NYPD arrested more than 100 protesters who had set up an encampment on the Columbia University campus last week to protest the war in Gaza, including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s daughter, ABC News reported.
Police cleared away the tents and arrested 108 people for trespass. Two protesters were also charged with obstruction of governmental administration.
The students occupied the south lawn on campus last Wednesday as Columbia President Nemat Shafik was in Washington testifying before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce about antisemitism on campus.
As the protesters harassed Jewish students while shouting “Jews out” and chanting pro-Hamas/anti-Israel slogans, President Shafik was on Capitol Hill telling lawmakers that there were no “anti-Jewish protests” on campus.
In an April 18 notice to the Columbia community, Shafik said she authorized the NYPD to clear out the protesters’ encampment. She said campus safety was her “top priority,” explaining that the school had to “preserve an environment where everyone could learn” safely.
Shafik added that the students occupying campus had been warned that they risked suspension for violating Columbia’s “long list of rules and policies” if the encampment was not removed.
Police moved in Thursday afternoon, arresting protesters and escorting them to buses. The officers then dismantled the encampment.
Columbia student Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Ilhan Omar, was among those charged with trespass.
Earlier in the day, Hirsi said on social media that she and two other Muslim students from Columbia had been suspended for participating in the encampment protest.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams justified the mass arrests, explaining that students had a right to free speech but not the right to “violate university policies” or “disrupt learning.”
The arrests have done little to stop the ongoing protests at Columbia, which continued through the weekend and into the next week.
In an April 21 message to Jewish students, Columbia’s Orthodox Rabbi encouraged them to leave campus and remain at home until it was safe to return.
