it's interesting, a lot of people are really afraid to talk to us. you noticed a lot of young people and the demonstrators are wearing masks. we don't know how many our students, so there's a lot of student housing around here. and even people who go to school at columbia aren't being allowed back on the campus right now because of the lock down situation. and the students who are on campus were advised to stay in their dormitories and not come out in the run up to this. clearly the university was prepping everyone for this mass take over by the police. kristen, they're stay with us as we up days of us who might just be joining us on what's been happening. this is really important developments at columbia university in new york. this is al jazeera and you are watching live pictures from columbia university. we're in the past 65 minutes, we have seen police offices moving into climbing up and entering through a window at the historic hamilton school in columbia university. that's where

a group of students, we don't know how many exactly, but a group of students barricaded themselves in 5, hamilton holes on monday evening to continue to protest against as well as on gaza. they said that they had renamed hamilton, hold him full after the 6 year old palestinian girl and daughter who was killed by is riley forces while on the phone with emergency power, medics begging them to come and save her and whose phone calls went viral around the world, there was a heavy police presence at columbia university after university sr. she's told police saying that they were agitators who had infiltrated this protest. let's break the corresponding question salumi back. and she is one of 2 correspondence that we have outside columbia university at different points outside the university covering this ongoing situation for us, i'm costing you know,

you were telling us about the university state and then saying that the there agitation is and cost on that today, as a boy was telling earlier that, you know, she's been speaking to many protest is over the course of the days of proposing as you have for you. it's been weeks now coming before tests and columbia. and they say, you know, that these claims of info faces is simply not true. and what's been really interesting, not just of columbia, but other universities across america is that students themselves are being charged students and professors themselves are being charged with trespassing english as they say is an absolutely bizarre charge of trespassing some way you so or you. but yeah, that's right, and columbia university, of course, has this long history of student demonstrations in the very same hall where the students are being arrested where they took over the building. and 1968

demonstrators do the same thing there. so they see this as continuing a tradition, and that happened again with the apartheid in south africa. there were demonstrations that the same spot. so in, in columbia university has the law school. it's the home to the night 1st amendment institute, and the faculty from the law school and the night 1st amendment institute have all come out on the side of the demonstrator saying that, you know, they've been peaceful, especially when the 1st arrest came along. it was, you know, a peaceful encampment where people were set up and by the police department's own statements they themselves so got to demonstrate that have not done anything violent, per se. so from within the campus you have on the one hand, the administrator shannon,

the board of trustees is clearly are under pressure from leaders of the city and the state and the federal government to clamp down on this and get it under control . but within the columbia community, i'm not saying all faculty members support the demonstrators, but certainly there has been a majority of just by the senate vote that was taken this faculty senate vote was very critical of the fact that police were used to handle a situation. the university faculty see this as their community as their students. this is of teachable moment. many of them will say when they can, you know, encourage discussions and debates and the expression of free speech. yeah. and yet it was just a blanket, shut down separately. it now a lot of dealing that the negotiations haven't been in good faith, but you know, cost and i think we've seen since the war and guys of the got especially before,

but it's been highly since the one gaza began. but the exception to free speech even at universities seems to be on palestine. well, i don't recall any arrests during the south african apartheid divest movement. there. you know, it is the, this is really a, so this really seems to trigger a response. natalie here at columbia, but elsewhere and there's a lot of sympathy for this is real and for what happened there. there's a lot of you know, strong feelings when israel is threatened. uh, people here have family there. there's a lot of connections between israel in new york in particular. so there is sympathy there. but there's also growing awareness of what's happening in gaza and the

pictures that have been coming from that conflict. and again, this is an educational setting up where people are learning about what's happened as a world and what you being taught about human rights. if you're being taught about free speech. yeah, people are saying, why can't we talk about this? why can't we use our voices to, to protest? and that's what we've been seeing down as an christian, you know, take a point about the past aid correspondent, vault mcbride, who's been covering the protests of the university of california los angeles. he interviewed a history professor, a few hours of our live and one of our bulletins. and he was talking about how and all of his he is of being part of protests in america, including against a potter, if he hasn't seen something like this. so that was really interesting. you cover the protests in america since the war on guys have again, and especially the ones at universities. kristin,

