00:00 [chanting]
00:12 We will not be moved by this intimidation tactics.
00:15 You can see outside you now that the students are mobilized.
00:19 There's hundreds of them here today.
00:22 They will not be moved.
00:24 We demand divestment.
00:26 We will not be moved unless by force.
00:30 [chanting]
00:35 This is a smokescreen.
00:37 Bureaucracy is a prison.
00:39 And the students refuse to trade in the blood of Palestinians.
00:45 The university has conducted itself with obstinacy and arrogance.
00:50 Refusing to be flexible on some of our most basic points.
00:55 That said, we were engaging in good faith negotiations
00:59 until the administration cut them off under threat of suspensions.
01:04 Where we asked for amnesty, they gave us more discipline.
01:08 Earlier this morning, university delegates appeared at the entrance of our encampment
01:14 with disciplinary notices.
01:16 Essentially alerting students that they could choose to do one of two things.
01:22 One, sign an attestation form at the exit that would put students on academic probation
01:29 on the condition that they abide by all university rules
01:34 until June 30, 2025 or until their graduation, whichever comes first.
01:42 Or, the students would be interim suspended.
01:46 Losing access to their housing.
01:49 Losing access to campus.
01:51 Losing access to healthcare on campus.
01:54 And losing their right to graduation if they are a graduating student.
01:58 We'd like to reiterate that our presence on this encampment was never a security risk.
02:03 In fact, it bonded members of the Columbia community in unprecedented ways on this campus.
02:10 Earlier today, President Shafiq sent out an email announcing the end of negotiations
02:17 and declared explicitly that the university will not divest from Israel.
02:24 In that same email, President Shafiq claimed that we had had constructive dialogue
02:32 regarding the student encampment and made insincere statements regarding the university's actions.
02:39 The university's negotiations evidenced an elementary understanding of the words
02:46 "boycott" and "divest," which have been at the heart of the student movement
02:51 and at the heart of our encampment.
02:54 While the administration offered us a timeline for review of divestment proposals,
02:59 they refused to give us any commitment that the ultimate decision would be binding.
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