More than 100 individuals arrested at protests at two campuses in New York were not affiliated with the schools, according to the mayor and New York Police Department (NYPD) commissioner.
At Columbia University on Tuesday, city officials said 112 individuals were arrested, with around 29 percent unaffiliated with the school. At the City College of New York (CCNY) the same day, 170 were arrested, around 60 percent of whom did not have a connection to the school.
The arrests were on charges including burglary, obstructing governmental administration, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct.
New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said in their statement that the protests have been coopted by outside groups.
“We saw a shift in tactics, and the safety of all students, school faculty, staff, and the public became a real concern. These once-peaceful protests are being exploited by professional outsiders, and our young people are the ones most at risk. The right to protest is critical to our democracy, and the NYPD’s job is to protect that right. But we will never tolerate violence, property damage, or the disruption of emergency services,” Caban said.
The statement also referenced the highly publicized arrests on Tuesday when Columbia asked the NYPD to clear demonstrators from the encampment and Hamilton Hall.
The officials said those arrested have not been cooperating and were told not to talk to the NYPD, so the process of identifying who is with the schools and who is not is taking longer.
“As the anti-Israel protests began to escalate, it became abundantly clear that individuals unaffiliated with these schools had entered these different campuses and, in some cases, were even training students in unlawful protest tactics, many which we witnessed escalating into violent conduct. What is now even clearer is the extent to which outsiders were actually present. Nearly half of those arrested at Columbia and City College were not affiliated with these schools,” Adams said.
The protesters have denied the demonstrations are directed by anyone besides the students at the school.
As a concerned citizen, I find it alarming that over 100 individuals arrested at the protests were not affiliated with the schools. It is important to protect the right to protest, but violence and property damage should never be tolerated. The safety of students and the public must be the top priority in such situations.