just last me. how would you characterize what you're seeing to nice at columbia in the context of what's been happening over the last few weeks? you know, it's a great question because the demonstrations in new york started from, not long after october 7th. there has actually been weekly, in some cases, multiplies many days a week. there have been protests where people have come to the streets, but they weren't getting covered. they weren't getting a lot of attention unless they were a big one where they shut down grand central. and people were arrested there or they shut down the brooklyn bridge. when those things would happen, they would get some attention. they would get some coverage. but people were coming out almost daily as the, the longer the war has continued, the more frequent those demonstrations became. but again, the,

the media sort of lost interest. there wasn't until the campus, the college students got involved that, that they started paying attention again. so wow, people can be critical of the students and their methods. and i've heard that actually from some of the jewish students, i spoke to here at columbia. actually had some sympathy for the flight of gardens in this conflict. but they felt that the students were going about it wrong . or they didn't like the chance of intifada or from the river to the sea because they felt like it was directed at them and it was a lot was anti semitic in nature. yeah. even though the, from the river to buddy is actually on benjamin. they even started happening here and wasn't getting the right,

is there different, different sides of this debate? see it differently, but here in some circles, any if you say into fodder if you say from the river to the c that is seen as anti zionist, and not more than as i yeah it's, it's anti, it's sub submitted by, by some people here. and i've seen some really great debates on the sidelines here of people just debating that yeah. but, but clearly that got attention and got the media back 1st and it back to covering the story when college campuses got involved. preston, thank you so much for that. for now, that's christmas and i'm a drawing of live from columbia university in new york. we're going to go back to our other correspondent who has live in a different location at columbia. today's in bo is joining us. and today's, i can you, if you can just, you know, bring us up to date with what's been happening the over the past hour. and, you know,

we're watching the live shot of that window of the historic hamilton full with police and side students who've fabricated themselves inside. and we don't know what's happening there. he said he was getting closer to me were right here across from, from where the window where at least 50 police officers went inside. a hamilton hall is not here. what is happening there right now, but a student, protesters had been outside no way protecting those who are inside, who have barricaded themselves inside hamilton hall. or they renamed that whole after a palestinian girl, the 6 year old kind of senior involved that was killed by the military. and then just about an hour ago, we started seeing massive police restaurants. they started coming towards where we are from the northern side of the avenue and from the southern part of the avenue. and then this is just dozens and dozens of police officers came here. let me bring

you in and we're going to talk to one of the students that has been outside showing support for those who are inside and he does not want his name disclosed, but he's been here all day. he's been following what's been happening with the student all day. so what can you tell us is happening inside what have you heard from your, your, your classmates, your other students who are inside. right. so like you said, a lot of the students went in to hamilton hall yesterday. the occupying reoccupied it attends hall. they were there all day long. all of us were hoping that the administration would behave like adults and negotiate in good faith with the students and find a compromise, find a way for them to get the students safely back to the classes where they belong. but a lot of us were very disappointed obviously, and start to see the please return to our campus and american institution where freedom, fries, and freedom expressed are supposed to be prized. um, earlier today you know, the social networks we all told that they expected the police to come. so we came

out here to to dentistry in our support for, for me personally for the american values. i believe in um and when we arrived there were students kind of messing around the gates behind the easy um eventually the police arrived and started pushing people back about 4050 students when arm in arm inside the block, the gate, the police and came some of them behave like best, most others were pushing and still having an escalating situation. they took a lot of those things away in zip ties and then eventually they pushed breakfast out of the way. so that could bring in the vehicle. you see um to my right uh that vehicle move forward to where it is now. they use the latter system. the front of it is a normal out of wood so that instead to use that vehicle to reach the window into hamilton hall or handle. and from there they move in. um, what were told from inside the reports that they used to your guys are in close space, which doesn't seem to be sound or responsible when dealing with on, on student protests or so have you heard from inside what is happening inside?

