Pro-Palestine student activists takeover Columbia University's Hamilton Hall, renames it Hind's Hall

Student activists at Columbia University have escalated their protests against the university's financial connections to Israel by seizing Hamilton Hall and renaming it "Hind’s Hall".

The move honours Hind Rajab, the six-year-old Palestinian girl that Israeli forces killed after airstrikes hit ambulances attempting to rescue her, highlighting the acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The renaming of Hamilton Hall evokes the historical 1968 protests at the same location, where students opposed Columbia's military research during the Vietnam War.

This marked a significant moment in US university activism, linking student demands for ethical governance to broader geopolitical issues. And just like today's Palestine solidarity student-led activism, the events of 1968 were part of a nationwide surge of campus protests, demanding institutional reforms and voicing dissent against societal and global injustices.

The current demonstration at Columbia University challenges the university’s role and responsibilities in Israel's brutal military campaign in Gaza and its wider aparthied and occupation policies, continuing a legacy of student activism that questions educational institutions' complicity in broader political and ethical issues.