A Day After Congressional Hearing, Mass Arrests and Suspensions of anti-Israel Protesters at Columbia
In a major crackdown on anti-Israel protesters, police arrested dozens of students at Columbia University on Thursday afternoon for participating in an unauthorized encampment aimed at forcing the administration to divest from Israel.
The university summoned police to the campus more than a day after the protesters defied orders to disband and were threatened with suspension. As police began rounding up the students, protesters chanted: "Free, free Palestine."
The university also said that it had initiated suspensions of what appeared to be a large number of students.
According to the summons sent to police, roughly 100 students were part of the encampment.
A university spokesperson would not say how many students had been suspended, but it would seem to be an unprecedented number, given the many who were participating in the protest. The encampment was set up early Wednesday morning to coincide with a hearing in Congress about rising antisemitism at the university.
In a statement to Haaretz, the Columbia spokesperson said: "Students who are participating in the unauthorized encampment are suspended. We are continuing to identify them and will be sending out formal notifications."