NEW YORK — Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University called for a strike Tuesday, asking their classmates to skip school and urging college officials to divest from Israel as classes resumed for the Fall semester.
Dozens of protesters with noisemakers and megaphones — some with their backpacks — picketed against the war in Gaza on 116th St. and Broadway, as their peers tried to push through the crowd to one of Columbia’s limited entry points as campus remains closed to the public.
“As we prepare to begin a new semester, Gazan students have no universities left to which they can return,” read a statement from Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of more than 100 student clubs.
“We do not deserve a first day of school,” it continued.
The groups promoted an email template to send to their professors, announcing they will not be attending as they participate in a first day of classes strike.
“In solidarity with CUAD’s strike and our peers pushing for divestment, I ask that you excuse any absences from class or provide an opportunity to participate online,” read the email. “I understand the importance of class attendance and am committed to making up any missed work or assignments.”
