University protests: Protesters defy Columbiadeadline to leave campus | BBC News

Protests calling for universities to boycott companiesand individuals with ties to Israel amid the ongoing warin Gaza have swept college campuses across the US.

The campus movement ignited when ColumbiaUniversity in New York called the police two weeks agoto remove a small group of student protesters who had pitched tents on campus.

Columbia University's president announced on Mondaythat talks with student organisers had failed to reachan agreement to dismantle the encampment.

The escalating crisis at Columbia inspired similarencampments at private and public universities in atleast 22 US states and Washington DC.