Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

The Consulate General of India in Toronto on Thursday said it is cancelling some of its scheduled consular camps after the Canadian security authorities conveyed their inability to provide minimum security protection to its organisers. The announcement comes days after an incident of violent disruption by protestors carrying Khalistani flags at a consular event co-organised by the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton and the Indian Consulate. "In view of the security agencies conveying their inability to provide minimum security protection to the community camp organisers, the Consulate has decided to cancel some of the scheduled consular camps," the Consulate General of India said in a post on X. On November 3, the protest occurred at the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton and unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to show demonstrators holding banners in support of Khalistan. The protestors clashed with people and disrupted the consular event. The incident was condemned by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who said every Canadian has the right to practise their faith freely and safely. India condemned the attack with an expectation that those indulging in violence "will be prosecuted". In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that New Delhi remains "deeply concerned" about the safety and security of Indian nationals in Canada. The relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September last year of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing. New Delhi rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd". India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/skoda-kylaq-suv-launched-in-india-starting-at-7-89-lakh/articleshow/115013668.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/skoda-kylaq-suv-launched-in-india-starting-at-7-89-lakh/articleshow/115013668.cms" target="_blank">Skoda Kylaq SUV launched in India starting at ₹7.89 lakh</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/swiggy-ipo-gmp-risk-factors-and-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/115004939.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/swiggy-ipo-gmp-risk-factors-and-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/115004939.cms" target="_blank">Swiggy IPO – GMP, risk factors and all you need to know</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/realme-gt-7-pro-with-snapdragon-8-elite-6500mah-battery-to-launch-in-india-on-november-26/articleshow/114945858.cms" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-ipo-indias-biggest-telco-to-go-public-in-2025-retail-ipo-further-away/articleshow/114944496.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-ipo-indias-biggest-telco-to-go-public-in-2025-retail-ipo-further-away/articleshow/114944496.cms" target="_blank">Reliance Jio IPO – India’s biggest telco to go public in 2025, retail IPO further away</a>

Indian consulate in Canada cancels consular camps over security issues, Canadian authorities convey inability to provide security

The former <keyword id="19935584" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RSS-chief" source="keywords">RSS chief</keyword>, <keyword id="23419565" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Subhash-Velingkar" source="keywords">Subhash Velingkar</keyword>, recently stirred significant controversy by demanding a <keyword id="20615498" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="DNA-test" source="keywords">DNA test</keyword> on the relics of <keyword id="23459102" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="St-Francis-Xavier" source="keywords">St. Francis Xavier</keyword>. Velingkar claims that the test would confirm the authenticity of the remains, but his statement has triggered protests and condemnation from Goa’s <keyword id="19935795" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Catholic-community" source="keywords">Catholic community</keyword>, who view it as a direct affront to their faith. This article will explore the significance of St. Francis Xavier in Goa, examine the implications of a DNA test, and review the political and social reactions to Velingkar's statement. <h2>St. Francis Xavier in Goa</h2>St. Francis Xavier, one of the most venerated Catholic saints in the world, arrived in Goa in 1542 as a Jesuit missionary. He played a crucial role in establishing Christianity in Goa and spreading it across Asia. Known for his compassion and selfless dedication, he is affectionately referred to by Goans as “Goencho Saib” (Protector of Goa). <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112672114" title="“Please do not photograph our homes!” plead Goa’s homeowners" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>His relics, preserved at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, draw millions of pilgrims from across the globe. The relics are especially significant because, every ten years, they are publicly displayed during the Exposition, a major religious event that unites the community in faith and reverence. <h2>What is a DNA test, and what could it prove?</h2>A DNA test involves analysing genetic material to establish relationships, origins, or identity. DNA testing on human remains can reveal biological data such as ancestry, possible familial connections, or genetic characteristics. In this case, Velingkar’s call for a DNA test is ostensibly aimed at verifying whether the relics truly belong to St. Francis Xavier. However, such a test would be challenging because it would require preserved genetic material, which might not be feasible — although doable under the right conditions — after nearly 450 years. The main issue is that without direct descendants or known relatives, a DNA test would have limited capacity to “prove” the relics' authenticity definitively. Many Goans argue that such a test is unnecessary, given the historical and religious context of the relics and the deep spiritual significance they hold. <h2>Protests across Goa and political fallout</h2>Velingkar’s remarks have provoked a backlash, with protests erupting across Goa. Demonstrators in Margao and Canacona have voiced their anger, demanding Velingkar be arrested for offending their <keyword id="19978801" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="religious-sentiments" source="keywords">religious sentiments</keyword>. At these gatherings, local leaders have condemned his statements, arguing that he is attempting to provoke divisions in Goa’s harmonious society. Some have also called for Velingkar to undergo psychological evaluation, questioning his motives and the wisdom of his demand for a DNA test. While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured the public that legal action will be taken, some community members remain sceptical, perceiving a lack of urgency. The Congress party has criticised the BJP-led state government, accusing it of neglecting the issue to avoid alienating potential voter bases. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111809476" title="Why is a music festival causing controversy in Goa?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The controversy has also cast a spotlight on the BJP’s stance toward the Catholic community, particularly considering how the state was mum for an exceedingly long time on their intentions to invite Pope Francis to the upcoming Exposition. This hesitation and the ongoing controversy has compounded frustrations among Goans, leading to questions about the government’s respect for religious diversity in the state. Goa’s history is marked by religious tolerance and a unique blending of cultures. The Catholic Church has played a pivotal role in maintaining peace and fostering unity across different communities in the state. By calling for a DNA test on the relics of a beloved saint, many argue that Velingkar risks jeopardising this delicate balance. Religious leaders have warned against divisive rhetoric, underscoring that Goa’s strength lies in its ability to maintain harmony among its diverse population.

