Columbia University students will attend classes virtually as school officials hope to deescalate tensions on the New York City campus after pro-Palestinian demonstrations led to mass arrests last week, Reuters reports.
In a statement, Columbia President Nemat Minouche Shafik said the university was cancelling in-person classes while denouncing antisemitic language and intimidating and harassing behaviour that she said had occurred on campus recently.
“These tensions have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas,” Shafik said. “We need a reset.”
