On Tuesday, more than 100 demonstrators got arrested at Columbia University and City College of New York, as confirmed by a law enforcement source.
The majority of the arrests occurred at Columbia, with around two dozen protesters allegedly attempting to block police from entering the campus, according to the source.
At Columbia, tactical teams initially established a perimeter around the campus to contain protesters and prevent further arrests. Subsequently, officers entered the campus through multiple points of entry.
Jonas Du, the editor-in-chief of a student magazine at Columbia, emphasized that the protests were primarily driven by students, regardless of any external involvement.
Regarding the arrests at Columbia’s Hamilton Hall, Du expressed uncertainty about whether those detained were students or individuals from outside the institution. He noted the challenges of accessing the campus without proper identification but acknowledged the presence of non-affiliated individuals.
Du suggested there was “evidence” of external organizations influencing the planning of the occupation, but he emphasized the significant participation of Columbia students in the protests.
Students at Columbia reportedly received alerts from the school advising them to shelter in place and avoid going to campus, interpreted by many as a signal of an impending police operation.
Meanwhile, at Arizona State University, a video surfaced showing a campus police officer removing a hijab from a protester during her arrest. The incident sparked outcry and demands for accountability from the lawyer representing the affected women.
The lawyer highlighted that the women, who were facing criminal trespass charges, had pleaded to keep their hijabs but were told they had to be removed for safety reasons. They were not returned their hijabs until much later, after being brought to jail.
The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the incident and called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
At Columbia University, despite the administration’s request for a police presence until May 17, a lead student negotiator affirmed that protests would persist on campus.
According to the negotiator, the university had not recognized the protests as part of an anti-war movement but rather as an internal student discipline issue. The protesters are advocating for divestment from companies involved in fueling conflicts, particularly in Gaza.
Tensions heightened when officers entered Hamilton Hall, which had been occupied by protesters. The negotiator asserted that the decision to occupy the building was a response to the university’s perceived lack of response to their demands, which they felt marginalized their concerns.