Goa protests: Why is an ex-RSS chief demanding to DNA test the body of a 450-year-old sacred saint?

London [UK]: Thousands of <keyword id="22708900" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="anti-racist-counter-protesters" source="Orion">anti-racist counter-protesters</keyword> demonstrated on Wednesday in solidarity with <keyword id="21981222" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ethnic-minorities" source="keywords">ethnic minorities</keyword> in England, who were subjected to violent <keyword id="22708899" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="anti-immigrant-riots" source="keywords">anti-immigrant riots</keyword>, Al Jazeera reported. The day began with high tension and the possibility of violence, but the situation calmed down in major cities like Liverpool and London as counter-protesters turned out in large numbers. As the anti-racist counter-protesters appeared, the <keyword id="22610079" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="far-right-protesters" source="keywords">far-right protesters</keyword> became more subdued, Al Jazeera reported. The Northampton police asked the counter-protesters to disperse as the far-right protesters mellowed. "Protest Update- One hour since planned protest was due to start and there has been no disorder tonight. Police are now asking the crowd of counter-protesters to disperse peacefully for the evening. Kettering Road still partially closed for now #Northampton," the Northants Police said in a post on X. Hundreds of protesters in solidarity with <keyword id="19919436" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="immigrants" source="keywords">immigrants</keyword> gathered in London against the far-right, chanting slogans like "<keyword id="3150720" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="refugees-welcome" source="Orion">refugees welcome</keyword>," "<keyword id="22708901" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="London-against-racism" source="Orion">London against racism</keyword>," "Migration is not a crime," and "stop the far right." In Walthamstow, where violent far-right protests were expected, people were stunned to see anti-Fascist groups, Palestinian and LGBT flags, and immigration-friendly signboards, Al Jazeera reported. A police officer said that they made a few arrests, but the crowd's mood shifted with drummers playing on the streets and giant bubbles floating across the evening sky, Al Jazeera reported. The UK has struggled with the greatest social unrest it has seen in years following a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in Southport. Several rioters on Sunday set fire to and broke into hotels housing asylum seekers in northern England. The far-right was accused of inciting anti-Muslim and anti-immigration demonstrations by spreading misinformation, including the false allegation that the assailant was a Muslim immigrant. However, the police confirmed that the suspect was born in Britain.

London against racism: Thousands rally in solidarity with ethnic minorities amid violent anti-immigrant riots in UK

Dhaka [<keyword id="19919639" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bangladesh" source="keywords">Bangladesh</keyword>]: At least 135 people have been estimated killed in violence across Bangladesh, according to local media reports. Police firings, mob beatings, and arson across the country killed at least 135 people before and after Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister on August 5, the Dhaka Tribune said Tuesday. In Sherpur District in northern Bangladesh, a mob armed with sticks stormed into the district jail, freeing more than 500 inmates. Crowds of protesters continued to roam streets in Dhaka and other Bangladeshi cities even after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country. The Bangladesh Army has temporarily taken power in the country and called on people to stop violence. An <keyword id="21030472" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="interim-government" source="keywords">interim government</keyword> is expected to be formed soon. As per the Dhaka Tribune, in Jessore, at least eight people were burned to death and 84 others were injured after unidentified arsonists set fire to a residential hotel. In Khulna, three people, including Koyra Upazila Parishad Chairman and Upazila Awami League President GM Mohsin Reza, were beaten to death by a mob. In Naogaon, a group of miscreants vandalised the residence of Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder and miscreats vandalized and set fire to the house of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, an MP. Bangladesh's military said it would lift a curfew imposed to quash protests at dawn today. <keyword id="22149156" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="anti-government-protests" source="keywords">Anti-government protests</keyword> continued in July led by students who took to the streets of various cities in the country to demand the abolition of <keyword id="22469096" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="job-quotas" source="keywords">job quotas</keyword> for relatives of participants in the 1971 war of independence. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112289999" title="Bangladesh coup: A timeline of critical events that led to PM Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and alleged flight" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Bangladesh's Supreme Court ruled against reintroducing job quotas on July 21 but protestors continued to demand abolishing job reservations for children of "freedom fighters" from Bangladesh's 1971 independence war. Anti government protests escalated on August 4 Protestors were called to march to Dhaka for a "final protest" on August 5, escalating the confrontation with the government. As per local media reports and viral videos on social media, protestors yesterday entered the Parliament building and were seen taking away things. Some were also seen smoking while sitting on the chairs of the parliament hall. Another group entered Ganabhaban and was observed looting and posing with live animals and furniture at the residence of the country's prime minister, the Dhaka Tribune reported. Protesters also trashed the prime minister's residence. They vandalised a statue of the country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and set fire to his museum. They also stormed the office of the ruling Awami League party. However, a report in Dhaka Tribune said that students Dhaka intercepted and confiscated looted items, including air conditioners, refrigerators, chairs, tables, and computers, were being carried away by people who went to the Ganabhaban after Sheikh Hasina's resignation as the prime minister. Leaders of the Anti-Discrimination <keyword id="21995958" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="student-movement" source="keywords">Student Movement</keyword> have proposed an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, in a bid to address Bangladesh's ongoing challenge, Dhaka Tribune reported. President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Monday night gave his nod to form an interim government to run the country.

