NEW YORK (AP) — New York police cleared a pro-Palestinian protest camp at Columbia University on Thursday and arrested more than 100 demonstrators, including the daughter of a prominent Minnesota congresswoman.
Several students involved in the protest said they had also been suspended from Columbia and Barnard College, among others Isra Hirsiwho is the daughter of Democratic US Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Omar had questioned the president of ColumbiaNemat Shafik, during a hearing Wednesday in Congress on the school’s attacks on pro-Palestinian protesters.
Police said 108 people, including Hirsi, were charged with trespassing at the private Ivy League institution. Two people were also charged with obstructing government administration.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the city had been asked in writing by university officials to remove the encampment.
“Students have the right to freedom of expression, but they do not have the right to violate university policy and disrupt education on campus,” Adams said.
The students have been protesting on campus since early Wednesday, opposing Israeli military action in Gaza and demanding the divestment of schools from companies they claim “profit from Israeli apartheid.”
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, she said.
“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 responded early Thursday afternoon, using zip ties to arrest protesters and escort them to waiting buses before removing the tents.
Police Commissioner Edward Caban said the arrests were peaceful and protesters cooperated.
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.
Email and voice messages were left at Omar’s office Thursday afternoon seeking comment.
