JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa faces an unusual national election this year, its seventh vote since transitioning from white minority rule to a democracy 30 years ago. Polls and analysts warn that for the first time, the ruling African National Congress party that has comfortably held power since Nelson Mandela became the country's first Black president in 1994 might receive less than 50% of votes.
One big reason is Jacob Zuma, the former president and ANC leader who stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations but has emerged in recent months with a new political party. It intends to be a major election player as the former president seeks revenge against former longtime allies.
Click to Gallery
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa faces an unusual national election this year, its seventh vote since transitioning from white minority rule to a democracy 30 years ago. Polls and analysts warn that for the first time, the ruling African National Congress party that has comfortably held power since Nelson Mandela became the country's first Black president in 1994 might receive less than 50% of votes.
FILE - African National Congress (ANC) President Jacob Zuma reacts at the end of a news conference in Johannesburg, South Africa April 21. 2009 For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed UMkhonto WeSiizwe political party. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File)
FILE - Then South African deputy president, Jacob Zuma, holding microphones, addresses supporters after being found not guilty of rape in Johannesburg, Monday May 8, 2006. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed UMkhonto WeSiizwe political party. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File)
FILE — A woman pretending to fire a mock weapon joins supporters of former deputy president Jacob Zuma in protest outside the High Court in Johannesburg, Wednesday, April 5, 2006 during Zuma's rape trial. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed UMkhonto WeSiizwe political party. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell/File)
FILE — Former South African President Jacob Zuma, sits in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Tuesday Oct. 26, 2021 during his trial o corruption charges. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed UMkhonto WeSiizwe political party. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, Pool, File)
FILE - Former South African President Jacob Zuma speaks during a press conference in Soweto, South Africa, on Dec. 16, 2023, where Zuma gave his backing to the newly-formed political party, uMkhonto weSizwe, (MK). For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the MK. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
FILE — Supporters of former South African President Jacob Zuma and the UMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) party outside the Electoral High Court in Johannesburg Monday April 8 2024. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed political party. (AP Photo/File)
FILE — Former South African president, Jacob Zuma, sings and dances after addressing his supporters of the UMkhonto WeSizwe, (MK) party outside the High court in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, April 11, 2024. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed MK. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe/File)
Here is what you need to know about the 82-year-old Zuma's return to the political ring and how it might play a significant election role.
Zuma has long been one of South Africa's most recognizable politicians. He was a senior leader in the ANC during the liberation struggle against apartheid. A former ANC intelligence chief, he has repeatedly threatened to reveal some of the party’s secrets. While Zuma was not one of Mandela’s preferred choices to succeed him, Mandela trusted Zuma to play an influential role in ending deadly political violence that engulfed KwaZulu-Natal province before the historic 1994 elections. The province has remained a vocal base of support for Zuma ever since, and members of Zuma's Zulu ethnic group make up its majority. Zuma became deputy leader of the ANC in 1997 and was appointed South Africa's deputy president in 1999.
Zuma's path to power included legal challenges. In 2006, he was found not guilty of raping the daughter of a comrade at Zuma's home in Johannesburg. A year earlier, he was fired as South Africa’s deputy president after his financial advisor was convicted for corruption for soliciting bribes for Zuma during an infamous arms deal. Alleging a political witch hunt, Zuma launched an aggressive political campaign that saw him elected ANC president in 2007. His campaign appealed to widespread discontent with then-President Thabo Mbeki, who was often described as autocratic and aloof. The corruption charges against Zuma were later dropped, amid controversy, and he was elected South Africa's president in 2009.
Zuma's presidency was often under fire. His close friends and allies, the Gupta family, were accused of influencing appointments to key cabinet positions in exchange for lucrative business deals. The allegations of corruption in government and state-owned companies eventually led the ANC force Zuma to resign in 2018. A judicial commission of inquiry uncovered wide-ranging evidence, and Zuma in 2021 was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in jail for refusing to testify. Zuma remains aggrieved with the ANC and his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa. But few South Africans expected the break to go so far.
Zuma shocked the country in December by denouncing the ANC and campaigning against a party that had been at the heart of his political career. His new political party, UMkhonto WeSizwe, was named after the ANC's military wing, which was disbanded at the end of the struggle against white minority rule. The ANC has launched a legal case seeking to stop the new party from using a name and logo that are similar to those of the military wing. The charismatic Zuma continues to crisscross the country, delivering lively speeches, and an image of his face will represent the party on ballots.