Bangladesh protests: Mob continues to kill, arson, vandalise and storm jails even after PM Hasina resignation

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Emerson College in Boston says student protests have resulted in a decline in enrollment rates this year, per CBS News.</li><li>An internal letter said the college is looking to reduce spending and eliminate staff.</li></ul>Student protests are one of the reasons Emerson College in Boston is facing a decline in enrollment this fall, an internal message to staff stated, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/emerson-college-enrollment-protests-layoffs/">CBS News</a>."We attribute this reduction to multiple factors, including national enrollment trends away from smaller private institutions, an enrollment deposit delay in response to the new FAFSA rollout, student protests targeting our yield events and campus tours, and negative press and social media generated from the demonstrations and arrests," Emerson College president Jay Bernhardt wrote in the letter.In late April, Emerson students set up a pro-Palestine encampment in a public alley next to Boylston Street, following the student protests that started at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-university-pro-palestine-israel-gaza-protests-timeline-2024-4">Columbia University</a> earlier in the month.Protesters at Emerson called for a cease-fire in Gaza and urged the college to divest from organizations with ties to Israel, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/boston-campuses-join-columbia-university-in-gaza-war-protests/3345806/">NBC Boston.</a>On April 25, over 100 protesters were arrested at Emerson when the police in riot gear moved in to dismantle the camp. According to the police, the protesters were breaking city ordinances that banned camping on public property, per CBS News.Although the decline in enrollment is expected to be "a one-year phenomenon," the college will have to make "immediate spending reductions" — including possible faculty layoffs, the letter stated."We will limit our staff and faculty searches next year and carefully review existing programs and offerings for future savings," Bernhardt said in the letter. "Finally, we will need to eliminate some staff positions, both vacant and filled, and potentially reduce some faculty positions."According to the latest data on the <a target="_blank" href="https://emerson.edu/about-emerson-college/facts-figures">college's website</a>, Emerson enrolled 1,002 first-year students in fall 2022.The college enrolled a total of 4,149 undergraduate students in fall 2022, 4,117 in fall 2021, and 3,708 in fall 2020, Boston Herald <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/06/19/emerson-colleges-announces-coming-layoffs-links-declining-enrollment-to-protests/">reported</a>.The number of students enrolled for the fall 2024 term has not been shared, and it's unclear how many students Emerson had expected for the upcoming semester. The college did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.However, declining college enrollment rates could also be due to the changing sentiments of the younger generation.More and more Gen Zs <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-value-of-college-higher-education-student-debt-tuition-2023-12">no longer see the value in higher education</a>. A 2023 survey of over 1,800 Americans by Business Insider and YouGov revealed that 46% of Gen Zs surveyed say they don't think college is worth the cost.Additionally, the availability of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blue-collar-job-demand-growth-white-collar-layoffs-ai-2024-5">high-paying jobs that don't require a college degree</a> has also prompted Gen Zs to rethink college.It doesn't help that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cost-us-universities-wildly-expensive-education-tuition-fees-america-2024-3">tuition fees are so expensive</a> that many college graduates find themselves <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stories-of-student-loan-debt-hamster-wheel-borrowers-cant-escape-2022-1">saddled with student debt that they just can't escape</a>.