because we cannot see anything from here from where we are right now. but maybe you are in touch with other students inside. have you, do you, do you know what is going on? right, so what were from inside? there were students who were nonsense, there was always wants to and who was not going conscious by the police. again, that's therefore an oregon from inside and they were target to support. a lot of the students apparently are being brought out and, and zip ties via buses. to the south of the campus, but it sounds like the students were sitting there, they're probably expecting to be arrested or willing to be arrested for what they believe in which something that again, we should applaud here in america. that's recursion. there. those students who decided they want to stand for what they believe in and all these police. busy officers boulder equipment knocking down the door to take them away. one of the things that the new york police department is saying is that the students inside were infiltrated by outside or is that this is something it's really dangerous? is this true? i mean, is this something that has happened is to students in there? what can you tell us about who is inside?

i want to go. the students were sitting in class is like the rest of us, of the people who are in there right now. so the best of my knowledge are all students who decides that they want to take a stand and access and st leadership for the rest of the country for students around the world. i haven't heard of any people tracing into the caps. the only thing that happened was sometimes there would be some outside people who would come inside to, you know, change a narrative like those are probably that came in. other people trying to spread a different area. but the students were very responsible and the, and they behave like very professionally in the escalating those situations and results in the narrative and gaza as they were attempting to any of these narratives that are trying to express fear about with the students. or i recommend you speak to one of the students, if you get a chance, a 1000 students or the jewish students were arrested last week or 2 things are probably being rest right now. and you can hear from them what kind of motivation, what kind of movement they are, which is peaceful. and there was no, it'll tracing some understanding of any kind of outside organization. us of students who are being part of this movement of his protests to shed light of what is happening in gaza to the world guys or to the coming in. gotcha. and what would

you, what would you like to say to the american public? what would you like to say to american politicians? what would you like to tell precedent by then about what is happening here right now? right out. i want to start by saying, i don't want to distract attention away from gaza, which is the real focus of all the students here. but personally, the students, as an american, i'm horrified by decision making process. here. this is it, moscow, this isn't a wrong. this is new york city. we should be able to protest peacefully in order to talk to people about what we have, you know, what issues we have with what's going on our campus around the world without fear of our ted this being notarized by police and occupied the push, the ways more classes for no reason the students there, they demonstrate it incredible courage and they motivated people around the country do the same. and i was hoping that the administration here would folder lead and do something constructive. unfortunately, they started bringing costs last week. the rest of the country for that we brought it up. they were negotiating constructively,

early in the weeks and gave him one of that. i was hoping they would remove that he goes to the table, but he said they decide to do this. so for everyone that we grew up in america, in elementary school of middle school, and what about american values and history of american evolution, or any other things you prize as american on our values? i would say, hopefully in the future this doesn't happen again. hopefully remember who we are and we sent over people who want to protest peacefully in order to address something this is going on the world to. thank you very much. so we remain here right outside of columbia university, just sliding front of the door where around 50 police officers enter hamilton on. it's not to hear what went on there. we just heard some of the information that students outside of guessing from what is happening inside. but we are remaining here monitoring the situation, c, and dozens and thousands of police officers that i've showed up here watching how at least 50 of them entered it through the window probably to evict the students

that are currently assigned. students have been facing the risks of suspension of expulsion, now they're facing a rest. so we're going to have to see what happens next. but we'll be here and we'll, we'll keep you updated with the latest of what's going on here outside columbia university. yeah, no doubt. so there is a thank you so much for that for me. now, that is today is a boy. she is joining us live from the same position. she's been in all day outside the historic hamilton for, for 50 police officers around. so she police officers and an unknown number of student protest is, have barricaded themselves inside the whole since monday we are now joined by cameron jones. his lead. organize at columbia is jewish boys for peace and a sophomore student. we can see some activity on that live shot. it looks like another police officer is approaching the window where as being reporting,

thousands have made their way is inside. and you can see that, you know, the students and a large number of students and their support is outside from columbia university. and over the past hour, we have seen a number of students and that much in fact be those students who are being apprehended by police over the past hour. a correspondent, today's about telling us that the students that have been arrested just over the last hour of very much peaceful protest as the university has released a statement saying that they've pulled and the police because of so full agitates as base station infiltration. things protests from allegation that's being made against various protest across american universities over the past few weeks since they really began. so let's, let's, let's go now to that guest on the phone. cameron jones again, cameron jones is lead. organize a at columbia as jewish boys for peace. he's a sophomore student,

