The brand new documentary The Encampments, produced by Watermelon Photos and BreakThrough Information, is an insider’s take a look at the scholar protest motion to demand divestment from the U.S. and Israeli weapons business and an finish to the genocide in Gaza. The movie focuses on final 12 months’s scholar encampment at Columbia College and options scholar leaders together with Mahmoud Khalil, who was chosen by the college as a liaison between the administration and college students. Khalil, a U.S. everlasting resident, has since been arrested and detained by immigration enforcement as a part of the Trump administration’s try to deport immigrants who train their proper to free speech and protest. “Columbia has gone to each extent to attempt to censor this motion,” says Munir Atalla, a producer for the movie and a former movie professor at Columbia.
We converse with Atalla; Sueda Polat, a Columbia graduate scholar and fellow campus negotiator with Khalil; and Grant Miner, a former Columbia graduate scholar and president of the scholar staff’ union who was expelled from the varsity over his participation within the protests. “Functionally, I used to be expelled for talking out towards genocide,” he says. All three of our visitors emphasize their continued dedication to pro-Palestine activism even within the face of accelerating institutional repression. The Encampments is opening nationwide in April.
TRANSCRIPT
It is a rush transcript. Copy is probably not in its remaining kind.
AMY GOODMAN: That is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Struggle and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, as we proceed our take a look at this new documentary, The Encampments, concerning the historic Columbia College Gaza solidarity encampment and the nationwide scholar rebellion towards U.S. assist for Israel’s conflict on Gaza. The movie prominently options Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia graduate scholar protest negotiator who was seized by federal brokers three weeks in the past and stays locked up in an ICE jail in Louisiana. There’s a court docket listening to for him at present in New Jersey. It is a clip of Mahmoud Khalil from the documentary.
MAHMOUD KHALIL: I used to be approached the night time of the encampment that I’d be the individual speaking with the administration. The organizers trusted me, given my background when it comes to, like, working in diplomacy both on the British Embassy or right here on the U.N. We mentioned who’s finest, too, to assist me, and we felt that Sueda is the proper individual.
SUEDA POLAT: The college needed to close down the encampment in any means that it might. When it first began, they have been like, “Let’s not allow them to herald water. Let’s shut down all the gates. Let’s not allow them to herald tents. Let’s not allow them to herald blankets,” as a result of it was chilly. It was freezing.
MAHMOUD KHALIL: They underestimated the desire of the scholars. They actually, like, really feel that these are simply children. Via my dialog, I simply felt how a lot the college is indifferent from actuality. What college on the earth need to put money into weapon producers? Why would you try this? You’re involved with training. Like, we are actually supplying you with again the college to be an ethical college. Each time within the negotiations after we instructed them that, they’d say, like, “Oh, you’re overestimating your energy or your affect.” However then, after the fourth day, they have been similar to so silent, as a result of clearly it’s a worldwide motion. I bear in mind, like, telling them, like, at this level there are 60 universities organising encampments throughout america. They’re similar to ready to listen to what would occur at Columbia.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Mahmoud Khalil, the graduate scholar protest organizer and negotiator with the college, who’s on this movie, featured in The Encampments.
We’re joined by three visitors. Munir Atalla is the producer of The Encampments, head of manufacturing and acquisitions at Watermelon Photos. He was a Columbia adjunct professor of movie final spring. Grant Miner can also be with us, the president of the Scholar Staff of Columbia, UAW 2710. He was expelled by Columbia for collaborating within the pro-Palestine campus protests. He was fired as a graduate employee sooner or later earlier than his union entered bargaining talks. He’s president of the native UAW at Columbia. And Sueda Polat is with us, graduate scholar in human rights at Columbia College. Together with Mahmoud, she negotiated between the scholar activists and the Columbia administration.
Sueda, I need to start with you. It’s additionally the place the movie begins, very movingly, as you discuss why you even got here to Columbia as a graduate scholar in human rights, that that’s not a standard main.
SUEDA POLAT: It most positively isn’t a standard main. That is my graduate diploma. And previous to that, I used to be in sociology. However earlier than beginning at Columbia College, I spent a while in Palestine, notably within the West Financial institution. And I feel it was — simply seeing the strangulation of life in Palestine, the squashing of individuals and the common indignities that they’ve been uncovered to of their on a regular basis life, I feel, was a really transformative political second for me.
And upon getting back from the West Financial institution, I knew I needed to work on the Palestinian liberation motion. And in america, Columbia College had the strongest file notably for Palestine, with the Heart for Palestine Research, in addition to being like a bunch for thus many students of Palestine, of Edward Stated, of Joseph Massad and so many different professors. And it was also referred to as being a protest faculty. And I felt that it could be the appropriate match. However I used to be sorely mistaken.