A Boston college blames pro-Palestinian student protests for lower enrollment

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Leon Cooperman, a billionaire Columbia donor, weighed in on the crisis on the university's campus.</li><li>He called the student protesters ignorant but expressed his support for the school's president.</li></ul>The Wall Street titan Leon Cooperman is the latest billionaire to weigh in on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-university-pro-palestine-israel-gaza-protests-timeline-2024-4">student protests over Israel's war in Gaza</a>.But unlike the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/robert-kraft-pulls-support-donations-columbia-israel-gaza-palestine-protests-2024-4">megadonor Robert Kraft</a>, Cooperman said he'd continue to give to Columbia even as he trashed student demonstrators.During a CNBC interview on Tuesday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-financial-crisis-national-debt-deficit-leon-cooperman-billionaire-omega-2024-4">Cooperman</a>, a Columbia University donor, was asked about the demonstrations on the school's campus, which have grown heated over the past week and resulted in more than 100 arrests."Many of the college kids have shit for brains," he said, doubling down on comments he made last year and adding that the students were "ignorant."(He apologized for his language during the interview, saying: "I grew up in the Bronx when it was more of an accepted terminology.")"They are advocating for the destruction of Israel," he said. "Israel is the only reliable ally the United States has in the Middle East, the only democracy in the Middle East."Cooperman also said Israel was the only country in the Middle East that "allows gays and lesbians to practice what they want to practice." While LGBTQ+ people experience discrimination in many countries, some nations in the region — including Cyprus, Jordan, and Turkey — have not criminalized same-sex activity.Cooperman blamed part of the unrest on people unaffiliated with Columbia who "are getting access to the school and creating this hoopla."He added that he believed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-president-avoids-missteps-of-other-elite-colleges-2024-4">Columbia's president, Nemat "Minouche" Shafik</a>, and leadership were "trying to do the right things."Shafik appeared before Congress last week and took a strong stance against antisemitism, denouncing a professor who voiced support for Hamas and another who <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-professor-faces-removal-petition-after-pro-hamas-attack-article-2023-10">called the October 7 terror attacks "awesome."</a>The same day as her remarks on Capitol Hill, a coalition of student groups — Columbia University Apartheid Divest, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace — set up "Gaza Solidarity Encampments" on Columbia's campus, protesting the war in Gaza, which has claimed thousands of civilian lives, and demanding the university divest financially from Israel.The groups say the protests were peaceful and within their rights.When the students would not move as requested, Shafik requested the New York City Police Department break up the protest, which led to the arrest of more than 100 protesters. Columbia and Barnard College suspended students involved with the protest.That move sparked increased tensions, with separate, antisemitic demonstrators taking to the area surrounding the campus, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Davidlederer6/status/1781948249214996901">videos posted on social media</a>. Jewish leaders at the school allege that Jewish students have been targeted with hateful rhetoric by demonstrators.On Monday, Columbia announced classes would be held virtually, and the campus has been closed to the public.Cooperman, who attended Columbia Business School, donated $25 million to the school in 2012 and has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/billionaire-leon-cooperman-pulling-columbia-funding-student-protests-kids-brains">said</a> he's donated closer to $50 million in total."I try to give money to those schools that have made a difference to me in my lifetime. I don't think it's right, but I probably couldn't have gotten into Wall Street from Hunter College, where I got my undergraduate degree," he said. "I got an MBA from Columbia, and the very next day, I joined Goldman Sachs."He said he would continue to give to the school but earmark his gifts to stay within the business school.Kraft, the billionaire owner of the Patriots and another Columbia alumnus, announced he would be pulling all donations to the school "until corrective action is taken."He did not specify what he meant by "corrective action." Kraft said he'd continue to support the school's Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life, which is named after him.Representatives for Cooperman and Kraft did not respond to requests for comment before publication.The conversation around giving and the relationship between <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/business-leaders-slam-harvard-penn-mit-after-congressional-testimony-antisemitism-2023-12">billionaire donors and universities</a> has been reignited in recent weeks following protests at Columbia, Yale, and New York University.After the October 7 attacks, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tensions-escalate-colleges-harvard-penn-yale-over-war-israel-hamas-2023-10">tensions on college campuses</a> erupted, prompting megadonors to criticize the responses of various university administrators. At Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, billionaires including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-ceo-marc-rowan-university-pennsylvania-penn-leaders-quit-antisemitism-2023-10">Apollo CEO Marc Rowan</a>, the Estée Lauder heir Ronald Lauder, and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wexner-foundation-pulls-funding-from-harvard-over-stance-israel-hamas-attacks-2023-10">former Victoria's Secret owner Les Wexner</a> pulled funding.Eventually, the presidents of the schools, Claudine Gay and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/penn-president-magill-resigns-after-intense-backlash-congressional-testimony-2023-12">Liz Magill</a>, respectively, stepped down.