he's joining us from the university. thank you very much for your time tonight. so slick. can you describe to us what's happening around you? yes, of course. so thank you for helping me on and myself and dozens of other students press members and medics were gathered outside the occupied in hall while police came in. and then the police chose to push all these through then all of the press and all of the medics it out of the vicinity of the hall and into a nearby building. individuals could not record, could not help those in need of help and could not bear witness to the police brutality that has taken place. which is 63 me agreed to an attack on the freedom of the press and the freedom of do then to be on our public college campus. and unfortunately, we have seen videos and have of course that students have been taken away and zip

ties. there was a visa footage of one student being pushed to the ground and then became unconscious and was arrested while they were unconscious. they have now became consciousness, but being pushed to the ground by the police and being made unconscious is extremely outrages. and it is really, really unfortunate to hear all of the videos and testimonies that we have rolling in the washington post just reported that officers entered in call with their guns drawn. we are hearing boomers of possible po gas being deployed. so it's really, really scary situations for everyone involved. and i do want to push back on what the university said that yeah, mr. jones, i want to, i. yeah, i absolutely want to hear what you think about what the university is saying. but before we get to that, i really want to establish where you would because you said you said you were inside a home when you were pushed out a. so there where it says in a few,

then pressing medics who would gather the house size of the hall that the police are now in. okay, so you outside hamilton hall and you will push out when, when the police officers with a very large contingent of police officers arrived about an hour ago. yeah. okay. you are pushed into a nearby building called john j. o. okay. and now to your point about what the university is saying, they're saying that agitators have infiltrated the protests. is this something that you've seen? how long have you been involved in these protests? and is it fine? it seems yeah, i have not seen agitators or infiltrators become involved in these protests. i have been involved in the movement on campus since october. and i can tell you right now you do not have advocated or infiltrated involved in our faces. so it's really appeared that the university is making up a basic fuse so they can bring in the violent and my cd to bi weekly or back to

them, which is extremely concerning, an extremely harmful. and we also just saw reports that the university plan to keep and might be on campus until may 17th. okay, but why would the university want to do that? i mean, why would they make up, you know, false accusations to involve the police, especially when the world media and watching what's happening at the mouth and campuses a. yeah, so i think we saw a couple of weeks ago when columbia called on the n y piece to arrest over a 100 individuals because of columbia appears to not care about the public pressure and the public outcry. what they do care about is seemingly wanting to keep their donors and to uphold the support of the israeli state, which is extremely constraining to see that they are willing to, to cut their students how best to support a foreign government. that is submitting

a send the size of mr. jones. what does your organization in jewish voice? so please think about the allegations of anti semitism against your protest. yeah. so it is very unfortunate together allegations because members of do it for members of jewish board for peace and other members of the, to us maybe on campus have been involved in the movement since also back. and we have been there every step of the way and we do not tolerate any anti semitism. it is really unfortunate to see anti zionism being completed within pipe semitism because they are not the same thing at all. and it is outrageous that we're still having this conversation when they're at the genocide going on. and just lastly, mr. jones, you know, when students started these protests, they were against israel's war on gaza. they wanted the university to divest from its investments and as well. and especially in as many went tons, manufacturers during, as well as wong gaza. but since then,

and since the arrest that we've seen at columbia university and other universities, you know, students and now demanding that their fellow protest is, don't face repercussions for exercise and bid democratic, you know, rights to freedom of speech and freedom of expression by taking, pausing, these protest tubs has the university indicated that they're willing to make any concessions such a one on this. the university has not indicated that they are willing to make any concessions, and they have only been engaging inside base negotiations. the university has done everything in their power to suppress the pro palestine movement on campus and appears who wants to do whatever is in their power to stop. so somebody can either or right, that is cameron jones. he is the lead organizer at columbia university's jewish voice for peace is joining us on the phone from the university on this very important nice. when once again, we know that