The ANC already had been facing pressure from other opposition parties. But Zuma's new party threatens to draw support from within the often divided ANC. South Africa's electoral body has cleared him to run for a parliament seat, despite his past conviction. Polls suggest the new party may emerge as one of the country's biggest opposition parties and could play a significant role if the weakening ANC must form coalitions to run the country. Addressing his supporters at a recent rally, Zuma declared that “I need to return so that I can fix things.”
FILE - Former South African President Jacob Zuma, centre, with his legal team in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on Jan. 31, 2022 during a hearing of his corruption trial. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed UMkhonto WeSiizwe political party. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, Pool, File)
FILE - African National Congress (ANC) President Jacob Zuma reacts at the end of a news conference in Johannesburg, South Africa April 21. 2009 For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed UMkhonto WeSiizwe political party. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File)
FILE - Then South African deputy president, Jacob Zuma, holding microphones, addresses supporters after being found not guilty of rape in Johannesburg, Monday May 8, 2006. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed UMkhonto WeSiizwe political party. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File)
FILE — A woman pretending to fire a mock weapon joins supporters of former deputy president Jacob Zuma in protest outside the High Court in Johannesburg, Wednesday, April 5, 2006 during Zuma's rape trial. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed UMkhonto WeSiizwe political party. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell/File)
FILE — Former South African President Jacob Zuma, sits in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Tuesday Oct. 26, 2021 during his trial o corruption charges. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed UMkhonto WeSiizwe political party. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, Pool, File)
FILE - Former South African President Jacob Zuma speaks during a press conference in Soweto, South Africa, on Dec. 16, 2023, where Zuma gave his backing to the newly-formed political party, uMkhonto weSizwe, (MK). For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the MK. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
FILE — Supporters of former South African President Jacob Zuma and the UMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) party outside the Electoral High Court in Johannesburg Monday April 8 2024. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed political party. (AP Photo/File)
FILE — Former South African president, Jacob Zuma, sings and dances after addressing his supporters of the UMkhonto WeSizwe, (MK) party outside the High court in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, April 11, 2024. For the first time since 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of votes after Zuma stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and has given his support to the newly-formed MK. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe/File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of protesters took over a building at Columbia University on Tuesday, barricading entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag from a window in an escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war on college campuses nationwide. The school promised they would face expulsion from the university.
The occupation at of the campus in New York — where protesters had shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon a tent encampment Monday or be suspended — unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to end the protests. Police swept through some campuses, leading to confrontations and arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life.
And as cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasn’t clear whether those talks would inspire an easing of campus protests.
Protesters on Columbia's Manhattan campus locked arms early Tuesday and carried furniture and metal barricades to Hamilton Hall, among several buildings that were occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protest. Protest organizers posted on Instagram soon after midnight urging people to protect the encampment and join them at Hamilton Hall. A “Free Palestine” banner hung from a window.
On social media Tuesday, the protest group CU Apartheid Divest called the building Hind’s Hall, honoring a young girl who was among the relatives killed in a vehicle in Gaza under Israeli fire.
Hamilton Hall opened in 1907 and is named for Alexander Hamilton — one of the U.S. founding fathers — who attended King's College, Columbia's original name.
“Students occupying the building face expulsion,” Columbia spokesperson Ben Chang said in a statement Tuesday. He said the university had given protesters a chance to leave peacefully and finish the semester, but that those who didn't agree to the terms were being suspended — restricted from all academic and recreational spaces, allowed only to enter their residences, and, for seniors, ineligible to graduate.
“Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation — vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances — and we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday,” he said.
A CU Apartheid Divest spokesperson said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that some students recently learned they had been suspended for protesting. She declined to give her name but said she is a Columbia graduate student who has been suspended and is not allowed back on campus.
She stressed that she was not a representative of the students who seized the administration building, but pledged that their commitment wouldn’t waver, despite the risk to their educations and careers.
“We are willing to take on an extremely minor amount of risk compared to what the heroic people of Gaza are dealing with every single day,” she said.
Later, the tent encampment was quiet and nearly empty. A small band of protesters chanted behind the university's locked gates as reporters and others watched from the other side.
Access to the campus was limited to students living in the residential buildings and essential employees, with one access point into and out of campus. New York Police Department Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said officers won’t enter Columbia’s campus without the college administration's request or an imminent emergency.
Among students suspended by Columbia Tuesday was Mahmoud Khalil, a lead negotiator before talks with the administration broke down over the weekend. His suspension letter — which he shared with The Associated Press — said he had refused to leave the encampment after prior warnings. Khalil said he had abided by the university’s demand to vacate the lawn by the Monday afternoon deadline.
Protesters have insisted they will remain in the hall until the university agrees to three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.