AMY GOODMAN: So, how did you find yourself being a chief negotiator between the scholars and the college, together with Mahmoud? So, the 2 of you labored aspect by aspect as you met with the administration.
SUEDA POLAT: I feel the primary few days of the encampment, notably, have been very complicated for lots of people. On the primary night time of the primary encampment, previous to the arrests, is when the administration first reached out, wanting to speak about what our calls for have been. On the time, like Mahmoud stated within the documentary, he had quite a lot of expertise in diplomacy, however he didn’t need to go in alone. And a few of my mates really useful me to fulfill with the administration with him.
AMY GOODMAN: And what do you imply he had expertise in diplomacy?
SUEDA POLAT: I imply, he’s been working on the Palestine Mission on the United Nations. He’s at SIPA, the place he research quite a lot of diplomacy, worldwide relations.
AMY GOODMAN: The College of Worldwide Affairs at Columbia.
SUEDA POLAT: Sure, the College of Worldwide Affairs at Columbia College. And he’s additionally — you recognize, he’s 30 years previous. He’s very skilled. He’s a diplomat via and thru. So he was a good selection.
AMY GOODMAN: So, I need to go to a different clip from the movie Encampments.
SUEDA POLAT: The genocide didn’t begin on October seventh. Neither did the pro-Palestinian motion typically on campus. College students had already pushed, like, divestment referendums in earlier years. We had voted on divestment referendums at numerous schools inside Columbia. All of them handed.
NAYE IDRISS: Instantly, the president despatched out an electronic mail saying, “We don’t have precise common consensus amongst the scholar physique or amongst our group,” wherein they embody in the neighborhood the Columbia alumni.
Free, free Palestine!
PROTESTERS: Free, free Palestine!
NAYE IDRISS: Free, free, free Palestine!
PROTESTERS: Free, free, free Palestine!
NAYE IDRISS: What do we wish?
PROTESTERS: Justice!
NAYE IDRISS: When do we wish it?
PROTESTERS: Now!
GRANT MINER: We had achieved every part we might consider. We did peaceable protest. That was ignored. We did strategic interruptions. That was ignored and punished. College students had written up this entire divestment proposal, saying that it isn’t solely potential, however can be straightforward. And that was simply dismissed out of hand.
MAHMOUD KHALIL: They modified all of the protest guidelines. They wouldn’t approve any of our occasions. They’d simply criminalize anybody who would participated in a protest.
GRANT MINER: In the event that they have been simply going to disregard us, then we needed to do one thing that couldn’t presumably be ignored by the administration.
AMY GOODMAN: One other clip from The Encampments. And one of many voices there was Grant Miner, the president of Scholar Staff of Columbia, UAW 2710. He’s been fired and expelled, a fifth-year grad scholar. Grant, you’re additionally Jewish American. Are you able to discuss why you participated on this? And handle instantly the problem of in some way the encampments creating an antisemitic atmosphere. When Democracy Now! went to cowl it, so most of the college students concerned have been Jewish college students.
GRANT MINER: Sure. I imply, why I participated in it, there’s numerous causes. I’m a labor organizer. It’s actually essential to our members that we had a agency, agency stance on this. We’re a social justice union. The UAW, extra broadly, practices social justice unionism.
AMY GOODMAN: And also you have been a graduate teacher.
GRANT MINER: Sure, sure. And so, you recognize, it was essential that we have been there. I feel, as a Jewish individual, as nicely, it was essential to me that we be seen within the Palestine motion.
And I assume to handle the kind of specter of antisemitism within the encampments, I imply, to be trustworthy with you, it’s simply not one thing I’ve ever skilled within the Palestine motion. The encampments, particularly, have been enormously welcoming. We had, you recognize, providers. The encampments coincided with Passover. There have been truly members of the Jewish research school that will come into the encampment and converse and be in group with Jewish college students.
AMY GOODMAN: I needed to go to a different clip of The Encampments, with the Jewish scholar protesters at Columbia and their allies collaborating in a Havdalah service. The clip options the Israeli American Rabbi Abby Stein.
RABBI ABBY STEIN: We’re right here — and if anybody right here disagrees with me, you possibly can inform me, however I feel we’re right here as a result of we’re Jews, not simply because we occur to be, as a result of that’s a part of who we’re, to battle for liberation of each human being, to know that each human being is a divine picture. That’s what we’re doing proper now. And we’re separating ourselves from people who find themselves in some way incapable of seeing that. We’re preventing for the divine spark, for b’tselem elohim in each individual. You might be all so superb, and it’s an honor to be right here with you.
JEWISH STUDENT: In the event you’re conversant in the Havdalah service, please sing loudly and proudly. In the event you’re not, please sing loudly and proudly. It is vitally Jewish to not know the phrases and never know every part, however you’ll catch on.