Billionaire Columbia donor Leon Cooperman slams student protesters

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Protests have rocked Columbia University's campus.</li><li>Demonstrators opposing the war in Gaza want the school to divest from Israel.</li></ul>The unrest at Columbia University isn't showing signs of slowing down.Student protests are escalating there and other college campuses over the Israel-Gaza war and schools' investments in Israeli entities, with demonstrators on Tuesday breaking into a Columbia campus building and occupying it.It's a shockingly familiar scene.In the 1980s, student protesters at Columbia took over the same building and called for divestment of the Ivy League school's investments over a different cause: South African apartheid.But while that movement was a success, protesters today may find it harder to push the school into divesting.<h2>Protests over Israel's war in Gaza rage</h2>Student demonstrators are calling for the Ivy League institution to divest from Israel and accuse the Jewish nation of killing civilians in Gaza.The protesters are specifically demanding the school sell off investments not just from Israeli companies but from those that have ties to Israel, including engineering firms Lockheed Martin and Boeing and tech giants like Alphabet and Amazon, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wuwm.com/economy-business/2024-04-30/university-protesters-want-divestments-from-israel-heres-what-that-means">according to NPR</a>.Students have also called on the school to boycott Israeli universities and institutions, protect pro-Palestinian students and faculty, and make a statement condemning the war in Gaza.The protesters swarmed the campus and set up tents. Meanwhile, Jewish leaders on campus say some students were targeted with offensive rhetoric as the demonstrations escalated.The protests, which have lasted nearly two weeks, took another turn on Monday when the school announced it wouldn't cut its investments from Israel and warned protesting students to leave or face suspension.The deadline came and went, and hours later, demonstrators broke into Hamilton Hall on the campus and barricaded themselves inside early Tuesday morning.<div type="image" title="A demonstrator used a hammer to break through a window in Hamilton Hall early Tuesday." height="5464" width="8192" msid="109738801" hostid="261" sizebytes="4816300"></div>A coalition group of dozens of organizations called Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which has helped organize the protests, said in a statement that students had renamed the building "Hind's Hall" after a Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza.The controversial protest movement has drawn criticism and support from top political and financial figures. The White House said President Joe Biden supported the right to protest peacefully but condemned the takeover of Hamilton Hall."Forcibly taking over buildings is not peaceful — it is wrong," a White House spokesperson said.Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-johnson-calls-for-columbia-university-presidents-resignation-2024-4">called for the school's president to resign</a>, alleging she's failed to protect Jewish students on campus.<div type="image" title="Student protesters at the 1985 demonstrations at Columbia University" height="3485" width="5240" msid="109738802" hostid="261" sizebytes="711778"></div><h2>The 1985 protests</h2>The demonstrations are reminiscent of those in 1985, when protesters and civil rights leaders were outraged over the apartheid regime in South Africa.In 1978, the school's governing body had recommended selectively selling stocks of companies that had holdings in South Africa, <a target="_blank" href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/05/07/110943821.pdf">according to a New York Times article</a> at the time. Three hundred students had protested outside the meeting, calling for all the stocks to be divested, the Times reported.The school's 1978 recommendation didn't shut down the protests. In April 1985, the Coalition for a Free South Africa at the school organized a protest at Hamilton Hall, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiaspectator.com/eye/2016/04/12/mandela-hall/">according to the Columbia Spectator</a>.The small demonstration quickly grew to thousands of supporters, the Spectator reported. Protesters there locked and chained the doors to Hamilton Hall — the same building now occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters — and demanded the school completely divest from South Africa.The protests lasted on campus for 21 days before the students called the demonstrations off; the announcement came just minutes before a judge ordered the students to allow people access to Hamilton Hall, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/23/nyregion/columbia-students-to-end-anti-apartheid-protest.html">The New York Times reported</a>.Months later, Columbia's trustees voted to divest from South Africa completely.<h2>A more fraught situation</h2>On its website, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group likened itself to the protests from nearly 40 years ago."We are a continuation of the Vietnam anti-war movement and the movement to divest from apartheid South Africa," the group wrote.But despite the similarities between the movements' tactics, the situation in 2024 may make it harder for demonstrators to achieve their goals.In the 70s and 80s, Columbia's leadership was sympathetic to the divestment cause; students were arguing that the school didn't go far enough.The pro-Palestinian demonstrators also face a more hostile geopolitical environment.In the 1980s, apartheid was broadly condemned by the US, and in the months after the protest, President Ronald Reagan <a target="_blank" href="https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12532.html">signed an executive order</a> preventing loans and technology from being sent to South Africa.The US relationship with Israel now is far more complicated. The conflict in Gaza was sparked by Hamas' terror attacks in October 2023 that killed hundreds. Israeli authorities said Hamas fighters captured 253 people after the assault across the border.As of now, 112 of the hostages were returned alive, but dozens are still suspected to be in captivity, Israeli officials say. The Israeli government responded to the attack with an assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.Israel is an important ally of the US in the Middle East, and President Joe Biden has emphasized he's a strong supporter of the Jewish state.But Biden is facing pressure from progressive and young voters, who blame him for sending weaponry to Israel as the civilian death toll rises by the thousands in Gaza. Biden's administration, in recent months, has pushed the Israeli government to allow more humanitarian aid into the region and take steps to avoid civilian casualties.Israel's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has so far largely brushed off Biden's criticism and promised to launch an offensive into Rafah, a city in Gaza where over 1 million Palestinians are taking refuge. Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas completely.Meanwhile, cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled.So, too, has the prospect of divesting. Columbia president Nemat "Minouche" Shafik said school leaders and students weren't able to negotiate an end to the protest and flatly shot down the immediate divestment demands."While the University will not divest from Israel, the University offered to develop an expedited timeline for review of new proposals from the students by the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, the body that considers divestment matters," Shafik <a target="_blank" href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-29">wrote on Monday</a>.Even then, it's unclear how effective divestment would be in changing the school's finances. The Ivy's massive $13.6 billion endowment would be challenging to sort through."The economy is so global now that even if a university decided that they were going to instruct their dominant management groups to divest from Israel, it would be almost impossible to disentangle," Nicholas Dirks, former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/30/business/what-is-divestment-college-protests-israel/index.html">told CNN</a>.Divesting also means another investor would need to purchase those stocks, ultimately reallocating who supports the organizations in question.But Christopher Marsicano, an assistant professor at North Carolina's Davidson College, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/30/divest-from-israel-breaking-down-the-us-student-protesters-demands">told Al Jazeera</a> that divestment drives may be more effective in incentivizing political — not economic — change."Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has already mentioned student protests at American universities publicly," Marsicano told the outlet. "It is clear that these protests have captured the attention of the Israeli government and are putting some pressure on stakeholders to support a cease-fire."

