College students and faculty are staging walkouts on Monday in a widespread protest on the anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war.
At Columbia University, the demonstrations started around 11:30 a.m., according to law enforcement officials who spoke with The Washington Post. Campus security and police are monitoring the situation.
Participants in the Columbia protest plan to march to Washington Square Park in New York City and join a larger demonstration organized by the pro-Palestinian group, Within Our Lifetime, according to The Daily News. In response, Jewish students at Columbia have organized a vigil to honor the roughly 1,200 Israelis killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
"The terror attack on October 7 and the ensuing war have affected us all, some more personally and more intensely than others. We must all come together to provide the space for people to mourn and to provide the grace required for every one of us to live through this time in an atmosphere of respect and support," Columbia's interim President Katrina Armstrong said in a statement ahead of the anniversary.
Meanwhile in Washington D.C., several pro-Israel organizations have endorsed the Christian nonprofit Philos Project's "Standing with Israel" rally that will take place on Monday at the National Mall.
Virginia Commonwealth University students were also expected to stage a walkout at noon, according to Student for Justice in Palestine. Protests are scheduled to take place at the University of New Mexico, Vassar College and Ohio State University as well.
Various colleges and universities decided to commemorate the Oct. 7 attack through vigils, but not without pushback.
A speech by Palestinian-American professor Rabab Abdulhadi was scheduled for Monday at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, but it was canceled after students created a petition opposing it. The institution expressed doubts about its ability to guarantee security for the occasion.
Last week, a federal judge ruled in favor of University of Maryland students, allowing them to hold their Monday vigil after university officials had revoked permits, citing a policy that restricted the day's events to only those sanctioned by the university in an effort to reduce tensions ahead of the anniversary.
Dozens of higher education institutions, which have been plagued by unrest in the past year over pro-Palestine encampments, accusations of antisemitism and a string of resignations by university presidents over criticism of their handling of the situation, are set to host similar events throughout the day.
