Staff Reports
Pro-Palestinian activists at Columbia University and Yale University have created a guidebook called “First We Take Columbia: Lessons from the April 1968 Occupations Movement” which encourages other activists across the country to take over spaces and teaches them how to do so effectively.
Read what the campus radicals are planning. They're just getting started.https://t.co/08WmftDSeC
— Mike LaChance (@MikeLaChance33) April 26, 2024
Since its release, similar occupations have sprung up at more universities across the country, including George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The guidebook is available in multiple languages, and it emphasizes the importance of seizing control of essential resources and disrupting the status quo.
The pamphlet draws inspiration from the anti-war protests of the 1960s and 1970s, specifically the 1968 occupation at Columbia University. It encourages current activists to spread their occupations to gain leverage and support, citing the effective disruption caused by the 1968 occupation, which ultimately forced the school administration to meet the protesters’ demands.
The guidebook also highlights the importance of building alliances with local communities and seeking support from outside participants to strengthen their cause. It advocates for the use of increasingly disruptive tactics, such as building occupations, to halt what they perceive as a “war machine.”