Columbia protesters' demands have worked before. This time may be different.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hundreds of arrests have been made at Columbia University and the City College of New York.</li><li>Pro-Palestinian protesters had barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, a main campus building at Columbia.</li></ul>Three hundred people have been arrested at protests at Columbia and City College of New York, police said.Columbia has been rocked by protests for days over <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-using-ai-gaza-targets-terrifying-glimpse-at-future-war-2024-4">Israel's war on Gaza</a> following <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hamas-goal-october-7-attack-israel-gaza-war-2023-11">Hamas' October 7 terror attack</a> on Israel.While students and faculty have been urged not to go onto campus, the school's president, Nemat Minouche Shafik, <a target="_blank" href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-22">said</a> that "a working group of Deans, university administrators, and faculty members will try to bring this crisis to a resolution."NYPD officials took part in a press conference on Wednesday when they confirmed the number of arrests.<h2>How it started</h2>The protests at Columbia began on Wednesday, April 17, which coincided with Shafik <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-president-avoids-missteps-of-other-elite-colleges-2024-4">testifying before Congress about antisemitism on campus</a>.A coalition of student groups — Columbia University Apartheid Divest, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace — took part in setting up "Gaza Solidarity Encampments" in the center of campus.One of the goals of the protest was to convince the university to divest all its "finances, including the endowment, from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine," according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest's <a target="_blank" href="https://cuapartheiddivest.org/demands">website</a>.<h2>Police were called in</h2>On Thursday, April 18, Shafik authorized the New York Police Department to clear the encampment. "Attempts to resolve the situation were rejected by the students involved. As a result, NYPD officers are now on campus and the process of clearing the encampment is underway," she said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-18">statement.</a>This resulted in the arrest of more than 100 people on suspicion of criminal trespass, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZaZmBqejnQ">news conference.</a>Protests have continued since then.<h2>President Joe Biden weighed in</h2>Chabad at Columbia, a group that supports Jewish students, released a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6C9idjtLiP/?img_index=1">letter on social media </a>that said Jewish students were targeted with offensive rhetoric during the protests.President Joe Biden also called out antisemitism on campus in his <a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/21/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-passover/">Passover statement</a> in April."We've seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous — and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country," he said.Columbia student organizations participating in the protests have insisted that their protests are peaceful.One student group, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ColumbiaSJP/status/1782241294858719676">statement on X last month</a> that they are frustrated by the attention paid to "inflammatory individuals who do not represent us.""We firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry and stand against non-students attempting to disrupt our solidarity," the statement said.On Monday, Shafik <a target="_blank" rel="" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-29">released a statement</a> that said the university would not "divest from Israel." The university also ordered protesters to leave their encampment by 2 p.m. on Monday and threatened students who defied the order with suspension.<h2>Protesters took over the Hamilton Hall</h2>In the early hours of Tuesday morning, dozens of protesters barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, one of the main buildings on the Manhattan campus. They used metal gates, tables, and chairs as barricades and zip-tied the doors shut.The protesters maintained their demands of "divestment, financial transparency, and amnesty," Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ColumbiaBDS/status/1785189196141113478/photo/1">press release on X.</a><h2>NYPD in riot gear were called to clear the protesters</h2>On Tuesday evening, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nypd-columbia-university-students-protesters-hamilton-hall-arretsts-2024-4">NYPD officers in riot gear</a> entered Hamilton Hall, where protesters had been camping out for around 20 hours.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/university-protests-gaza-05-01-24/h_d260be942a97db513c8ccfab3fdc694c">CNN</a>, the NYPD used loud distraction devices, "flash-bang grenades" to disperse the protesters who had barricaded themselves in the building.Shafik released a <a target="_blank" href="https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/news/letter-nypd-apr-30">letter to the NYPD</a> on Tuesday, which requested that police remain on the campus until May 17, two days after the graduation ceremony."The takeover of Hamilton Hall and the continued encampments raise serious safety concerns for the individuals involved and the entire community," the letter read.The protests have spread to other campuses across the country. In Los Angeles, police were called to the UCLA campus early Wednesday after violence broke out when counter-protesters showed up to tear down barricades at the pro-Palestinian encampment, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-30/ucla-moves-to-shut-down-pro-palestinian-encampment-as-unlawful">LA Times reported.</a>

