MORNING SIDE HEIGHTS, Manhattan (PIX 11) — About a month after encampments were officially cleared from Columbia University's campus, another encampment has been set up on the school's south lawn.
The encampment began going up Friday night, according to posts on social media. Protestors tell PIX11 News the encampment has interrupted some events planned for the school’s alumni weekend, such as lunches that were supposed to be held on the lawn.
They said that while the new encampment is a bit smaller, more than 100 people are currently protesting.
Demonstrators are calling for the school to divest in companies linked to Israel while also hoping that alumni will stop giving donations to the university. Back in April, tensions between protestors and law enforcement reached a boiling point when the NYPD forcibly removed demonstrators who had occupied the campus for weeks, advocating for Palestinian rights.
Protestors say the fact that school is out for the summer is not deterring them from continuing to show up in numbers.
“Just to let them know that the student movement wouldn’t die in the summer because this is what they were betting on,” said Columbia University student Mahmoud Khail.
PIX11 News contacted Columbia University for comment regarding the new encampment.
A spokesperson said, “We are aware of the encampment erected yesterday evening and are monitoring the situation. We remain committed to hosting a successful weekend for our alumni.”
The new encampment comes as hundreds of Pro-Palestine protestors descended on the Brooklyn Museum, shutting it down Friday afternoon.
They attempted to set up an encampment in the lobby before police moved in and made several arrests. According to NYPD, 29 protestors were taken into police custody.
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