Columbia University protesters given midnight deadline on talks to dismantle encampment, president says

Columbia University student organizers were given a midnight deadline Tuesday to resolve talks with the university over dismantling the pro-Palestinian encampment that has cast its campus into days of turmoil and unease, the school’s president said.

Columbia University student organizers were given a midnight deadline Tuesday to resolve talks with the university over dismantling the pro-Palestinian encampment that has cast its campus into days of turmoil and unease, the school’s president said. Though the outcome of the negotiations is still unclear, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the university would consider “alternative options” if no agreement was reached by midnight. As the protests stretch into their eighth day, Shafik has faced numerous calls from donors and lawmakers who believe police should be called in to clear the encampment and restore order on campus – even as students and faculty are condemning the president’s similar decision last week to ask the New York Police Department to clear another student encampment. The NYPD had not been asked by Columbia University to respond to the campus, a police spokesperson told CNN shortly before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. “I fully support the importance of free speech, respect the right to demonstrate, and recognize that many of the protestors have gathered peacefully,” Shafik said. “However, the encampment raises serious safety concerns, disrupts campus life, and has created a tense and at times hostile environment for many members of our community.” Days of unrest on campus, as well as gatherings of non-student protesters outside the university’s gates, have led to safety concerns among Jewish students and prompted Columbia to move to mostly hybrid classes on its main campus for the rest of the semester.