Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
“The Encampments”, co-produced by @Macklemore brings viewers into the anti-Gaza War protests at Columbia University and gets up close and personal with leaders including Mahmoud Khalil, the student negotiator currently detained by ICE in violation of a court’s order. In this special episode in our series Meet the BIPOC Press, Laura sits down with Sueda Polat and Grant Miner, two of Khalil’s colleagues in the encampments, who were suspended and expelled, respectively, as well as the film’s co-director, journalist Kei Pritsker of @BreakThroughNews to discuss how the film came to be, and where the situation stands today as well as what’s missing and who is misrepresented in commercial news. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on Columbia University’s move to suspend four college journalists for “being too close to the action.”
“I don't really participate as a Jewish person, I participate as an activist and a person of conscience that is Jewish . . . There's a very insidious narrative that was basically, ‘If you're not Jewish and you're not Palestinian, then talking about this is strange. Having an opinion on this conflict is strange and you should just stop talking about it because you're probably only motivated by antisemitism.’ I want to push back and say that anybody can have an opinion on this. It's the world's first livestreamed genocide.” - Grant Miner
“There is not, I think, one moment of regret. Yeah, not a moment of regret in our bodies, in our hearts. Especially knowing that the increased scale of repression, both at the federal level and at the institutional level at Columbia University, is happening because we were so successful at mobilizing such a large mass of people, perhaps for the first time in a very long time in America.” - Sueda Polat
“The media has shown, time and time again, that they are completely incapable of telling the story of Palestine honestly . . . We put this film out to highlight the difference between these people who take paychecks from people who are complicit in genocide, and people who have no allegiance to money or corporations or military industrial messaging” - Kei Pritsker
GUESTS:
Grant Miner: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; President, SWC-UAW 2710
Sueda Polat: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; Graduate Student, Human Rights
Kei Pritsker: Co-Director, The Encampments, Journalist, BreakThrough News
Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on our captivating weekly episodes that dive deep into the heart of our economy, culture, and politics. SUBSCRIBE HERE youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1
🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms: lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/behind-the-barricades-at-columbia-university-the-encampments-for-gaza-episode Subscribe today and receive the full, uncut conversation from this week's show: lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/full-conversation-behind-the-barricades-at-columbia-university-the-encampments-for-gaza
✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: https://patreon.com/posts/129712550
Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners.
Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky!
https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org
https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social
DONATE TODAY at lauraflanders.org/donate or consider becoming a PATREON partner at patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends
🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network.
📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org.
CREDITS:
Executive Producer: Laura Flanders
Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel
Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren
Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor
Senior Video Editor: David Neumann
Video Editor: Veronica Delgado
Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper
Development Director: Sarah Miller
Communications Director: Janet Hernandez
Thumbnail photo courtesy of The Encampments/@watermelonpicturesc.
0:00 - Introduction to The Encampments
4:21 - Gaza and Student Activism:
9:54 Breakthrough News
15:57 - Student Organizers Calling for Divestment
20:11 - Institutional Repression and Looking to the Future
“The Encampments”, co-produced by @Macklemore brings viewers into the anti-Gaza War protests at Columbia University and gets up close and personal with leaders including Mahmoud Khalil, the student negotiator currently detained by ICE in violation of a court’s order. In this special episode in our series Meet the BIPOC Press, Laura sits down with Sueda Polat and Grant Miner, two of Khalil’s colleagues in the encampments, who were suspended and expelled, respectively, as well as the film’s co-director, journalist Kei Pritsker of @BreakThroughNews to discuss how the film came to be, and where the situation stands today as well as what’s missing and who is misrepresented in commercial news. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on Columbia University’s move to suspend four college journalists for “being too close to the action.”
“I don't really participate as a Jewish person, I participate as an activist and a person of conscience that is Jewish . . . There's a very insidious narrative that was basically, ‘If you're not Jewish and you're not Palestinian, then talking about this is strange. Having an opinion on this conflict is strange and you should just stop talking about it because you're probably only motivated by antisemitism.’ I want to push back and say that anybody can have an opinion on this. It's the world's first livestreamed genocide.” - Grant Miner
“There is not, I think, one moment of regret. Yeah, not a moment of regret in our bodies, in our hearts. Especially knowing that the increased scale of repression, both at the federal level and at the institutional level at Columbia University, is happening because we were so successful at mobilizing such a large mass of people, perhaps for the first time in a very long time in America.” - Sueda Polat
“The media has shown, time and time again, that they are completely incapable of telling the story of Palestine honestly . . . We put this film out to highlight the difference between these people who take paychecks from people who are complicit in genocide, and people who have no allegiance to money or corporations or military industrial messaging” - Kei Pritsker
GUESTS:
Grant Miner: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; President, SWC-UAW 2710
Sueda Polat: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; Graduate Student, Human Rights
Kei Pritsker: Co-Director, The Encampments, Journalist, BreakThrough News
Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on our captivating weekly episodes that dive deep into the heart of our economy, culture, and politics. SUBSCRIBE HERE youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1
🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms: lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/behind-the-barricades-at-columbia-university-the-encampments-for-gaza-episode Subscribe today and receive the full, uncut conversation from this week's show: lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/full-conversation-behind-the-barricades-at-columbia-university-the-encampments-for-gaza
✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: https://patreon.com/posts/129712550
Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners.
Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky!
https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org
https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social
DONATE TODAY at lauraflanders.org/donate or consider becoming a PATREON partner at patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends
🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network.
📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org.
CREDITS:
Executive Producer: Laura Flanders
Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel
Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren
Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor
Senior Video Editor: David Neumann
Video Editor: Veronica Delgado
Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper
Development Director: Sarah Miller
Communications Director: Janet Hernandez
Thumbnail photo courtesy of The Encampments/@watermelonpicturesc.
0:00 - Introduction to The Encampments
4:21 - Gaza and Student Activism:
9:54 Breakthrough News
15:57 - Student Organizers Calling for Divestment
20:11 - Institutional Repression and Looking to the Future
