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Nearly half arrested in Columbia, CCNY Gaza protests were outsiders, but unclear if they were 'agitators'

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In this article, it reveals that about half of the people at the pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University are not even affiliated with the school. After many of them had been arrested, data was taken and revealed that those people were there to try to undermine the protests, as some of them were pro-Israel.

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Almost half of the more than 280 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Columbia University and City College this week weren't students or faculty at the schools, according to data released by Mayor Adams' administration Thursday.

The issue of whether "outside agitators" were behind the encampment protests at Columbia and CCNY that culminated in the short-lived occupation of Columbia's Hamilton Hall has become a focus of intense debate. Mayor Adams, NYPD officials and college leaders have repeatedly said outsiders were influencing student behavior, while student protest leaders deny that's the case.

The data released Thursday, while pointing to the involvement of many outsiders, didn't make clear how many of the arrested demonstrators fit the bill of being "agitators." Officials have declined to say who those suspected agitators are or how many of them were arrested.

The data from Adams' administration, portions of which were first reported by the Daily News before its late afternoon release, show 134 of the 282 people arrested in Tuesday night's raids at Columbia and City College weren't students or faculty. Other arrest data obtained by The News shows that about a third of those arrested were 30 or older, though it was not clear from those statistics how many of them were or weren't students.

The new info comes two days after hundreds of police officers in riot gear stormed the uptown Manhattan campuses of Columbia and City College, arresting the scores of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had set up encampments days or weeks earlier to protest Israel's war against Hamas.

Most of the arrests took place at Harlem's City College campus, where 170 people in total were taken into custody on charges of burglary, assault on a police officer, obstructing governmental administration, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct, according to the data.

Of the 170, 102 were "unaffiliated" with the college, according to the data. The statistics do not make clear who the "unaffiliated" arrestees are or whether they were actively involved in the days-long protest or simply on or around the campus as the raids took place Tuesday night.

At Columbia, 112 people were arrested in total on similar charges, 80 of them students or faculty, the data says. The rest were in the "unaffiliated" category, according to the data.

Forty-four of the arrests at Columbia happened inside the occupied Hamilton Hall, according to other data obtained by The News. Of them, 25 were Columbia students or employees, six were students at unidentified "affiliated institutions" and 13 were "nonaffiliates," the data says.

Before the release of the data, Adams, who has repeatedly said the protests were heavily influenced by unidentified "professional" and "external" activists, said on NPR that about 40% of those arrested were "outsiders."

He went on to say an NYPD Intelligence Division's inquiry into the " outside agitators " was based on his own "gut reaction" to what he perceived was going on at the protests.

"They came back, substantiated on the Columbia grounds and other grounds that there were those that were professionals who participated in training, participated in some of the activities," he said.

Student leaders of the campus protests have denied the demonstrations have been led by "outsiders" and argue Adams' use of the phrase is meant to delegitimize their demands for their schools to divest Israeli financial holdings over the country's ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which was launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attacks. The Israeli military incursion has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead, including thousands of children.

Leadership at both Columbia and City College have echoed the mayor in saying that outsiders were involved in protests that roiled their campuses in recent weeks.

"Students inside the encampment began to warn us that outsiders among them were planning to take over a building," City College President Vince Boudreau wrote in an email Wednesday to students and faculty.

When students briefly occupied an administrative building on the City College grounds in Harlem Tuesday night, he said, campus public safety entered it and arrested 31 protesters, none of whom were City College students. Of the 31 individuals arrested, five were affiliated with CUNY as students or employees, while at least 10 were not residents of New York State, Boudreau said.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik in a memo Wednesday also blamed "protests that have persistently mobilized outside our gates" for making many students feel "uncomfortable" and "unwelcome."

Adams said the "tipping point" for him in analyzing the influence of outsiders came when he learned one woman who attended the Columbia demonstration is the wife of a man arrested on federal terrorism charges.

He didn't name the woman, but The Associated Press identified her as Nahla Al-Arian, a 63-year-old retired teacher whose husband was deported to Turkey in 2015 after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge related to providing financial support to Palestinian Jihad, a terrorist group.