Ilana Lewkovitch, a 21-year-old self-described “leftist Zionist” student at Columbia, said it’s been hard to concentrate on school for weeks, amid calls for Zionists to die or leave campus. Lewkovitch, who identifies as Jewish, said she wished the current pro-Palestinian protests were more open to people like her who criticize Israel's war policies but believe there should be an Israeli state.
“I did an exam yesterday, a final exam yesterday, and the background noise was ‘say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here,’” the neuroscience student who studied at Columbia’s Tel Aviv campus said. “I have a final due today and I have a final exam due tomorrow and I cannot go to the library.”
The campus standoffs drew concern from the White House. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said President Joe Biden believes students occupying an academic building is “absolutely the wrong approach,” and “not an example of peaceful protest.” And Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said “there must be accountability” for the building takeover, "whether that’s disciplinary action from the school or from law enforcement.”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that "it is up to the university authorities to have the wisdom to properly manage situations like the ones we have witnessed.”
At California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where protesters occupied two buildings, dozens of police officers in helmets and carrying batons marched onto campus and cleared both overnight. The university said 25 were arrested and there were no injuries. The sweep was broadcast on the Facebook page of KAEF-TV, a satellite of KRCR-TV, until police detained the reporter.
President Tom Jackson Jr. said in a statement that “nobody wanted to see things come to this,” but that “serious criminal activity that crossed the line well beyond the level of a protest had put the campus at ongoing risk.”
California Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, whose district includes the campus, said damage there was estimated at more than $1 million.
Yale authorities cleared an encampment Tuesday morning after protesters heeded final warnings to leave, university officials said. No arrests were reported. Demonstrators said on social media that they were moving their gathering to a sidewalk. The encampment was set up Sunday, six days after police arrested nearly 50 people and took down dozens of tents.
Dozens of people were arrested Monday during protests at universities in Texas, Utah, Virginia and New Jersey.
On Tuesday, police cleared an encampment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and detained about 30 people. Later, protesters replaced an American flag there with a Palestinian one. Police then rehung the American flag. Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts told reporters that removing the American flag was “antithetical” to the nature of the UNC community. Some students responded by shouting he was “supporting the genocide of Palestinians.” Classes were canceled Tuesday.
At the University of Connecticut, police made arrests after protesters refused to remove tents. The downtown campus of Portland State University in Oregon, where protesters had been demonstrating mostly peacefully until a small group broke into the library late Monday, was closed.
The nationwide campus protests began in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israel's critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.
In a rare case, Northwestern University said it reached an agreement with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus near Chicago to allow peaceful demonstrations through the end of spring classes.
Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Karen Matthews, Jim Vertuno, Hannah Schoenbaum, Sarah Brumfield, Stefanie Dazio, Christopher Weber, Carolyn Thompson, Dave Collins, Makiya Seminera, Philip Marcelo and Corey Williams.
This story has been corrected to show that Columbia University has not canceled its main graduation event.
Pro-Palestinian protesters settled into a portico of Millar Library on the Portland State University campus over the weekend, shown on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Portland, Ore. Permission was originally granted by President Ann Cudd, but the PSU president reversed course on Monday and saying it needs to come down because of health and safety hazards. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Portland State University's library, advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Portand, Ore. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Portland State University's library, advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters gather at Portland State University in support of a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at Portland State University in support of a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Portland State University's library, advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Portland State University's library, advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Portland State University's library, advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)
Stickers and Palestininan flags cover a statue of George Washington at an encampment by students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Police stand in front of a University of Utah sign as they move demonstrators who had gathered to show support for Palestinians off the property at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)
Demonstrators pray at the President's Circle after setting up an encampment in support of Palestinians at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Marielle Scott/The Deseret News via AP)
A Gaza Solidarity Encampment by the Occidental College Students for Justice in Palestine on the campus of Occidental College in Eagle Rock, Calif., on Monday, April 29, 2024. According to a press release by organizers of the event, "this network reflects a steadfast solidarity in our communal struggle against settler colonialism, Zionism, and U.S. imperialism." (Hans Gutknecht/The Orange County Register via AP)
Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters seat down at the Old Campus after they rally at the University of Georgia, Athens, campus in Athens, Ga., following arrests on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
A Gaza Solidarity Encampment by the Occidental College Students for Justice in Palestine on the campus of Occidental College in Eagle Rock, Calif., on Monday, April 29, 2024. According to a press release by organizers of the event, "this network reflects a steadfast solidarity in our communal struggle against settler colonialism, Zionism, and U.S. imperialism." (Hans Gutknecht/The Orange County Register via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protester chant with dozens of people as they rally at University of Georgia, Athens campus in Athens following arrests on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Police move in and make arrests on demonstrators gathered to show support for Palestinians at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)
