NYPD attempts to clear pro-Palestinian demonstrators amid Columbia University fallout

Adeja Shivonne

NEW YORK - Several students and pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets again Friday following the pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University.

NYPD officers were seen trying to clear protestors near Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Upper Manhattan.

This comes after several students involved in the protest said they were also suspended from Columbia and Barnard College.

"The people stand strong with the students at @Columbia who demand that the administration cut financial ties with all companies and institutions that profit off of Israeli apartheid," a post on X read.

Police have barricaded areas outside the campus in Morningside Heights where demonstrators plan to hold a stand-in.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

On Thursday, the NYPD removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 demonstrators, including Isra Hirsi, who is the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.

The protesters were charged with trespassing at the private Ivy League institution.

Two people were also charged with obstructing government administration.

The students had been protesting on campus since early Wednesday, opposing Israeli military action in Gaza and demanding the school divest from companies they claim "profit from Israeli apartheid."

Columbia's president, Nemat Shafik, issued a statement saying the school had warned protesters on Wednesday that they would be suspended if the encampment was not removed.

<div>An NYPD officer speaks to a protester as pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside of Columbia University in New York City on April 18, 2024. Officers cleared out a pro-Palestinian campus demonstration on April 18, a day after university officials testified about anti-Semitism before Congress. Leaders of Columbia University defended the prestigious New York school's efforts to combat anti-Semitism on campus at a fiery congressional hearing on April 17. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)</div>

School officials made the decision Thursday to call in police and clear out the demonstrators, she said.

"The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies," she wrote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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