4 May 2024: Amid ongoing protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza, arrests have escalated on campuses across the United States, including at Columbia University and UCLA. In response to the treatment of students protesting at Columbia University, Professor Dipali Mukhopadhyay from John Hopkins University has formally requested to revoke her affiliation with the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia.
The protests at Columbia University saw New York police entering the campus to dismantle barricades set up by pro-Palestinian student demonstrators. The situation escalated as police began pushing protesters outside, resulting in clashes between officers and demonstrators.
In a letter addressed to the President of Columbia University, Mukhopadhyay expressed her dismay at the college administration’s response to the peaceful protests, condemning it as incompetent and inhumane. She cited the invitation of the NYPD onto campus, turning a place of learning into a scene of terror and brutality, as the catalyst for her decision to sever ties with the institution.
Mukhopadhyay, who previously served as Assistant and Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia, emphasized that she could no longer justify her association with the university under the current leadership. She expressed solidarity with the students, staff, and faculty who continue to advocate for academic freedom and non-violent expression.
The protests extended beyond Columbia University, with similar demonstrations and arrests reported at Dartmouth College, University of Texas, and various New York State universities. Since April 18, there have been at least 38 arrests at campus protests across the US, involving more than 1,600 individuals from 30 different schools.
