A small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied Bernard University’s Manhattan campus on Wednesday, leading to clashes with staff and resulting in one employee being hospitalized. The protest, organized by Columbia University’s Apartheid Divest group, called for the reinstatement of two students expelled last month for disrupting Israel-related courses. Nearly 100 Columbia students joined the sit-in at Bernard’s Milbank Hall, where the masked protesters chanted and expressed their demands.
Tensions escalated when the demonstrators reportedly assaulted Bernard employees. In response to the incident, Bernard’s leadership, including President Laura Rosenberry, condemned the actions and emphasized the importance of community safety. The university refrained from discussing individual student cases due to privacy laws but highlighted its commitment to maintaining a safe learning environment. Despite multiple attempts at dialogue and mediation, the protests persisted, reflecting ongoing campus unrest over Israel-Hamas conflicts and historical events related to pro-Palestinian activism.
After the protestors vacated the building, Bernard University reiterated its responsibility to uphold safety and discipline, while the Apartheid Divest group continued to advocate for transparency in disciplinary actions and pardons for the expelled students. The unrest ties into a broader trend of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in academia, particularly spurred by recent geopolitical tensions.
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