Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Police arresting students. Helicopters buzzing over New York City. Demonstrators shouting and lawmakers condemning university officials.<\/p>\n
Videos of the campus protests, shared widely on TikTok, X and elsewhere, are spreading on social media and show the most visceral aspects of the demonstrations. Much like the war in the Middle East itself, the images can inform and inflame viewers \u2014 and serve as a reminder that in the modern age, videos spread on social media can shape public opinion.<\/p>\n
Aerial videos shot from above the city show hundreds of students have set up an encampment on Columbia\u2019s campus, including dozens of tents where they have been sleeping and eating for a week. New York University had an encampment of its own but it was cleared out by police on Monday night. Students say the demonstrations are to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza and to pressure their universities to \u201cdivest all economic and academic stakes in Israel<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The New York City Police Department arrested more than 100 Columbia students on Thursday and 120 NYU students on Monday after receiving permission from university leaders. Protests extended off campus<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have spoken out about the unrest on Columbia\u2019s campus, and all New York House Republicans are among those calling for Columbia President Minouche Shafik\u2019s resignation. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday became the most senior elected official<\/a> to call on her to resign.<\/p>\nLawmakers speak out<\/h4>\n