JEWISH STUDENTS: [singing] Bein Yisrael la’amim, bein yom ha’shevi’i l’sheishet y’mei ha’ma’aseh. Baruch atah…
AMY GOODMAN: One other clip from The Encampments. Grant, you might have simply been expelled. That’s not simply shedding your job. That’s your 5 years that you just’ve been a graduate scholar. You’re not getting your Ph.D.? On what grounds have been you expelled?
GRANT MINER: I used to be expelled for collaborating in pro-Palestinian protests. I imply, functionally, I used to be expelled for talking out towards genocide. And, you recognize, it was actually stunning. I imply, I realized this as I used to be away doing analysis on a departmental grant. And it was robust to be taught that Columbia was, you recognize, greater than keen to only completely concede to Trump, to throw its college students underneath the bus, to throw worldwide college students particularly underneath the bus, simply to get again some cash and to please the administration.
AMY GOODMAN: I imply, this can be a very scary time. You not solely have Mahmoud who’s jailed in Louisiana, you might have one other scholar who has left the nation as a result of her visa was revoked, this star scholar. Munir Atalla, you’re the producer of The Encampments. It’s opening in what? New York, Los Angeles subsequent week and past?
MUNIR ATALLA: That’s proper. It is a movie that’s going to be opening right here in New York this weekend, after which we’ll take it nationwide subsequent weekend. Already the demand has been very robust. I feel individuals are desirous to see the encampments from inside, from the scholar perspective. A lot of the protection of the encampments to this point has been from individuals who truly by no means even set foot on the encampments, whereas for us, you recognize, I used to be an adjunct professor at Columbia final spring, and we witnessed the scholar motion.
AMY GOODMAN: So, you’re educating movie there. You have been.
MUNIR ATALLA: Proper, yeah, precisely. Really, a lab in documentary manufacturing. And a few of our college students even selected to cowl this as a part of their work. However, you recognize, what we witnessed —
AMY GOODMAN: I noticed most of the Columbia journalism college students. It was fairly one thing, what they have been doing. They’d slightly extra entry than different reporters as a result of the college had shut down the campus.
MUNIR ATALLA: Completely, yeah. No, I imply, Columbia has gone to each extent to try to censor this motion and be actually a pacesetter in repressing it, as nicely. Let’s not overlook, this was the most important scholar motion in U.S. historical past. And, you recognize, the scholars have all the time been on the appropriate aspect of historical past. Columbia’s personal historical past reveals that. They have been on the appropriate aspect within the Nineteen Sixties through the civil rights motion. They have been on the appropriate aspect within the ’90s within the battle towards apartheid.
AMY GOODMAN: I want Juan was becoming a member of me on this dialog, Juan González, our co-anchor of Democracy Now!, as a result of he participated within the Columbia 1968, mainly, you possibly can say, encampment, occupation. And also you trip within the movie.
MUNIR ATALLA: That’s proper, you recognize? And simply as the scholars stood on the appropriate aspect of historical past previously, so, too, are they standing on the appropriate aspect of historical past at present. And their calls for for disclosure of monetary belongings, their demand for Columbia to take a position its multibillion-dollar endowment from arms corporations just isn’t solely a righteous and simply demand, however it’s inevitable. And the earlier Columbia sees that, the extra embarrassment and disgrace it could actually save itself. You realize, are you able to even name Columbia a college anymore? A college has the duty to guard its college students. A college has the duty to face by the core values of educational establishments, freedom of expression and speech.
AMY GOODMAN: Nicely, we’re going to have to depart that query there, however the movie comes out across the nation beginning tonight in New York after which going past. I need to thanks all for being with us, Munir Atalla, producer of The Encampments; Grant Miner, president of Scholar Staff of Columbia, UAW, simply fired and expelled by Columbia; and Sueda Polat, graduate scholar in human rights at Columbia College.
That does it for our broadcast. And we need to share our deepest condolences with Democracy Now! co-host, pricey good friend, Nermeen Shaikh, whose father handed earlier this morning. Najmuddin Shaikh was Pakistan’s former international secretary, ambassador to many nations, the explanation why Nermeen grew up all over the world. He’s survived by his beloved spouse Raana of greater than half a century, his youngsters Nermeen and Nadir. I’m so glad, Nermeen, your loved ones was collectively to your dad’s eighty fifth birthday, and what a present you gave him by being at his aspect together with your brother and mom these previous few painful weeks in Karachi. The funeral providers for Najmuddin Shaikh are going down in Karachi, Pakistan, as we broadcast. Blessings.
Democracy Now! produced with Mike Burke, Renée Feltz, Deena Guzder, Messiah Rhodes, María Taracena, Tami Woronoff. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks for becoming a member of us
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