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full screen Police and protesters in dialogue at Columbia University. Archive image. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/AP/TT
Columbia University management is under scrutiny for its handling of high-profile student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
The student protests at several American universities continue. Now the university council at Columbia University has decided that the school’s management should be examined for how it has handled the protests.
The rights of students and employees may have been violated, it says. The “academic freedom” has also been curtailed, The New York Times reports.
Minouche Shafik, the university’s chief executive, has been under fire for her handling of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Hundreds of students have been arrested since the protests began last week and Shafik has previously said that “alternative solutions” may be needed to evict the protesters.
The protests at Columbia University are not an isolated incident. A number of other universities in the United States have seen similar calls in support of the people of Gaza. At the same time, Jewish students at several universities have expressed concern and fear due to anti-Semitic elements during some of the protests.