Al-Arian told the AP that she stopped by the campus protester encampment last week with her daughter. She was not present for Tuesday's raids, and police officials have said there's no indication of wrongdoing on her part.

"I could not sit back and state that I'm going to allow this to continue to escalate," Adams said. "The school sent us a letter and reinforced their observation that there were outside individuals influencing the protests."

With pro-Palestine protests expected to continue in the city as the weather heats up, the mayor also offered some advice for local colleges.

On Fox5, he called on them to enforce a "zero tolerance" policy on encampment protests going forward.

"Soon as that tent goes up, it comes down, do not allow this to continue to expand," he said.

Other local Democrats have said colleges should instead engage in discussion with campus protesters.

They've pointed to Brown University, where a pro-Palestinian encampment was voluntarily disassembled this week after school leaders committed to a dialogue with protesters about their demands to divest from Israeli financial holdings.

"You should not call the Police Department," city Public Advocate Jumaane Williams told The News. "You should do what other universities did around the country. They opened up a dialogue so they can listen to what people are saying, acknowledge their pain and have a way for people to have a conversation."

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Nearly half arrested in Columbia, CCNY Gaza protests were outsiders, but unclear if they were 'agitators'

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The issue of whether "outside agitators" were behind the protests at Columbia, CCNY and other schools has become a focus of intense debate. Mayor Adams, NYPD officials and college leaders have repeatedly said that outsiders were influencing student behavior while the students deny that's the case, with the mayor reiterating that argument Thursday.

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How Columbia University became the driving force behind protests over the war in Gaza

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This article is a timeline of the conflict between pro-Palestine protesting students, and administrators who will not allow the protesting. Recently, there was a clash between the police, and the students who refuse to back down.

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As the two-week standoff between pro-Palestinian protesters and college administrators at Columbia University in New York came to a head on Tuesday, officials anxiously monitored whether the fallout would spark more protests on college campuses around the country or quell what has been a growing movement.

Protesters at Columbia dug in, taking over an academic building that has a history of being occupied by student protesters going back nearly 60 years to the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. The escalation came after the passing of a Monday deadline issued by the university's administration for protesters to leave an encampment.

A timeline illustrating how Columbia University became the driving force behind protests on college campuses across the country:

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APRIL 17

Students set up an encampment at Columbia University the same day university president Nemat Shafik is called for questioning before Congress. Shafik is heavily criticized by Republicans who accuse her of not doing enough to combat concerns about antisemitism on Columbia's campus. Allegations of antisemitism arose during pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's actions in the .

The public grilling session comes four months after a similarly contentious congressional hearing led to the resignations of two Ivy League presidents. Unlike her counterparts, who focused their responses on protecting free speech, Shafik strongly denounced antisemitism, saying it "has no place on our campus."

APRIL 18

New York City police are called to Columbia's campus to disband the protest encampment and arrest more than 100 protesters. Those detained include the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who a day earlier had questioned Shafik about the school's treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters.

The arrests, which New York Mayor Eric Adams says were requested by Columbia officials, garner national attention and inflame college protests nationwide. A day later, the University of Southern California announces that it has canceled the keynote commencement speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu. USC had already disallowed its student valedictorian, who is Muslim, from speaking at the May 10 commencement.

In the coming days, pro-Palestinian encampments will be set up at the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina.

APRIL 22

Columbia cancels in-person classes, and an encampment at New York University swells to hundreds of protesters. NYU officials call in police after warning the crowd to leave and says the scene has become disorderly. Police arrest dozens of protesters at NYU and at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The gates to Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are closed to the public.

President Joe Biden addresses the unrest and seeks to find a narrow middle ground by condemning "antisemitic protests," adding that he also condemns "those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians."

APRIL 24

Columbia administrators set a new midnight deadline for protesters to clear the encampment. While some leave, others dig in and refuse to disband until the school agrees to stop doing business with Israel or any companies that support the latest Israel-Hamas war.

Elsewhere, police make more arrests on other university campuses. At the University of Texas at Austin, hundreds of local and state police - including some on horseback and holding batons - aggressively clash with protesters, pushing them off campus grounds, and arresting more than 30 people. At the University of Southern California, police peacefully arrest student protesters.

