New York City police officials told reporters on Monday that an anti-Israel encampment featuring anti-Semitic and pro-terrorism slogans had been set up at the start of Passover, raising serious concerns about the safety of Jewish students. Despite the concerns, Columbia University said it “does not want the NYPD on campus.”
At a press conference, New York City Police Department Deputy Commissioner Michelle Garber emphasized that because Columbia University is private property, police can only enter if a crime is in progress or someone is in danger. .
“For example, if someone is being attacked, we enter Columbia University just as we would go into a private home to protect that person,” Garber said. “But without an emergency, without a crime in progress, we can’t conveniently go to Columbia’s campus. It’s up to the university to decide whether to let us on campus. As a general problem, Columbia University and this continues for years and have not wanted the New York City Police Department on campus. That’s their decision. ”
Colombian President Dr. Nemat “Minouche” Shafik spoke before the House Workforce Education Committee regarding the spike in anti-Semitism at Ivy League schools following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel. Thursday, the day after he was held responsible. He said the university alerted the NYPD to a student who was trespassing.
Garber then explained that Columbia leadership asked police to come to campus and take action. More than 100 people were arrested but later released.
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Individuals are arrested during an anti-Israel demonstration in front of Columbia University on Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York City. (Peter Garber)
“But this was an exceptional case in the normal course of things. They made it clear that we were not going to be there,” Garber said. “So we now have a very large police presence around the university, around the streets, around the university, which is not public property. And our police officers are clearly We will take action to prevent and arrest crimes if committed. ”
He added that any type of violence, property damage, or criminal conduct, including “harassment, intimidation, intimidation, and stalking” that is not protected by the First Amendment, “will not be tolerated.”
New York City’s Eric Adams even called out Colombian anti-Israel agitators’ chants of “supporting a terrorist organization aimed at killing Jews,” calling such speeches “sickening and vile.” Despite the accusations, New York City Police Deputy Commissioner Tariq Shepard acknowledged in a press conference: There is no credible threat to any specific group or individual from this protest or any other activity. ”
New York City police officers patrol as anti-Israel agitators demonstrate outside the Columbia University campus on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in New York City. (Peter Garber, Fox News Digital)
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Shafik broke his silence over the weekend and released a statement overnight, canceling in-person classes on Monday and calling for a “Reset”, saying “people not affiliated with Columbia University are coming to campus to exploit and amplify tensions.” ” he called. Pursue your own agenda. ”
A police officer stands in front of the entrance to Columbia University, which was occupied by anti-Israel protesters on April 22, 2024, in New York. (Charlie Tribarrow/AFP via Getty Images)
Instead of deploying police to break up the Gaza Solidarity encampment that has been going on for days on the South Lawn, Shafiq said that a “working group of deans, university administrators, faculty and staff will now be working to resolve this crisis.” “We will try to resolve the issue,” he promised. This includes “continuing discussions with student protesters to identify actions we can take as a community to end our term peacefully and restore respectful engagement.”
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“I know there is a lot of discussion about whether or not we should use police on campus, and I am happy to participate in those discussions,” Shafiq said. “But we know that if we better adhere to our rules and effective enforcement mechanisms, we won’t have to rely on anyone else to keep our communities safe. We could do this ourselves.” is.”
