Cops arrest protesters at Columbia university for days-long 'solidarity with Gaza' camp

Pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia University have been arrested as police raided their 'Gaza solidarity camp.'

Minouche Shafik, the school's president who testified before congress about rampant anti-Semitism remarks on campus, authorized the arrests.

'I regret that all of these attempts to resolve the situation were rejected by the students involved. As a result, NYPD officers are now on campus and the process of clearing the encampment is underway,' Shafik said. 

Video shows police raiding an encampment protesters set up on campus in 'solidarity in Gaza' hours before Shafik was scheduled to testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee about rampant anti-Semitism remarks on campus on Wednesday.

Officers dressed in riot gear arrived at the campus around 1:30 p.m. and began arresting students. 

'At the request of Columbia officials, we are on scene to disperse protestors who have erected an unlawful encampment on campus,' NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry said.

'School officials had previously determined that the encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University.'

It is unclear exactly how many students were arrested, but The New York Times reported at least three NYPD buses had been filled with detained protesters.

As arrests were being made, some protesters chanted 'NYPD KKK,' according to CBS New York.

'There was no point of ever working with the police. Like every single step of the way, they were escalating it,' said a protester named Selena said. 

'Columbia has shown over and over they don't care about students' rights, voices or safety,' said Aidan Parisi 

Shafik said she tried to warn the students that they would be punished if they did not disperse.

'Through direct conversations and in writing, the university provided multiple notices of these violations, including a written warning at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday notifying students who remained in the encampment as of 9:00 p.m. that they would face suspension pending investigation,' Shafik said.

'We also tried through a number of channels to engage with their concerns and offered to continue discussions if they agreed to disperse.'

The Columbia Journalism school announced additional security measures for its upcoming alumni weekend, including relocating its welcome reception and requiring identification and registration verification.

Presidential candidate Cornell West addressed the protesters and said, 'I just want to say I stand here in solidarity with you. I stand in solidarity with human suffering.'

Inspired by the occupation of the university's Hamilton Hall in 1968 against the Vietnam War, students gathered at what they called the 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' to demand the school administration to divest from companies affiliated with Israel

Around 60 tents dotted the campus's south lawn, featuring two large signs declaring 'liberated zone' and 'Gaza solidarity encampment.' 

The Ivy League chief defended the 'peaceful' demonstrations and the students' right to free speech in the surge of anti-Semitic rhetoric since the start of the Gaza war during her testimony.

At least five people were arrested Wednesday as a brawl broke out at the school- just one day after the president was accused of running 'hotbed of anti-Semitism and hate.'

In a video from Wednesday, pro-Palestine and pro-Israel demonstrators clashed outside of the school as one person screamed: 'We are Hamas!' while a man wearing an Israel flag on his back and a yamaka on his head walked past her.

As another man filmed the angry protestor and shoved his phone in her face, she repeated: 'Yes, we are all Hamas b****!' 

During another protest, people were seen flooding the Ivy League campus, waving around Palestinian flags and chanting: 'Oh Al-Qassam, you make us proud! Kill another soldier now!' 

In another clip, a mass of people crammed onto a subway train, banging drums, as they chanted: 'Free our prisoners, free them all! Zionism will fall!' while on their way to Columbia.

People clapped their hands as keffiyeh scarves covered their mouths, and quickly changed the chant to: 'Free our prisoners, free them all! Israel will fall!'

Each group praised Hamas, a Palestinian resistance group that took over the Gaza strip in 2007.

On October 7 the Israel-Hamas war began as Hamas militants, known as Qassam Brigades, stormed Israel.

The ongoing terror attacks have killed more than 30,000 people and caused a massive uproar across the world.