APRIL 26

Columbia University students say they're at an impasse after exhaustive negotiations with administrators and they intend to continue their encampment until their divestment demands are met. That comes after hundreds of protesters have been arrested nationwide over the previous nine days. The school sends students an email saying that bringing back police "at this time" would be counterproductive.

Meanwhile, schools across the country where protests have taken root prepare to shut down encampments over reports of antisemitic activity and concerns the protests will mar upcoming commencement ceremonies.

APRIL 29

Columbia makes good on its promise to suspend students who defy a 2 p.m. deadline to leave the encampment of more than 100 tents. Instead of vacating, hundreds of protesters remain, marching around the quad and weaving around piles of temporary flooring and green carpeting meant for graduation ceremonies that are scheduled to begin next week.

Around the country, the number of arrests at campuses nationwide approaches 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up.

APRIL 30

Dozens of protesters take over Hamilton Hall on Columbia's campus, barricading entrances and hanging a "Free Palestine" banner from a window as administrators warn that they face expulsion for doing so. Protesters insist they will remain at the hall until the university agrees to three demands: divestment from Israel and companies supporting the war in Gaza, financial transparency and amnesty for protesters.

Hours later, New York City police carrying riot shields storm the building and clear dozens of people from it, sweeping the encampment on the campus as well. The action from city police came at the request of the university, according to a police statement.

MAY 1

Hours after the clash between protesters and police on the Columbia campus, dueling groups of protesters spar at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Police wearing helmets and face shields form a line to slowly separate the groups of pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators and quell the violence.

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How Columbia University became the driving force behind protests over the war in Gaza

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A two-week standoff between pro-Palestinian protesters and college administrators at Columbia University in New York has come to a head.

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Columbia University community 'shattered' after police raid

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This article is about how the students are feeling and reacting after the police raid. The police had barred the students in Hamilton Hall after being called by Manouche Sharik, the university’s president. The students are upset over cancelled class and finals, and don’t plan on backing down.

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Columbia University community 'shattered' after police raid

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Students say they have lost trust and are in limbo after New York officers arrested Gaza protesters.

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The Surreal Difference Between Harvard and Columbia Protests

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On Tuesday evening, as pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University were breaking the windows of Hamilton Hall, their Harvard counterparts posted a video on Instagram of students dancing in front of University Hall.

The video from the coalition "Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine" (HOOP rhymes with GOOP) features a guide walking through the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment," showing off their "Art Build," "Reading Center" and "spiritual and prayer space."

The difference between the unrest at the two Ivy League schools is striking. As Columbia students risk arrest, Harvard students are risking a good night's sleep.

For now, the Harvard administration is keeping the police away from the Yard and with finals starting on Friday, the plan may be to just wait this out.

One observer said that the protesters made a strategic mistake by pitching their tents in a gated community. Only people who flash a Harvard ID can get past security guards and enter the Yard. This means students from other Boston colleges and the public can only offer support from a distance.

Compared to other universities, Harvard's protest is small, but well-equipped for addressing basic needs-like staying warm as one protester did in a $2,000 Moncler puffer with faux fur collar.

Shelter: If you build it, they will camp

"Who wants a bedroll?" shouted a pink-haired student organizer while brandishing a brand-new mat. The question was repeated until the organizer added, "If no one here wants one, I'm sending it to Northeastern!"

I followed up with another organizer wearing a union baseball cap and a safety vest and asked if Harvard was coordinating with other schools in the area.

"We know them," the organizer said with a smile.

Because there's a strong UAW presence in the camp, I asked if the union was supporting the movement financially. "No, why would they be?" the organizer responded. (I reached out to the UAW for comment days ago on their online press page, but they have not responded.)

"So who is purchasing all the new equipment?" I asked.

"We have many allies," the organizer said.

Getting the supplies into the Yard required subterfuge since security guards were on the lookout for large packages. One unconfirmed rumor is that the protesters used the student-run laundry service to smuggle tents into the Yard in laundry bags.

Last Thursday, a stash of brand-new dome tents purchased from Walmartsat on the edge of camp, waiting to be pitched. At one point, organizers expanded the footprint of the camp into an adjacent cordoned triangle of the Yard.