300 protesters arrested at Columbia University and City College of New York

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Delta Air Lines has apologized after a perceived anti-Palestine social media post.</li><li>A since-deleted reply from Delta's official account called the Palestinian flag terrifying.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/delta">Delta Air Lines</a> has issued a public apology for a perceived anti-Palestinian social media post.Earlier this week, a post on X shared images of two Delta flight attendants wearing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/israel-palestine">Palestinian</a> flag pins.The post, which incorrectly equated the Palestinian flag to the militant group Hamas' flag, read: "Since 2001 we take our shoes off in every airport because a terrorist attack in US soil. Now imagine getting into a @Delta flight and seeing workers with Hamas badges in the air. What do you do?"A since-deleted reply from Delta's official account said: "I hear you as I'd be terrified as well, personally. Our employees reflect our culture and we do not take it lightly when our policy is not being followed."In a statement to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/07/12/delta-palestine-flag-pin-apology/">The Washington Post</a> on Thursday, Delta apologized for the incident and said it had taken action against the employee responsible for the airline's post, noting that the comment "was not in line with our values and our mission."The employee responsible for the comment "has been counseled and no longer supports Delta's social channels," the airline added.Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/07/12/delta-palestine-flag-pin-apology/">told The Post</a> that the comment could make people think that the Palestinian flag is "an icon of a hate group.""What happened with Delta is just the latest example of anti-Palestinian racism," Mitchell said. "And my hope is that this incident will begin to slowly, slowly move the needle in a different direction."Azka Mahmood, an executive director from the CAIR chapter in Georgia, said that equating the Palestinian flag with Hamas "erases the existence and legitimacy of the entirety of Palestine," per <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/12/us/delta-employee-social-post-palestinian-reaj/index.html">CNN</a>."The Palestinian flag represents a country and national aspirations of over 7 million Palestinians," she said. "It is clear that some groups want to delegitimize the flag of Palestine entirely, suppress any expression of the existence of Palestine, and discourage open support for Palestinian rights."The CAIR said on X that it welcomed the apology from Delta and hoped that "it sends a message to those who continue to dehumanize the Palestinian people as they face genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced starvation imposed by the far-right Israeli government, and enabled by the Biden admin."Following the incident, Delta announced that starting Monday, only US flag pins would be permitted to be worn on its uniforms, per The Post.Some Delta employees pushing to unionize are now demanding a public apology from the airline's leadership.In an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/afacwa/pages/36/attachments/original/1720716437/delta_letter.pdf?1720716437">open letter</a> to Delta CEO Ed Bastian, the group said: "Delta leadership must publicly apologize to the targeted crew members, confirm that pins representing the flags of different nations are allowed per policy.""Everyone should be able to freely express their pride and support for their heritage without encountering hostility or discrimination from employers or customers," it continued.Business Insider contacted Delta and CAIR for comment.<h2 id="1bf03976-66f5-4a7f-9c69-738ac6f0f2e1">The flags</h2><div type="image" title="A young man waves a huge Palestinian flag in support of the Palestinian people in the Israeli occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, during a rally in Rabat." height="1667" width="2500" msid="111718914" hostid="261" sizebytes="380626"></div>The Palestinian flag features a red triangle on the left side next to horizontal stripes of black, white, and green. It is based on the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.rct.uk/collection/70405/flag-of-hejaz">flag of the 1916 Arab Revolt</a>.The Hamas flag is solid green with white Arabic script in the center.<div type="image" title="The Hamas flag." height="514" width="685" msid="111718913" hostid="261" sizebytes="37444"></div>The current version of the Palestinian flag was adopted by the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964.The flag has featured prominently in pro-Palestinian protests across the world, being used as a symbol of solidarity by people calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.Israel launched an intense military campaign in the territory following Hamas' October 7 attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel.More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in the resultant conflict so far, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Delta removes employee from social media position and changes dress code after X post calling Palestinian flag terrifying

