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.”