About 100 protesters taking part in a pro-Palestinian occupation camp on a Columbia University lawn “were cuffed and hauled away” by police in riot gear on Thursday, the New York Post reported.
“When cops first entered the campus, they warned demonstrators they would be arrested if they did not clear out. Armed with bags of zip ties, the officers then set about detaining those who ignored the warnings,” according to the Post.
The crackdown came after Columbia President Minouche Shafik authorized the police action, saying in a memo to the NYPD that the demonstrators “interfered with the operation of the University, refused to identify themselves, refused to disperse, set up tents on campus space, failed to comply with policies, and damaged campus property.”
“The continued encampment raises safety concerns for the individuals involved and the entire community.”
“The University provided multiple notices and warnings and informed the encampment participants that they must disperse or face immediate discipline. We have also engaged on the issues they have raised and offered to have further discussions if they disperse,” the memo stated.
Among the student protesters was Isra Hirsi, daughter of Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim. Hirsi has also been suspended by the school, she said in a post on X.
i’m an organizer with CU Apartheid Divest @ColumbiaSJP, in my 3 years at @BarnardCollege i have never been reprimanded or received any disciplinary warnings
i just received notice that i am 1 of 3 students suspended for standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide.
— isra hirsi (@israhirsi) April 18, 2024
“Ms. Hirsi posted on social media around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday that she was one of three students suspended so far for participating in the protest, which began on Wednesday, the day the university’s president … appeared before Congress to discuss antisemitism on campus,” the New York Times reported.
“…Ms. Hirsi, 21, said on social media that she was an organizer with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the student coalition that has been pushing the university to cut ties with companies that support Israel. Such divestment is the key demand of protesters in the encampment,” the Times reported.
The camp occupation dispersal came one day after Shafik condemned calling for the “genocide of Jews” in her testimony before Congress.
During the hearing, she was questioned by Rep. Omar.
“Omar told Shafik she was ‘appalled’ to learn that Columbia suspended six students earlier this month for their involvement in a pro-Palestinian panel event on campus,” NBC reported.
“There has been a recent attack on the democratic rights of students across the country,” Omar reportedly said.
Columbia suspended two pro-Hamas student groups last fall, Students for Justice and Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, but virulent anti-Israel demonstrations have not ceased as a result.
As The College Fix previously reported, Jewish and pro-Israel Columbia students “have reported being harassed, vilified, and assaulted, and [heard] professors make antisemitic comments, especially since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.”
“At the same time, pro-Palestinian groups at Columbia organized a class ‘walkout,’ called for divestment from Israel, and advocated for the student council to cancel an annual event in ‘solidarity’ with their cause.”
MORE: Jewish students fight back against ‘Zionism is Racism’ events at Columbia
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