Still, when I walked through the camp on Thursday night, about half of the approximately 30 tents appeared to be empty.

The next day, I asked the organizer with the union baseball cap about the occupation not being fully occupied. She disputed my observation.

"Students are sleeping one to a tent," she said. Then perhaps realizing that still sounded like a smallish number, she added, "Or two to a tent."

I asked if she was hoping to recruit more campers. Once again, the organizer smiled. "We are welcoming."

Less welcoming was the NYPD who were called in by Columbia administrators on Tuesday night to clear the massive tent city and arrest more than 300 protesters.

Food: Lentils + Rice Krispie treats

While Columbia activists were mocked for calling on the university to provide them with food and "basic humanitarian aid," Harvard activists were well-supported by their community. They began the protest accepting in-kind donations for food but stopped after two days because, as they told me, they had enough.

On April 28, HOOP posted that "community members cooked students in the Liberated Zone makloubeh ("upside-down"), a traditional and delicious Palestinian dish... [which] led people into conversation about food & food sovereignty."

Still, undergrads cramming for finals need a steady supply of carbs and sugar. Here's a partial list of provisions spotted in the main tent:

Peanut Butter Pretzels

Keto Granola

French Vanilla Almond Granola

Mott's Apple Juice

Dole's Mandarin Orange Drink

Quaker Instant Oatmeal

Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut Granola Bars

Cup Noodles

Skinny Pop Popcorn

Sour Cream Onion Potato Chips

Premier Protein Chocolate Ready to Drink Shake

Siracha Flavored Peas

Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Sliced Bread

Peanut Butter

Honey

Entenmann's Chocolate Chip Little Bites

Fruit Loops

Ritz Crackers

Pirate's Booty

Almond non-dairy beverage

Rice Krispie Treats

Oreo Cookies

A single box of Gluten Free Matzoh for Passover.

Sanitation: What happens in the tents stays in the tents

Sympathetic freshmen can allow protesters inside to use facilities in the surrounding dorms when nature calls. Plus, the Science Center is close. But what does a protester do late at night when it's dark? Public urination is frowned upon. Fortunately, some brainy protestor thought of the perfect contingency plan.

Technology: The 4th basic need

Most of the people hanging out with the protesters have laptops and smartphones.

To accommodate those remaining in the encampment, some of the tents are equipped with e-ports

The John Harvard statue is a Pokemon Go gym-a red one which means "valor" not "communism" in the Pokemon community. I was hoping the gym might be controlled by trainers "Fr33P@l3stine" or "H@rvardDivest!" Sadly, the only gym leader whose name might be connected with the camp is "colorfulanarchy" with a decidedly uncool Turtonator.

The larger environs

The start of the occupation coincided with Harvard's Arts First Festival, an annual celebration of Harvard's creative community.

Just a few triangles of grass away from the camp, is this gorgeous art installation.

In a tent next to the Science Center just on the other side of the gate from the camp, a drag show on Thursday night went off without a hitch.

Meanwhile, in a nearby part of the yard, another disruptive group that refuses to leave shows little interest in taking part in any protest.

So far, the protests at Harvard have received attention for optics like the Palestinian flag flying over University Hall. But here's a video that gives some context for how much space the tents take up.

A final word

After hearing reports of Wednesday night's police crackdown at Columbia, HOOP issued a statement on Instagram. The group argued, "Administrators, donors, and politicians would have us believe students have invaded university campuses. The invaders are, in fact, those who have claimed to be invaded."

Then they ended on this question:

When in doubt, chant and shout.

There is always a chance that the protest could expand and escalate, but based on what The Daily Beast observed, Facebook Marketplace in Cambridge might have some great deals on barely used tents in a couple of weeks.

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The Surreal Difference Between Harvard and Columbia Protests

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The Daily Beast went behind the scenes of Harvard's genteel protest and found a peaceful, well-stocked encampment.

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How Columbia University became the driving force behind US protests over the war in Gaza

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As the two-week standoff between pro-Palestinian protesters and college administrators at Columbia University in New York came to a head Tuesday, officials anxiously monitored whether the fallout would spark more protests on college campuses around the country or quell what has been a growing movement.

