Anti-Israel Protests Erupt at Columbia University on First Day of Classes

Masked anti-Israel protesters held a rally outside Columbia University's campus on Tuesday, chanting and holding signs, the latest in a series of demonstrations on the issue.

As students returned to class at Columbia University, they were met with a demonstration by masked anti-Israel protesters chanting and holding signs urging the Ivy League school to "divest from death."

The protests come after a series of similar demonstrations rocked the New York City-based university last spring, garnering worldwide attention and leading to over 100 arrests.

Anti-Israel Protests Erupt at Columbia University on First Day of Classes

"We refuse to live in a world where the mass murder of Palestinians is normal, acceptable, and profitable. Columbia University is complicit in genocide," the group Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine wrote on social media.

Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate outside Columbia University on Tuesday, Sep. 3, 2024 in New York City. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)

Anti-Israel Protests Erupt at Columbia University on First Day of Classes

The demonstrators accused Columbia of investing in weapons manufacturers and defense contractors that they believe are fueling violence in the conflict with Israel.

"As we begin our new semester, students in Gaza have no universities to return to. Instead of listening to the student body, Columbia University is doubling down. We will not stop and we will not rest until Columbia divests from apartheid and genocide," the group added.

Anti-Israel Protests Erupt at Columbia University on First Day of Classes

The protests began peacefully, with demonstrators walking in a circle on a sidewalk near one of Columbia's entrances in Upper Manhattan. However, tensions escalated when some protesters pushed barricades and got into a scuffle with authorities.

At least one protester was arrested, while a second was taken into custody outside Barnard College, located across the street from Columbia.

Anti-Israel Protests Erupt at Columbia University on First Day of Classes

Columbia University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One protester held a sign that read "Long live Hind's Hall." The sign referenced an incident in late April when an anti-Israel mob broke into and occupied Hamilton Hall on Columbia's campus, renaming it "Hind's Hall" after a 6-year-old who died during the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Anti-Israel Protests Erupt at Columbia University on First Day of Classes

A student at the scene told Fox News that "we are here because there is still an ongoing genocide that the United States is materially and politically responsible for." When asked if the protests would continue, the student said, "We have been very clear that will not stop until Columbia has divested from its complicity in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people."

The protests at Columbia University reflect a larger movement of anti-Israel activism on college campuses across the United States. In recent years, there have been numerous protests, demonstrations, and divestment campaigns targeting universities that have ties to Israel.

Anti-Israel Protests Erupt at Columbia University on First Day of Classes

The issue has become a flashpoint on campuses, with some students and faculty members calling for universities to cut ties with Israel due to its treatment of Palestinians. Others have argued that such divestment campaigns are discriminatory and stifle academic freedom.

The protests at Columbia University demonstrate the ongoing tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role that universities play in these debates. It remains to be seen how the university will respond to the demands of the protesters and whether the demonstrations will continue in the months ahead.