Columbia Protesters Return To Lawn Friday After NYPD Sweep, Mass Arrests

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — Less than a day after authorities nabbed more than 100 pro-Palestine student protesters from the Columbia University main campus, even more students have gathered to continue the days-long demonstration.

The Morningside Heights campus lawn protest, dubbed the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, began Wednesday about 4 a.m. as hundreds of Columbia University students erected dozens of tents, according to social media reports.

By Thursday morning, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik authorized the NYPD to sweep the grounds, resulting in 113 protesters taken into custody about 1:30 p.m., police sources told Patch.

106 people were issued summonses and released, police said. Two individuals (a 25-year-old man from Brooklyn and a 30-year-old woman from Manhattan) were arrested and charged with trespassing and obstructing governmental administration.

"I took this extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances," Shafik wrote in an open letter published Thursday. "The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies. Through direct conversations and in writing, the university provided multiple notices of these violations.”

Related: Dozens Arrested In Columbia Protests As NYPD Moves On Campus

Despite the NYPD sweep, dozens of students were seen gathered on a lawn opposite to the original on Friday morning with Palestinian flags and banners, according to videos posted to X (formerly Twitter) by independent journalist Talia Jane. "Join us," one banner wrote, with another declaring the site as the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment."

The original lawn, where the sweep took place Thursday, now contains dumped construction materials for the annual commencement ceremony next month, according to videos posted to X.

What Led To Thursday's Mass Arrests On Campus?

The ongoing demonstration plans to remain on the campus lawn until the university divests from its interests in Israel, organizers said in videos posted to social media.

While several Columbia student groups have pushed divestment for years, calls have been renewed amid the Israel-Hamas war. Last fall's "Call To Action for Palestine" protest, organized by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, urged newly-inaugurated Shafik to end the campus' dual-degree program with Tel Aviv University and pull the plug on the Tel Aviv Global Center opening.

Other demands include Columbia University verbally acknowledging Palestine "existence and humanity," according to the SJP Instagram page.

Read more: 2 Protests, One War: Israel-Hamas Conflict Reaches Columbia U [PHOTOS]

Shafik made the call for the NYPD to clear the campus Thursday morning, a decision she "hoped would never be necessary," according to the letter posted to Columbia's website.

Letters from the university distributed to protesters Wednesday night threatened students to leave by 9 p.m. Wednesday or face suspension "pending investigation for possible violation of multiple university policies," according to a copy of the letter reviewed by Patch.

"During the suspension, you may not go to class or hand in work related to courses and therefore may not be able to complete your current courses," the letter reads. "Your [student ID] will be deactivated, you will not have access to classrooms and other parts of campus and may not participate in University activities."

At least three students — including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi — were suspended as a result of the protests, Hirsi confirmed via X. A representative for the Columbia University Apartheid Divest coalition told Teen Vogue the number of students suspended indefinitely and evicted from student housing is now at five.

Chief John Chell told the Columbia Spectator the "clear and present danger" that warranted the arrests was identified by Columbia, not authorities. The NYPD also didn't report any violence or injuries in connection with the encampment.

"To put this in perspective, the students that were arrested were peaceful, offered no resistance whatsoever, and were saying what they wanted to say in a peaceful manner," Chell told the student publication.

This is a developing story. Patch will update as more information comes in.