Columbia Professors Address Crowd Amid Faculty Walkout Over Arrest of Pro-Palestine Protesters

Storyful

23 April 2024 at 2:25 am

University of Columbia faculty addressed crowds of protesters on Monday, April 22, amid a walkout over the arrest of students during pro-Palestine demonstrations.

Video filmed by Anna Louise Kuoni Oakes shows David Lurie, president of the Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and professor of Japanese history, reading from the AAUP-Columbia statement released on Saturday.

“We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the administration’s suspension of students engaged in peaceful protest and their arrest by the New York City Police Department”, Lurie says.

Then, Christopher Brown, professor of history, says: “The New York Police Department does not belong on this campus except in moments of extreme emergency. And that show of force was a sign of weakness. In trying to show that they meant business, what they showed was their incompetence.”

Columbia University canceled all in-person classes on Monday, due to the ongoing Gaza solidarity encampment on its Manhattan campus. Credit: Anna Louise Kuoni Oakes via Storyful

Video transcript

DAVID LURIE: My name is David Lurie. I'm a professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and cultures. I also teach in the core. And I am the president of the Columbia Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. I will now read the Declaration, which we released this past Saturday following the mass emergency of the faculty held on the prior Friday, April 19, 2024.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the administration's suspension of students engaged in peaceful protest and their arrests by the New York City Police Department.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

These acts violate the letter and spirit of the University statutes, shared governance, students' rights, and the University's absolute obligation to defend students freedom of speech and ensure their safety. We demand-- we demand that all Barnard College and Columbia University suspensions and charges be dismissed immediately and expunged.

[CHEERING]

And expunged from the students records. And that all rights and privileges be restored to them immediately.

[CHEERING]

Last, we demand that no disciplinary action be taken against any student protesters without due process and that no police be permitted on campus without serious consultation with the executive committee of the University Senate." Thank you.

CHRISTOPHER BROWN: --does not belong on this campus except in moments of extreme emergency.

[CHEERING]

And that show of force-- that show of force was a sign of weakness.

- Shame on her!

CHRISTOPHER BROWN: In trying to show that they meant business, what they showed was their incompetence.

- Shame on her!

CHRISTOPHER BROWN: So I want to say one other thing. And that's about the Congressional testimony on Wednesday. And this is about academic freedom.

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Video transcript

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