a number of dozens of police officers have gone inside of has started school with protests as have been fabricated since monday evening. we don't know what's happening inside that hole, but we are looking at the live pictures watching the situation very closely and doing so with us our correspondence outside columbia university. one of them is kristen salumi. she has been with us over the past hour and is still with us now. so kristen, tell us what is happening around you. so the group of demonstrators that have gathered here have marched off down the street. they're headed towards the police station where they believe that demonstrators who are being arrested will be taken to, to have a presence there as well. but you can see behind me, the heavy police presence continues and there's still some bystanders around here as well. uh, the see the bands that are set up to take people on and off the campus. we haven't

seen the students coming out on this side. the buses i believe, are on the other side that are going to be going to the police station. but i've been speaking to people here gathered on the sidelines, including a young man who's with me now by the name of henry henry is a graduate of columbia, very recent graduate, just in the last year. uh and you've been active with the demonstrations here. tell me about that. what's your involved? that's why. yeah, so i, i graduated in, in the spring in the summer last year and i stayed involved because my friends is on campus. a few of them are arrested. i live near campus. i care about the university and i feel really deeply betrayed by it. and yeah, i mean, obviously, university is a big stake in this. the students have been fighting something i've been speaking about. the students have been fighting for this for a long time. we had today us and when i was a freshman in 20th, that's a great point just to just the harp on that for our viewers. that before october 7,

the cause of the palestinians was known to students here. this is not something reset. this has been a long time issue for students. excellent. yeah, i mean, um, columbia university of edward say, you know, great scholar posted in history and his people. and it's, you know, it's been, that's a history, this been totally betrayed by the university and it was betrayed before in 2019. um, the soon started, overwhelmingly, divestment. we were told, there wasn't a, the university doesn't get in politics. to me. this is politics. you know, the healthy bubble centers politics the fact that there's students here who can't participate in the full grass of the work. columbia offers because they partner with the country with race. lars was a part tied well like a well established fact that to me is despicable. so i didn't like the old administration. i definitely don't like how many is handling this? and in terms of the support that you've been seeing on campus, we're now hearing a lot about these outside agitators coming in and stirring things up. what have you

observed in terms of what have you observed in terms of excite, they're moving some people out here in terms of other protesters coming. i know i've seen a lot of pro and anti demonstrators. okay, we're being moved to the sidewalk here. so let's continue our conversation with sidewalk. yeah, so how would you characterize the people who come here to take part in them? yeah, so it's, there's certainly been a lot of outside presence. a lot of it, i think has been very supportive, very reasonable. there's obviously been people who have different agendas who are here. i think that's been one issue for the organizers, is that they, they're a lot of opportunities for people who want to suppress the movement. we want to slander, to pick and choose, and the people outside the gates also like i know a couple of days ago yesterday, they're a big pro israel demonstration. those i think have been the most, most very well in their, in their rhetoric, the most most aggressive and so yeah,

that's definitely an issue, but i think the students have done a really good job staying on message. oh yeah, despite the do you feel like the campus is divided between the supporters and the not supporters? the you do you think has the upper hand. i mean, i can speak for all the students. i live in my bubble, but i think support for, for palestine and per divestment instead of what the students are finding port is really deep. it's really broad. i need to take united. i can't speak for every soon, but i mean, i was on the encampment for a couple of days now. do you still work with ministration? and you know, they, they were hosting state or they, they had a different kinds of dance and you had to change them. you're speaking to each other. to me, it was a really beautiful soon. so i think there's a space for every member of the columbia community at the protest with because with the movement of whether everyone to force them sure everyone doesn't. but i think this for is really i have to ask you about the terms uh intifada.

and from the river to the sea, because that seems to really trigger and i submitted accusations and people what, what do you think when people who are saying that the, with the palestinian supporters. yeah, i mean, i won't speak for every champ with those 2 are ones, the ones, but i think they're totally justified into father. i think people, so i knew that it's just, it's just the entire racism. it's anti arabic and to find it in arabic. as far as i know means uprising you describe any uprising things about it. i think only seeing a purchase even is enough. i think that's really just right as to the river to the sea. i think that's. that's something missing the dps resources, and i know the 80 hours keeps very close track of and they submitted protests and they submitted the language and they submitted can up until october they, they just listed on their website as a, as in the.