Now Columbia University protesters demand free food and water so they don't ... trends now
Columbia University protesters are demanding food and water be brought to their encampment so they don't 'die of dehydration and starvation'.
Students pleaded for 'basic humanitarian aid' to be delivered to those illegally occupying Hamilton Hall.
Tensions at the campus ramped up again on Tuesday after activists broke in and seized the historic university building.
The NYPD warned that the demonstration has been co-opted by 'professional, external actors unaffiliated with the university' who are deliberately attempting to agitate.
However, a spokesperson for the protest insisted that Columbia is still, 'obligated to provide food to students who pay for a meal plan'.
Columbia University protesters demanded food and water be brought to their encampment so they don't 'die of dehydration and starvation' during a press conference on Tuesday
The request came hours after activists stormed Hamilton Hall forcing the university to close its campus
The spokesperson for the protest insisted that Columbia is still, 'obligated to provide food to students who pay for a meal plan'. Pictured: Pro Palestine activists as the school gates on Tuesday
The occupation was an escalation of the unrest which has been rocking Columbia since April 17 when an encampment sprung up. Pictured: A Palestinian flag waves from a statue of Alexander Hamilton outside Hamilton Hall on April 30, 2024
'Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation or get severely ill even if you disagree with them?' the spokesperson said.
'If the answer is no then you should allow basic, it's crazy to say because we're on an Ivy League campus, but this is basic humanitarian aid we're asking for. Could people please just have a glass of water?'
The spokesperson addressed media who had gathered at Hamilton Hall to grill them about the occupation.
'It's a question of what kind of community and obligation Columbia has to its students,' the spokesperson said.
'We're asking them to not violently stop us bringing in basic humanitarian aid.'
The occupation is an escalation of the unrest which has rocked the campus in recent weeks ever since an encampment sprung up on the South Lawns on April 17.
Protesters are demanding that Columbia divest from companies with ties to Israel or firms