It was the former.

Here's a timeline illustrating how Columbia became the driving force behind national college protests:

April 17

Students set up an encampment at Columbia University the same day university president Nemat "Menouche" Shafik is called for questioning before Congress. Shafik is heavily criticized by Republicans who accuse her of not doing enough to combat concerns about antisemitism on Columbia's campus. Allegations of antisemitism arose during Pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's actions in the war in Gaza.

The public grilling session comes four months after a similarly contentious congressional hearing led to the resignations of two Ivy League presidents. Unlike her counterparts, who focused their responses on protecting free speech, Shafik strongly denounced antisemitism, saying it "has no place on our campus."

April 18

New York City police are called to Columbia's campus to disband the pro-Palestinian protest encampment and arrest more than 100 protesters. Those detained include the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who a day earlier had questioned Shafik about the school's treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters.

The arrests, which came by Columbia University's request, garnered national attention and inflamed college protests across the country. A day later, the University of Southern California announced it canceled the keynote commencement speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu. USC had already disallowed its student valedictorian, who is Muslim, from speaking at the May 10 commencement.

In the coming days, pro-Palestinian encampments are set up at the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina.

April 22

Columbia cancels in-person classes, and an encampment set up at New York University swells to hundreds of protesters. NYU officials call in police after warning the crowd to leave and saying the scene has become disorderly. Police arrest dozens of protesters at NYU and at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut. The gates to Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are closed to the public.

President Joe Biden addresses the unrest and seeks to find a narrow middle ground by condemning "antisemitic protests" but adding that he also condemns "those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians."

April 24

Columbia administrators set a new midnight deadline for protesters to clear the encampment. While some do leave, others dig in and refuse to disband until the school agrees to stop doing business with Israel or any companies that support the ongoing war in Gaza.

Elsewhere, police make more arrests on other university campuses.

At the University of Texas at Austin, hundreds of local and state police - including some on horseback and holding batons - aggressively clash with protesters, pushing them off campus grounds, and arrest more than 30 demonstrators. At the University of Southern California, police peacefully arrest student protesters.

PHOTOS: Columbia University student protesters take over Hamilton Hall

April 26

Columbia University students say they're at an impasse after exhaustive negotiations with administrators, and intend to continue their encampment until their divestment demands are met. That comes after hundreds of protesters have been arrested nationwide over the previous nine days.

The school sends an email to students saying that bringing back police "at this time" would be counterproductive.

Meanwhile, schools across the country where protests have taken root prepare to shut down encampments over reports of antisemitic activity and concerns the protests will mar upcoming commencement ceremonies.

April 29

Columbia makes good on its promise to suspend students who defy a 2 p.m. deadline to leave the encampment of more than 100 tents. Instead of vacating, hundreds of protesters remain, marching around the quad and weaving around piles of temporary flooring and green carpeting meant for graduation ceremonies that are scheduled to begin next week.

Around the country, the number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up.

April 30

Dozens of protesters take over Hamilton Hall on Columbia's campus, barricading entrances and hanging a "Free Palestine" banner from a window as administrators warn that they face expulsion for doing so. Protesters insist they will remain at the hall until the university agrees to three demands: divestment from Israel and companies supporting the war in Gaza, financial transparency and amnesty for protesters.

Late that night, hundreds of heavily armed NYPD officers stormed the hall, clearing the protesters from that location and the encampment. No injuries were reported. New York City says outside agitators led the escalation. While that was happening, students protesting the war in Gaza at UCLA were involved in violent clashes with police.

Copyright NBC New York/Associated Press

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How Columbia University became the driving force behind US protests over the war in Gaza

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As the two-week standoff between pro-Palestinian protesters and college administrators at Columbia University in New York came to a head Tuesday, officials anxiously monitored whether the fallout would spark more protests on college campuses around the country or quell what has been a growing movement. It was the former.

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This has good information to show the effects of war around the world and how people are choosing to react to the wars affects.

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I really learned a lot about how Columbia university had been the main center of this protest and how many protestors there didn’t even attend the school.