US police arrest more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University

More than 100 people were arrested and summons were issued against them for trespassing after an encampment was set up by the protesters at New York’s Columbia University to show their solidarity with Gaza. According to the police, among those arrested was Republican Ilhan Omar’s daughter Isra Hirsi.

For 30 hours, the space on the South Lawn of the university was occupied by the demonstrators, said Mayor Eric Adams, after the arrests were made on Thursday (April 18).

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The university asked the New York Police Department (NYPD) for help and stated that the university suspended the students, however, they still did not leave.

🚨UPDATE🚨 THOUSANDS of students at Columbia University are on the plaza with 100s of students occupying the West Lawn pic.twitter.com/0maFuvzs0R — sebas 🇵🇸🇸🇩🇨🇩🇵🇬 (@cybersebb) April 18, 2024

“Columbia University’s students have a proud history of protests and raising their voices,” said Adams, but added that the students do not have the right to violate the policies of the university. “We will not be a city of lawlessness,” said the mayor.

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Twenty-one-year-old Hirsi, who attends Barnard College in Manhattan, wrote on X that she was suspended for “standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide,” along with two other students.

Hirsi, who is an organiser of a student group which advocates for Palestinians, said that for the first time, she is being punished as a student activist in her three years at the school. "Those of us in Gaza Solidarity Encampment will not be intimidated,” Hirsi wrote.

Protesting students call police officers "KKK","baby killers"

Police arrested more than 108 studentsand gave them summonses for trespass, which included Hirsi. Two of them also faced charges of obstructing governmental administration, as per the authorities.

As per NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, the students were peacefully arrested and did not resist and said what they wanted to stay "in a peaceful manner".

However, nearly 500 other students left surrounded the police “and were telling us that we’re the KKK,” among other insults, said Caban. Another police official said that they called them "baby killers" and to "go kill ourselves". "It was very sad to see," he added.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams said, "It's very troubling when you protest protesting for peace. You should not be using inflammatory comments like we saw. It was very vile."

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Earlier in the day, Columbia University’s president, Nemat “Minouche”Shafik, in amemotothe police, said that more than 100 students had occupied the area.

"I have determined that the encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University," said the memo.

Shafik added that she authorised police to clear the encampment “out of an abundance of concern” for safety on campus.

"Columbia is committed to allowing members of our community to engage in political expression — within established rules and with respect for the safety of all," the memo read.

(With inputs from agencies)