Majority of Anti-Israel protesters detained at Columbia, City College are non-students, arrests top 2000: Report
Over 200 arrested at amid Israel-Palestine protests. Majority of Anti-Israel protesters detained at Columbia reported to be non students.
According to a recent development in campus encampment, the majority of individuals arrested during anti-Israel protests at Columbia University and City College were found to be non-students. This comes just a day after Mayor Eric Adams showed concerns over outside agitators influencing the crowd. In a separate report, the total number of arrests made in the ongoing chaos has now topped 2000.
Columbia University arrests tops 282
Over two hundred and eighty-two people were arrested at Columbia University on Tuesday amid protests over the Israel-Palestine crisis. Students and faculty took over Hamilton Hall while police suspected outside agitators of aiding and abetting the crowd. According to law enforcement sources, of the total number of arrests made during the massive NYPD operation, 134 had no ties to either school.
“What was given to me by my team, a preliminary review of the numbers, just the beginning process of analyzing, but it appears, though, that over 40% of those who participated in Columbia and CUNY were not from the school and they were outsiders,” Mayor Adams gave a statement to media, a report by Post.
Total campus arrests in anti-Israel protests exceed 2000
According to a report by the Associated Press, more than 2,000 people have been arrested in protests on more than 35 campuses across the US amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Over the past weeks, there has been massive unrest at prestigious Ivy League and leading schools in America, where students and faculty have gathered in support of Palestine, urging colleges to divest from Israel. On Thursday morning, police in riot gear confronted anti-Israel demonstrators at UCLA, leading to several arrests and the removal of the demonstrators' camp shortly after 3:00 a.m.
President Biden addresses anti-Israel protest
On Thursday, President Joe Biden addressed the ongoing situation on college campuses. While he defended the "right to protest," he also emphasised that "order must prevail" in light of the significant unrest across the country. “It is against the law when violence occurs. Destroying property is not a peaceful protest, it’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations, none of this is a peaceful protest,” the President said. ”Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest, it is against the law.”