International Affairs student Zeena Mohamed addresses the protesters after being released from jail during a rally University of Georgia, Athens campus in Athens, Ga., following arrests Monday, April 29, 2024. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Demonstrators are seen through a window inside Hamilton Hall inside the Columbia University campus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking it over on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since April 17, calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students try to prevent the Gaza Solidarity Encampment from taking over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight before taking over the hall. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since April 17, calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza solidarity encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment break the doors to the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since Wednesday, April 17, around 4 a.m. Calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students protesters with the Gaza solidarity encampment move tents from the South West lawn at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight before taking over Hamilton Hall. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment break the doors to the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since Wednesday, April 17, around 4 a.m. Calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment take over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Protesters name it Hind's Hall as an homage to Hind Rajab, who was found dead 12 days after she called for help in Gaza. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment take over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Protesters name it Hind's Hall as an homage to Hind Rajab, who was found dead 12 days after she called for help in Gaza. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since April 17, calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students try to prevent the Gaza Solidarity Encampment from taking over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight before taking over the hall. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students try to prevent the Gaza Solidarity Encampment from taking over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight before taking over the hall. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students protesters with the Gaza solidarity encampment move tents from the South West lawn at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight before taking over Hamilton Hall. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza solidarity encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Student protesters with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment place a keffiyeh on Columbia University's Alma Mater on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight, then took over Hamilton Hall building. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment take over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University naming it Hind's Hall, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Protesters named it Hind's Hall as an homage to Hind Rajab, who was found dead 12 days after she called for help in Gaza. Students have been occupying part of campus calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. Students have been occupying part of campus since April 17, calling for the university to divest from institutions that have ties to Israel. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
FILE - Part of some estimated 300 students at Columbia University are shown milling around Hamilton Hall on the campus in New York, April 24, 1968. The students are protesting the construction of a gymnasium in a public park and the university's participation in a defense-related program. A couple of students stand on pedestal of the statue of Alexander Hamilton while others hang a poster of Stokely Carmichael from the balcony of the building along with a Viet Cong flag. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris, File)
Police arrive at a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Demonstrators and law enforcement officers clash during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Law enforcement officers hold shields during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Demonstrators stand behind a sign in preparation for police to arrive during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
University of Oregon students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A University of Oregon student carves a design into a stamp to be used on cloth at a tent encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A student at the University of Oregon sets up a sign that reads "Divest from death" as students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A student at the University of Oregon looks into a tent with other students at an encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Pro-Palestinian protesters continued to occupy the grounds at University of California, Los Angeles in front of Royce Hall on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Los Angeles. Security has surrounded the encampment after a skirmish broke out Sunday between the Pro-Palestianian protesters and Israel supporters. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)
Speakers take turns addressing a rally on Francis Quadrangle at the University of Missouri campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. Students staged a walkout and demonstration calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. The group made up of about 300 peopl, met at Lowry Mall and walked to the Quad and back. (Brian W. Kratzer/Missourian via AP)
A person who declined to give their name maneuvers among tents at an encampment by students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Barricades torn down by demonstrators are piled in the center of an encampment by students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Israel supporters look on at a pro-Palestinian encampment in front of Royce Hall at UCLA, Monday, April 29, 2024. Pro-Palestinian supporters joined in a march from their encampment in front of Royce Hall to areas around the campus. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters stand with linked arms surrounded by Texas state troopers and police at an encampment at University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
State troopers arrest a person at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A protester is taken away by University of Texas at Austin police at an encampment on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Student protesters march round their encampment on the Columbia University campus, Monday, April 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
A sign is shown written over to read "University of Palestine" at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Washington campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Seattle. The group is demanding that the university divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing, which manufactures products used by Israel Defense Forces. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A state trooper pepper sprays protesters at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
State troopers arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
University of South Florida police officers take pro-Palestinian protesters into custody during a march on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
People gather on the grass at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Washington campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Seattle. The group is demanding that the university divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing, which manufactures products used by Israel Defense Forces. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A pro-Palestinian protester is grabbed by University of South Florida police as they begin to clash on campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A pro-Palestinian protester yells "Free Palestine" as she is handcuffed by University of Texas at Austin police on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A Palestinian flag flutters in the wind as University of Oregon students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Police pepper spray pro-Palestinian protesters blocking police vehicles from leaving the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
A student at the University of Oregon is silhouetted in front of a Palestinian flag inside a tent encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A pro-Palestinian protester yells as state troopers stand during a protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday April, 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
