a legal obligation to protect all students under Title VI and that’s the expectation. We expect that from Congress out of these universities and I’m hoping they step up to the moment and they have to do so now.”

Asked if he would feel safe sending his children to Columbia University in the current environment, Gottheimer said: “After what I saw yesterday, I would be very concerned.”

He also said there should be Title VI investigations when it comes to situations similar to what is happening on campus.

Gottheimer was one of several lawmakers who walked across Columbia University on Monday to stand in solidarity with Jewish students. 

Pro-Palestinian protesters set up a tent encampment in front of Sproul Hall on the UC Berkeley campus on April 22 in Berkeley, California. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration in front of Sproul Hall on the UC Berkeley campus where they set up a tent encampment in solidarity with protesters at Columbia University who are demanding a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Gaza.

Students from Massachusetts of Technology, Harvard University and others rally at a protest encampment by The Scientists Against Genocide on Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Kresge Lawn on April 22 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The encampment was set up to protest Israel's military campaign in Gaza and the university's relationship with the Israel Defense Forces.

Pro-Palestinian and Pro-israel protesters face off outside of Columbia University which is occupied by Pro-Palestinian protesters in New York on April 22.

Pro-Palestinian protests continue to rock major American universities, prompting school officials across the country to take extraordinary steps to confront the growing crisis.

The protests, counter-protests, actions by college officials and demands from lawmakers underscore the unrest that has engulfed universities, leading many students, especially Jewish students, to fear for their safety as the Passover holiday is underway.

Pro-Palestinian protesters and their supporters – sometimes including faculty – are condemning crackdowns on protests and free speech, while from some students, parents, donors and lawmakers are pleading with administrators to take new steps to restore order.

In recent days, the on-campus demonstrations have attracted non-university-affiliated protesters to the campus gates, which student organizers have sought to distance themselves from.

As the protests continue, a growing sense of unease has spread among Columbia University’s Jewish community as they enter the approximately weeklong observation of Passover, a major Jewish holiday celebrating freedom.

Hagar Chemali, an adjunct associate professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, told CNN, “If I had my child at Columbia, I also would tell them to go home.”

“It’s not just because of the tension on campus, it’s also because those protests on campus have invited extremists outside,” Chemali said, referring to non-student protesters who have been demonstrating near the campus.

Read more here.

A man walking his dog stops to look at the area where students continue to hold a protest in support of Palestinians at Columbia University, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, on April 22.

The encampment on New York City’s Columbia University was lively Tuesday morning, with many students congregating in circles, eating and talking.

There is a substantial supply of food and water, organized in a buffet style on a row of plastic folding tables in the center of the lawn. Artwork, tarps and Palestinian flags decorate the hedges lining the perimeter. 

Before entering, students are reminded of the encampment’s guidelines, which are listed on a sign at the entrance to the lawn and titled, “Gaza Solidarity Encampment Community Guidelines.”

The encampment guidelines include not taking photos of people without their permission, not using any drugs or alcohol in the encampment and not engaging with counter protesters.

Signs on the perimeter of the lawn read, “Demilitarize education,” “Admitted students enroll in revolution” and “Globalize the intifada.”

One protester in the encampment told CNN Tuesday they are now adhering to specific media hours, from 2 pm to 4 pm ET, where designated students will speak to the press. He said they instigated this policy to mirror the Columbia-sanctioned media hours that occurred from 2 pm to 4 pm on Monday. 

The encampment began Thursday, the day of the arrest of 108 protesters on suspicion of criminal trespassing for camping out two nights on Columbia’s East Lawn, just opposite the current encampment.

On the rest of campus, Columbia Facilities employees continue to set up bleachers and chairs for the planned May 15 commencement ceremony.