NYPD arrested over 100 people during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University
The New York Police Department arrested more than 100 people Thursday on suspicion of criminal trespass during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University that began with an encampment a day earlier, according to a law enforcement official.
Columbia University President Nemat 바카라 게임 웹사이트Minouche바카라 게임 웹사이트 Shafik sent a letter Thursday to NYPD requesting they remove people who were occupying the South Lawn of the university바카라 게임 웹사이트s campus after being told that they 바카라 게임 웹사이트are in violation of the University바카라 게임 웹사이트s rules and policies바카라 게임 웹사이트 and are trespassing, according to the , which was released by the university.
More than 108 arrests were made, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a news conference Thursday evening.
The students were 바카라 게임 웹사이트peacefully protesting for divestment from genocide,바카라 게임 웹사이트 one of the organizers, Columbia University Apartheid Divest.
In Gaza, the Health Ministry announced this week that at least 33,797 Palestinians have been killed in the besieged enclave since the Hamas attack in Israel that killed 1,200 people in October.
The protest and arrests at Columbia come as universities across the nation grapple with how to respond to the hundreds of protests and counterprotests held by students on campuses since the war in Gaza began.
Here바카라 게임 웹사이트s what we know about the protest at Columbia and subsequent arrests so far:
Why students are protesting
The protests began Wednesday. Pro-Palestinian students, faculty and others set up tents and signs that morning on the campus in upper Manhattan on a day that Shafik, the university president, was in Washington, D.C., to testify to a House committee over the school바카라 게임 웹사이트s response to antisemitism.
The encampment was organized by 바카라 게임 웹사이트 a student-led coalition of more than 100 organizations 바카라 게임 웹사이트 Students for Justice in Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace, to protest what they describe as the university바카라 게임 웹사이트s 바카라 게임 웹사이트continued financial investment in corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and military occupation of Palestine,바카라 게임 웹사이트 according to CUAD바카라 게임 웹사이트s news release.
바카라 게임 웹사이트The Gaza Solidarity Encampment was established to pressure Columbia to divest all funds, including the endowment, from corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and military occupation in Palestine,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the release said.
CNN sought comment from Columbia University and the university바카라 게임 웹사이트s Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing for more information on their investments and for comment on the protest organizers바카라 게임 웹사이트 allegations.
Ry, a senior at Columbia who declined to provide his last name to protect his identity, told CNN he had been camping at the campus before arrests began.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We as students are using our privilege to stand for people who have been oppressed for far too long and we hope other universities take the call and do the same,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Ry, who is a member of Jewish Voice for Peace.
Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar, was among those arrested Thursday, a police official told CNN. The official said Hirsi is being processed and will likely receive a summons for a criminal trespass charge then be released from custody.
Hirsi, an organizer with Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, said earlier Thursday she and two other students at Barnard College 바카라 게임 웹사이트 located across the street from Columbia University 바카라 게임 웹사이트 were suspended for participating in pro-Palestinian protests.
University president asked NYPD to remove demonstrators
Shafik wrote a to the NYPD on Thursday asking for the department바카라 게임 웹사이트s help to 바카라 게임 웹사이트remove these individuals,바카라 게임 웹사이트 and said those students occupying the South Lawn of the university바카라 게임 웹사이트s Morningside Heights campus had been informed of their suspension.
바카라 게임 웹사이트The actions of these individuals are in violation of University rules and policies,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the president told police in the letter. 바카라 게임 웹사이트The University provided multiple notices and warnings and informed the encampment participants that they must disperse or face immediate discipline.바카라 게임 웹사이트
In an email to students obtained by CNN, Shafik said Thursday that she authorized the move 바카라 게임 웹사이트out of an abundance of concern for the safety of Columbia바카라 게임 웹사이트s campus.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트I took this extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Shafik wrote. 바카라 게임 웹사이트The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Calling the protest a 바카라 게임 웹사이트disturbance,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Adams said in a news conference Thursday evening that the protesters violated university rules and that 바카라 게임 웹사이트NYPD officers moved in to ensure the safety of the campus, the students and the staff.바카라 게임 웹사이트 He added that, 바카라 게임 웹사이트the NYPD assured there was no violence or injuries바카라 게임 웹사이트 during the protest.
바카라 게임 웹사이트The students that were arrested were peaceful, offered no resistance whatsoever and were saying what they wanted to say in a peaceful manner,바카라 게임 웹사이트 added John Chell, NYPD Chief of Patrol.
Most of the people taken into custody will be summoned for trespassing, while two people were charged with trespass as well as obstruction of governmental administration, authorities said at the news conference.
In the past, the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has declined to prosecute or deferred prosecution cases where large numbers of people were arrested as part of civil disobedience.
The arrests came a day after Shafik testified over the university바카라 게임 웹사이트s response to antisemitism during a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing. The university faced criticism for its handling of antisemitic incidents on campus and for hiring a professor who allegedly expressed support for Hamas on social media. That professor has been fired, Shafik said Wednesday.
In her testimony, Shafik said the core of the university바카라 게임 웹사이트s mission is to 바카라 게임 웹사이트ensure that all members of our community may engage in our cherished traditions of free expression and open debate,바카라 게임 웹사이트 quoting from the school바카라 게임 웹사이트s rules of university conduct.
How the protest and arrests unfolded
Competing pro-Palestine and pro-Israel rallies grew into Wednesday afternoon as more protesters gathered after the hearing.
During Wednesday바카라 게임 웹사이트s protests, Columbia closed the gates to campus, only allowing people with university IDs to enter. Many of the pro-Palestinian protesters affiliated with Columbia camped on the campus overnight.
Four people were arrested overnight during the protests, the NYPD said. Police did not specify what charges were filed and gave no additional details about the arrests.
The NYPD used bullhorns on Thursday to tell protesters they would be arrested unless they dispersed immediately. Large crowds of Columbia students on the perimeter refused to leave and chanted 바카라 게임 웹사이트Shame on you!바카라 게임 웹사이트 and 바카라 게임 웹사이트the students united will never be defeated.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday, a group of at least 200 protesters moved to an area about two blocks away from the school campus near the NYPD staging site and police said they would soon disperse the crowd, CNN witnessed. Officers in helmets, carrying batons, were seen lining up in the street surrounding the group.
Online NYPD officers arresting pro-Palestinian protesters outside Columbia University early Thursday morning. Detained students were escorted off campus by the NYPD in zip tie handcuffs.
The university warned of suspension
In a Wednesday letter to students, Columbia University officials said participation in the encampment and refusal to leave the campus would result in suspension for students involved.
바카라 게임 웹사이트If you are a Columbia student and you do not adhere to this final request by 9:00 p.m. today, April 17, 2024, the University will take the interim measure of suspending you pending investigation for possible violation of multiple University policies,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the university said in the letter.
바카라 게임 웹사이트During the suspension, you may not go to class or hand in work related to courses and therefore may not be able to complete your current courses. Your CUID will be deactivated, you will not have access to classrooms and other parts of campus and may not participate in University activities.바카라 게임 웹사이트