Police arrest protesters at Columbia University who had set up pro-Palestinian encampment
NEW YORK — New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest camp at Columbia University on Thursday and arrested dozens of demonstrators.
Several students involved in the protest said they had also been suspended from Columbia and Barnard College, including Isra Hirsi, the daughter of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
Police did not immediately identify those taken into custody or say how many arrests have been made.
The congressman had questioned Columbia President Nemat Shafik during a hearing on Wednesday about the school’s approach to pro-Palestinian protesters.
The students have been protesting on campus since early Wednesday, demanding that the school be divested from companies they claim have “profited from Israeli apartheid” and Israeli military action in Gaza.
Shafik issued a statement saying the school warned protesters Wednesday that they would be suspended if the camp was not removed. School officials made the decision Thursday to call in police and clear out the protesters.
“The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies,” she wrote.
Shafik also said the university tried through various channels to “express their concerns and offered to continue discussions if they agreed to disperse.”
The school said it was still identifying students involved in the protest on Thursday and added that more suspensions would follow.
Police moved in early Thursday afternoon using zip ties to arrest protesters and escort them to waiting buses before removing the tents.
They could not say how many people have been arrested or what charges they might face.
Pro-Palestinian protesters reorganized on campus a short time later, chanting “Shame”
“We demand full amnesty for all students punished for their involvement in the encampment or the movement for Palestinian liberation,” the protest coalition said in a statement.
A voicemail message seeking comment was left at Omar’s office Thursday afternoon.