More than 100 people were arrested by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Thursday at Columbia University, where a pro-Palestinian protest that began a day earlier was dispersed by officers. The arrests, which included Rep. Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi, came as Columbia University President Nemat "Minouche" Shafik testified before a House committee about the school's response to antisemitism.
According to a law enforcement official, the individuals were detained on a preliminary charge of criminal trespass, with no resistance. The university, which is named as the complainant since the incident occurred on its property, had requested the NYPD's assistance in removing the protesters, who were violating university rules and policies.
The protest, organized by groups such as "Uptown4Palestine," began early Wednesday morning with students, faculty, and others setting up tents and signs on the university's South Lawn. The demonstration aimed to raise awareness about "the ongoing genocide and displacement of Palestinians" and was in part a response to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
As the protest grew, competing rallies of pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups emerged, with several verbal confrontations between protesters and police officers. The NYPD began boxing in the protesters with barricades, and four people were arrested overnight during the protests. Police did not specify the charges filed or provide additional details about the arrests.
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
On Thursday, President Shafik wrote a letter to the NYPD requesting their help in removing the individuals, stating that their actions violated university rules and policies. She later informed students via email that she had authorized the NYPD to break up the encampment "out of an abundance of concern for the safety of Columbia's campus."
NYPD officers used bullhorns to warn protesters of imminent arrest unless they dispersed immediately, while large crowds of Columbia students on the perimeter chanted, "Shame on you" and, "The students united will never be defeated." As officers in helmets and carrying batons lined up in the street surrounding the protesters, the group moved to an area about two blocks away from the school campus near the NYPD staging site.
Among those arrested was Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is an organizer with Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine. Hirsi, along with two other students at Barnard College, had been suspended for participating in the pro-Palestinian protests. In a statement on X, Hirsi said she had "never been reprimanded or received any disciplinary warnings" in her three years at the college.
The protests and subsequent arrests have highlighted the ongoing tensions at Columbia University regarding the handling of antisemitic, Islamophobic, and anti-Arab harassment incidents on campus. During her testimony before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, President Shafik emphasized the university's commitment to fostering an environment where different viewpoints can be tested and challenged while acknowledging that freedom of speech has been used to justify language that has made students feel unsafe.
The university has faced criticism for hiring a professor who allegedly expressed support for Hamas on social media following the October 7 terror attack on Israel. Shafik confirmed during her testimony that the professor has been fired, although the university did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when the termination takes effect.
