Two anti-Israel protesters arrested during first week of school year at Columbia
Police officers recently arrested two students at Columbia University in New York City on charges related to their involvement in an anti-Israel protest.
The charges reportedly included disorderly conduct and obstruction of government administration.
Police officers recently arrested two students at Columbia University in New York City on charges related to their involvement in an anti-Israel protest, including disorderly conduct and obstruction of government administration.
A Columbia spokesperson released a statement that the school’s administration is taking steps this year to bolster campus safety as part of the university’s commitment to creating an environment conducive to learning and free thought.
“The University welcomed new and returning students for a productive first day of classes on Morningside Campus,” the spokesperson stated. “As we begin the new semester, we are focused on our mission of teaching, creating, and advancing knowledge and ensuring a safe, respectful campus environment for our community.”
The two students who were arrested reportedly protested outside of the school for more than five hours. The protesters demanded that Columbia cut ties with Israel and Israeli-affiliated businesses, chanting slogans such as “over 100,000 dead, Columbia your hands are red” and “don’t cross the picket line, we must honor Palestine.”
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Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia who has been directly involved in recent negotiations between school administrators and the anti-Israel movement, reportedly said that he and other activists were willing to continue protests until the university absolves itself from alleged complicity in “Israeli apartheid.”
“As long as Columbia continues to invest and to benefit from Israeli apartheid, the students will continue to resist,” Khalil said. “Not only protests and encampments, the limit is the sky.”
Campus Reform has previously reported on numerous instances of anti-Israel protests during the 2023-2024 academic year.
On June 1, Columbia’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) posted a photo on Instagram of a model rocket covered with pictures of former university president Minouche Shafik.
The post alleged that Shafik was partly responsible for the violence in Gaza, claiming that Columbia had “[continued] to profit off the Zionist entity’s deliberate, wholesale destruction of Gaza.”
“This installation by the students in #Revolt4Rafah is a to scale representation of the missiles being dropped on our people in Palestine funded by Columbia University,” SJP wrote.
Campus Reform has reached out to Columbia University and the NYPD for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.