Protests have rocked U.S. campuses in the last two months since the Israel-Gaza war began last year.
On Thursday, over 100 protesters were arrested after they set up an encampment at New York’s Columbia University in support of Gaza.
The protest, which started on Wednesday, had the students occupy the space on the university’s South Lawn for 30 hours.
In a letter written by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, the New York Police Department (NYPD) was tasked to disperse the crowd.
Shafik accused the protesters of interfering with university operations, failing to comply with policies and causing damage to campus property.
“The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies,” Shafik wrote. “Through direct conversations and in writing, the university provided multiple notices of these violations.”
According to reports, 108 people were arrested at the protest site. Two received trespass summonses and charges of obstruction of government property.
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) daughter, Isra Hirsi, was among the protesters arrested during the disruptive protest.
Giving new meaning to the phrase ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’, Ilhan Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, suspended from Barnard College for her involvement in anti-Israel protests.https://t.co/Pq2BihoTai
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) April 18, 2024
Hirsi, 21, who attends Barnard College in Manhattan, revealed on X that she was suspended, along with two other students, for standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide.
“I just received notice that I am 1 of 3 students suspended for standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide,” Hirsi wrote on X. “I’m an organizer with CU Apartheid Divest @ColumbiaSJP, in my three years at @BarnardCollege | have never been reprimanded or received any disciplinary warnings.”
On Thursday, Hirsi and the two other students —Maryam Iqbal and Soph Dinu— received notice of their suspension from Barnard Dean Leslie Grinage.
In a follow-up tweet revealing her suspension, Hirsi said protestors will not be intimidated.
“We will stand resolute until our demands are met. Our demands include divestment from companies complicit in genocide, transparency of @Columbia’s investments and FULL amnesty for all students facing repression,” she wrote.
The protest at Columbia came just days after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked major roads across the country, restricting access to airports.
This includes Chicago’s O’Hare International and Seattle-Tacoma International, as well as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