<ul class="summary-list"><li>On Tuesday night, the NYPD entered <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-university-pro-palestine-israel-gaza-protests-timeline-2024-4">Columbia University to break up ongoing protests</a>.</li><li>Other press couldn't go on campus, so the student radio station was the only source of on-the-ground reporting.</li></ul>On Tuesday night, as the police entered the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nypd-columbia-university-students-protesters-hamilton-hall-arretsts-2024-4">Columbia University campus and arrested 300 protesters</a>, I did something I don't usually do to get breaking news: I turned off the TV, I closed X, and I turned on the radio.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cc-seas.columbia.edu/wkcr/">WKCR</a> 89.9 FM, Columbia's student radio station, was broadcasting live from inside the campus about what was happening as the NYPD arrived.Outside news outlets weren't allowed onto campus, which is gated. So that meant Columbia's own student journalists were the only on-the-ground reporters.The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiaspectator.com/">Columbia Daily Spectator</a>, the student newspaper, has been doing an admirable job reporting on an ongoing event that has attracted major national attention. But on Tuesday night, the nature of the breaking news event as the NYPD marched past the campus gates around 9:30 p.m. meant that it was the radio station's turn to shine.The radio broadcast was anchored by a young woman who deftly tossed to reporters in the field and the studio. Under such extreme circumstances, it was a highly professional affair — and the reporters were careful with their words and facts. But there were also moments when the field reporters sounded scared, and you could hear a lot of commotion in the background.Social media, specifically live video, has been a game changer for covering protests and large social actions. A decade ago, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/justice-department-report-on-ferguson-2015-9">protests in Ferguson, Missouri</a>, were live-streamed on early platforms like Ustream or Livestream. By the mid-2010s, all the social platforms went all-in on livestreaming — encouraging the more banal, like an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watermelon-rubberband-explosion-buzzfeed-video-2016-4">exploding watermelon</a>.A few years later, Twitter Live and Instagram Live were important parts of documenting the 2020 George Floyd protests and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/five-things-we-learned-about-the-insurrection-in-2022-2023-1">January 6 riot</a>. And audio streams like Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces started to garner big audiences.But in the situation at Columbia, all those new-tech platforms fell short — and what worked was the nearly century-old platform of an over-the-air radio signal. (I left messages for the radio station but didn't hear back — likely because the students are taking a well-deserved break, which they referenced in an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link c-link--underline" href="https://twitter.com/WKCRFM/status/1785552132722069571">X post</a>. And as of Wednesday morning, the station was back to playing its regular jazz music.) The world tuned into the radio station — with a caveat. Word spread over X to tune into WKCR either on the real radio band or via its online streams. I live outside the station's signal, and its online stream was glitchy due to high demand, so I tuned in via its Instagram Live. Hasan Piker played part of the radio broadcast during a livestream on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2133752665">his popular Twitch channel</a>, where more than 33,000 people concurrently tuned in to listen. Tech platforms helped support a tiny radio signal to reach a national audience of people who wanted to hear real reporting on what was going on.X used to be the best place for real-time news events and reporting, and it still is if you compare it to, say, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/threads-app">Threads</a>. But <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/did-elon-musk-buy-twitter-acquisition-details">Elon Musk's systematic dismantling of the old Twitter</a> means everything feels less reliable. The old blue-check verification system gave people some sense that an account posting a video or information was probably reliable; the paid blue-check system does not. Scrolling through my X feed last night was disorienting and confusing.The actual events on the Columbia campus on Tuesday night are, of course, more important than the fact that its radio station went viral. But for a moment, I'd like to set aside the actual substance of the campus protest and the police action. Moments like Tuesday night are critical to understanding the world, and it is important to consider the medium of the news in these moments —how it travels, who it reaches, and what technology touches and shapes it. And so, for one night, a small college radio station that usually plays jazz and classical music with a handful of student journalists was the medium for telling the biggest news story in the country.

You Searched For "social protests" and got 10 results

Indian consulate in Canada cancels consular camps over security issues, Canadian authorities convey inability to provide security

PTI

Goa protests: Why is an ex-RSS chief demanding to DNA test the body of a 450-year-old sacred saint?

Ankush Banerjee

London against racism: Thousands rally in solidarity with ethnic minorities amid violent anti-immigrant riots in UK

ANI

Bangladesh protests: Mob continues to kill, arson, vandalise and storm jails even after PM Hasina resignation

ANI

A Boston college blames pro-Palestinian student protests for lower enrollment

Amanda Goh

Billionaire Columbia donor Leon Cooperman slams student protesters

Madeline Berg

Columbia protesters' demands have worked before. This time may be different.

Paul Squire

300 protesters arrested at Columbia University and City College of New York

Alexandra Bacon

Delta removes employee from social media position and changes dress code after X post calling Palestinian flag terrifying

Rebecca Rommen

Columbia's student radio station was the main source of information for the protests. Here's why that matters.

Katie Notopoulos

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides